Arlington Park: Chicago Handicap will provide Aubby K's first test on Polytrack

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – Saturday’s Chicago Handicap at Arlington has landed a plum entrant in Aubby K, winner of the Grade 1 Humana Distaff at Churchill Downs in her most recent start.

Trained by Ralph Nicks, the 4-year-old Aubby K won the Grade 2 Inside Information at Gulfstream Park to start her season before capturing the May 4 Humana Distaff by 1 1/2 lengths. The Gulfstream win came on fast track, the Churchill win in slop, and on Saturday, Aubby K, a daughter of Street Sense, will try an all-weather racetrack for the first time.

If the field entered Wednesday holds together, Aubby K will have nine foes in Saturday’s seven-furlong Polytrack sprint, and despite the surface switch, Aubby K figures to be strongly favored in the Grade 3, $150,000 race. The others entered are Cozze Up Lady, Drama Drama, Dr. Diamonds Prize, Flower Spell, Gold Edge, Lady Chesterfield, La Song, Maude S, and Queen’s Award.

Hill may ride a few races this weekend

Jockey Channing Hill hopes to resume riding races this weekend, his agent, Pat Cuccurrullo, said Wednesday.

Hill hurt his shoulder in a one-horse spill here June 8, and an attempted comeback less than a week later ended when Hill felt like he couldn’t properly fulfill his riding responsibilities. Hill has been working horses again, Cuccurrullo said, and if all goes well in limited action this weekend, he will return to full-scale race-riding next week.

Even missing time, Hill remains in the thick of the race for leading jockey with 23 wins at the meet. Before the injury, Hill was riding first call for leading Arlington trainer Wayne Catalano.

July 7 target for Homeister to return

Jockey Rosemary Homeister Jr. is making good progress after sustaining a concussion in a fall during a race June 19, her agent, Jay Fedor, said Wednesday. Homeister on Wednesday afternoon visited a neurologist who said she could start working horses later this week and cleared her to resume race-riding on July 7, according to Fedor. Homeister will have one final CT Scan before she is given the final go-ahead to ride again.

Homeister was hurt when her mount, Rahab Your Soul, broke through the inner turf rail and threw her to the ground.

Fedor, meanwhile, said he has begun booking mounts for jockey Chris Emigh. The pair was together during Emigh’s best years in Chicago.

No plan yet to distribute casino cash

A total of $23 million dollars was transferred into Illinois’s horse racing fund June 23, money collected by the state from the Rivers Casino in Des Plaines and earmarked for racing as part of a grand bargain that allowed Illinois riverboat casinos to become land-based.

Arlington has received a little more than $7.2 million of that money, with more than $3.6 million to be paid in purses. But how that purse money will be distributed has yet to be determined, according to Glen Berman, executive director of the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association.

Arlington general manager Tony Petrillo was traveling from England on Wednesday and wasn’t available to comment.

European may ship in for Secretariat

Trainer John Gosden said Tuesday he has early plans to send a 3-year-old named Ghurair for the Grade 1 Secretariat Stakes here Aug. 17. Ghurair, an Elusive Quality colt owned by Hamdan al Maktoum, is intended to remain in the United States after the Secretariat.

Ghurair has won 2 of 5 starts, most recently finishing fourth in the Dante Stakes at York, a race won by Epsom Derby runner-up Libertarian.