Arlington Million card features strong European contingent

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – At least 17 European-based horses were under consideration early this week for the four major stakes on the Aug. 15 Arlington Million program, and even if that number – as is likely – gets winnowed down between now and entry time, the overseas contingent figures to be at least on par with recent seasons.

Eleven overseas horses came for the Million card last year, 14 in 2013, and 13 in 2012. Those are the three years since the American St. Leger was added to the Million Day menu, and in previous seasons, European interest in the Arlington races had flagged, with just six trans-Atlantic shippers in 2011 and 2010.

As of Tuesday, the International Racing Bureau, which coordinates the shipment of European horses to races across the globe, listed six horses as possible runners in the Million: Belgian Bill, Bookrunner, Elleval, Maverick Wave, The Corsican, and Wake Forest.

The six look much different if ranked in order of apparent importance rather than alphabetically.

The Corsican finished fourth last out in the Group 1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes and has prior form to support that performance, and if he comes to Arlington for trainer David Simcock, he’d look to many like the top Euro in the race.

Bookrunner also could stake a claim. A 4-year-old like The Corsican, he has not run in a race as significant as the Prince of Wales’s this year, but he is trained by Mikel Delzangles, who has proven success spotting horses in American races.

Wake Forest is a German 5-year-old lacking established Group 1 form, though his trainer, Andreas Wohler, won the 2001 Million with Silvano. Another Million-winning trainer, John Gosden (Debussy, 2010), has Maverick Wave under consideration, and while Maverick Wave has Group 3-type form, he does have a win at Chester, where tighter left-handed turns more closely resemble American tracks than most European racecourses.

Elleval and Belgian Bill look the least likely to have an impact. Between them, they have just nine wins from 75 starts.

Heading the list of Euro possibles for the Beverly D. is defending champion Euro Charline, who last year became the first 3-year-old winner of the race. Team Valor, the filly’s owner, announced Tuesday that Jose Lezcano had picked up the mount on Euro Charline, who is trained by Marco Botti.

Other overseas possibilities for the Beverly D. are Maimara, trained by Delzangles; the Dermot Weld-trained 4-year-old Carla Bianca; the German filly Lacy; and Secret Gesture, a close fifth last fall in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf.

Three horses, all of some consequence, could come for the Secretariat: Canndal, Goldstream, and War Dispatch. Canndal finished second to likely Secretariat runner Force the Pass in the Belmont Derby. Goldstream, trained by Wohler, won the Italian Derby as an odds-on favorite, and War Dispatch was third in the French Derby on May 31.

The possibles for the American St. Leger are Lucky Speed, Panama Hat, Scotland, and Sheikhzayedroad.

Pre-entries for all the Million Day races are due Aug. 7.

Lermyte lands at Arlington

French native Jerome Lermyte, a jockey riding his first meet at Arlington, is a long way from home this summer, but that’s nothing new.

Lermyte, 27, has taken his talents to racecourses around the world since leaving France after riding there for five years to become a contract rider for various stables. Lermyte’s first contract abroad took him to Mauritius, and he also has been based in Qatar, Macau, Australia, Malaysia, and South Korea.

Now, Lermyte has a T1 visa allowing him to work for five years in the U.S. He has no travel plans beyond whatever mounts he might pick up away from his home base at Arlington. He got a good one like that this past Saturday at ThistleDown. Chicago-based trainer Doug Matthews put him on the first-time starter School Board, who won the $75,000 Miss Ohio Stakes, Lermyte’s biggest win in the U.S.

“I’ve ridden all over the world,” Lermyte said. “I’ve been quite successful and have enjoyed it. But I’ve been around enough, and I want to settle down.”

Lermyte shares an agent, Doug Bredar, with jockey Florent Geroux, and Geroux is a main reason Lermyte is here. The two attended the same riding school in France as teenagers and have remained close ever since.

“We always called each other, even when I was riding on the other side of the world,” said Lermyte.

Like Geroux, Lermyte, as an experienced jockey, had to start riding here without the benefit of an apprentice allowance, and that can be difficult. But after winning with just one of 44 mounts in May, June, and the first two weeks of July, Lermyte went 4-1-0 from 8 rides between July 16 and July 23.

Standout in feature

If the featured race 3 Thursday – a second-level turf sprint allowance also open to $40,000 claimers – stays on grass, it’s difficult to see anyone besides Sugar Sweet visiting the winner’s circle. Sugar Sweet finished third last out in a race she might well have needed which was won by Richies Sweetheart, who would come back to win an open stakes at Indiana Grand.