Brown pre-enters three for Arlington Million, four for Beverly D.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – Eleven horses headed by ... well, not really headed by anyone, were pre-entered Friday for the Aug. 11 Arlington Million.

Oscar Performance, Robert Bruce, and Money Multiplier look like they could be the top three choices – or not. Spring Quality won the Grade 1 Manhattan last out, and though he was 18-1 in that race, he’ll take considerably more betting in the Million. Almanaar also will have his supporters, as will Deauville, who was third, beaten less than a length, in the 2017 Million.

Deauville is one of three Europeans, along with Century Dream and Circus Couture, pre-entered in the 1 1/4-mile Million, and there are as many Chad Brown-trained pre-entrants as overseas shippers. Brown trains Almanaar, Money Multiplier, and Robert Bruce. Almanaar could be the longest price of the three but rates a solid chance regardless. Money Multiplier comes off a second-place finish as the favorite in the Grade 1 United Nations. Robert Bruce was a troubled sixth at odds of 7-2 in the Manhattan.

Oscar Performance, trained by Brian Lynch, was a sharp winner of the Grade 1 Secretariat for 3-year-olds on the Million card a year ago. His 2018 debut was belated, coming only June 17 in the Grade 3 Poker, but Oscar Performance was a good winner that day and should have plenty of backers.

Three-time Grade 1 winner Divisidero won the Arlington Handicap last out, while Catcho En Die won the Stars and Stripes at 1 1/2 miles over the Arlington course last month and returns from New York for trainer Naipaul Chatterpaul. Twenty Four Seven was sixth in the Arlington Handicap and appears to be in deep.

Brown dominates the pre-entries for the Grade 1, $600,000 Beverly D. over 1 3/16 miles. Sistercharlie figures to be favored, but Brown also pre-entered Fourstar Crook, Inflexibility, and Thais. Aidan O’Brien, who trains Deauville, entered the 3-year-old filly Athena, who won the Belmont Oaks Invitational in her last start and is one of two Europeans, along with Nyaleti. Also pre-entered were Daddys Lil Darling, Dona Bruja, Oh So Terrible, and Prado’s Sweet Ride.

Brown also trains Analyze It, the favorite for the Secretariat, restricted to 3-year-olds and, like the Million, contested at 1 1/4 miles. Analyze It appeared to be on the way to victory in his last two starts, the Pennine Ridge and the Grade 1 Belmont Derby, only to be run down late by Catholic Boy, whom he had passed earlier in the homestretch. Catholic Boy’s connections are passing on the Secretariat in favor of a dirt start in the Travers Stakes.

O’Brien pre-entered two in the Secretariat: Hunting Horn, who was third in the Belmont Derby, and the less accomplished Lucius Tiberius. Bandua, Ming (trained by O’Brien’s son, Joseph O’Brien), and Platinum Warrior also are overseas pre-entrants. Captivating Moon, Carrick, Dubby Dubbie, Linburgh’s Kitten, Pont Du Gard, Real Story, Snipper Kitten, and Untamed Domain also were pre-entered in the $400,000 Secretariat.

Final entries for the three Grade 1 races will be taken Tuesday, with the rest of the Aug. 11 card, which also includes the Grade 3, $100,000 Pucker Up and the $100,000 Bruce D. Memorial, to be drawn Wednesday.