Arlington Million purse lowered to $600,000, race renamed the Mister D Stakes

The Arlington Million has a new name and a lower purse in 2021, which, as things currently stand, could be the last year of racing at Arlington International Racecourse.

The 2021 Arlington stakes schedule, which is listed in the first condition book, includes $2.275 million in stakes purses. The richest single race is the $600,000 Mister D Stakes, which formerly was the Arlington Million. The race is named for Arlington’s chairman emeritus, Richard Duchossois, who turns 100 in 2021.

The Million wasn’t run during 2020, when Arlington had a severely truncated, stakes-free meet because of COVID-19. Arlington paid out $3.4 million in stakes purses during its last full season, 2019, a number that was capped for 2021 by a contract signed last year with the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association.

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Churchill Downs Inc., Arlington’s parent company, announced in February that the property on which the track sits would be sold to developers. CDI said the intended sale wouldn’t threaten the 2021 racing season, which is scheduled for April 30 through Sept. 25, comprising 68 racing programs.

The Mister D, over 1 1/4 miles on turf, headlines the Arlington International Festival of Racing on Aug. 14. Also on that card are two more Grade 1 turf races, the $400,000 Beverly D. and the $300,000 Bruce D (formerly the Secretariat). The Grade 3, $100,000 Pucker Up for 3-year-old fillies is part of the Aug. 14 card, as are four Illinois-bred stakes races.

There are two $100,000 stakes on June 26, the Grade 3 Chicago and the Hanshin Cup, while July 17 is Million Preview Day. That program includes the Grade 3, $100,000 Arlington, the Grade 3, $100,000 Modesty, the $100,000 American Derby and the $75,000 Hatoof.

Arlington is expected to pay overnight purses at an average of about $154,000 daily during the meet.