Carryover of $375,445 follows Secret Message's Pucker Up win
RACE REPLAY IS NOT AVAILABLE
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – Secret Message charged from well back to conclude an unforgettable Arlington Million Day for jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. as the filly registered her first stakes victory in the finale of a 12-race card, the Grade 3, $100,000 Pucker Up Stakes.
Less than an hour earlier, Ortiz, celebrating his 26th birthday, had won his first Arlington Million aboard Robert Bruce. His ride on Secret Message ($14.40) was accomplished in similar fashion, as the filly finished full of run to complete 1 1/8 miles in 1:50.01 over a firm turf.
Pamina, ridden by Ortiz’s brother, Jose, was second in a field of 12 3-year-old fillies and was followed by Princess Warrior, Dark Artist, and the 2-1 favorite, Beyond Blame.
Secret Message, a dark bay filly by Hat Trick, is trained by Graham Motion for the partnership of Madaket Stables, ERJ Racing, and Elayne Stable. She was coming off a troubled fourth-place finish in the June 16 Regret Stakes at Churchill Downs and now has won three of seven career starts.
Huge Sunday pick-5 carry
The Pucker Up was the final leg of a multitude of multi-race wagers, including a pick five (races 8-12) on which no winning tickets were purchased, leading to a carryover of $375,445 into the late pick five (races 4-8) on the Sunday card. Two huge longshots to start the sequence led to the massive carryover, which a Churchill Downs Inc. spokesman said is the fourth-largest for a pick five in North American racing history.
The Saturday late pick four (races 9-12) returned $4,349 for 50 cents.
All-sources handle was $479,574 for the late pick five and $990,157 for the late pick four.