Cafe Americano caps all-Brown pick four in Pucker Up

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – As if becoming the first trainer ever to sweep the International Festival of Racing wasn’t enough, Chad Brown left out of Arlington Park with a victory Saturday in the Grade 3 Pucker Up, ending an almost surreal afternoon for the champion trainer.

Cafe Americano, confidently ridden from well behind by Irad Ortiz Jr., ended the Arlington Million card with a 2 1/4-length score in the 56th running of the $100,000 Pucker Up for 3-year-old turf fillies. Owned by Peter Brant, the Medaglia d’Oro filly returned $7.40 as slight favorite in a field of 11 after finishing 1 1/8 miles in 1:47.72.

In the three prior races, Brown swept the Beverly D. with Sistercharlie, the Secretariat with Valid Point, and the Million with Bricks and Mortar. The win by Cafe Americano gave Brown all four winners in the late pick four (races 9-12), which was worth $27.30 for every 50-cent ticket.

Princesa Carolina loomed boldly turning for home before settling for second, just ahead of a late run from Art of Almost. Winter Sunset was fourth.

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Cafe Americano won her first two career starts before finishing sixth in the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks at 1 1/4 miles last month.

“We’ve always thought highly of her,” said Brown. “I thought maybe turning her back to a mile and an eighth and dropping out of a Grade 1 would help, and it did. Plus Irad gave her a terrific ride” from the far outside post.

Brant, the owner of Sistercharlie, said he also wouldn’t mind having Cafe Americano in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf, “but let’s see how she comes out of this. She’s a lovely filly.”

The Pucker Up was the final leg in a pick five wager (races 8-12) that returned $109.60 for a winning 50-cent ticket. Handle was $578,678, far exceeding the track’s $150,000 pool guarantee.

Handle on the pick four was $618,050 on a $300,000 pool guarantee.

Dabo ($6.40) cruises in Bruce D.

The pick five sequence started with the lone Polytrack stakes of the day, the $75,000 Bruce D. The easy winner was Dabo, the 2-1 favorite who looped the field under Jose Valdivia Jr.

Trained by Dale Romans for the West Point Thoroughbreds and Peacock Stable, Dabo finished the one-turn-mile in 1:38.16 over the synthetic. Can’t Hide From Me rallied late to be second, 2 1/4 lengths behind the winner. Big Drink of Water, the morning-line favorite, was an early scratch, leaving a field of 10 3-year-olds.

Dabo, an Illinois-bred son of Temple City, is based at Churchill Downs but is now a remarkable 4 for 4 over the Arlington Poly. “Too bad the Breeders’ Cup or something isn’t there,” joked Romans.