Divisidero points to Arlington Million

Divisidero will make his next start in the Arlington Million on Aug. 13, trainer Buff Bradley said Thursday.

The 4-year-old colt worked five furlongs in 1:03 on dirt Friday at Churchill Downs, his first drill since finishing fifth in the $1 million Manhattan Stakes on June 11 at Belmont Park.

Divisidero finished 2 3/4 lengths behind the victorious Flintshire in the Manhattan after tracking a slow pace, and he probably did not run his best race. World Approval, who would go on to win the Grade 1 United Nations, finished third in the Manhattan, and Divisidero ran past him to win the Grade 1 Turf Classic on Derby Day at Churchill for the most important victory of his career. That was one of several races in which Divisidero has looked happier making one big run from well off the early pace.

“He was much closer last time, and I don’t think that’s his game,” said Bradley, who trains Divisidero for Gunpowder Farms. “He still finished well, but I don’t think we saw his patented kick. He came out of that race well, and we feel like we still have a top horse.”

Edgar Prado will keep the mount for the Million, Bradley said. Divisidero’s 3-year-old season was cut short following a below-par performance when he finished seventh in the Belmont Derby Invitational last summer. Divisidero, a son of Kitten’s Joy, has made four starts this year and might still have his best racing in front of him.

It is early, but the Million has the potential to be an excellent race this year. Chad Brown mentioned the race as a possible spot for Flintshire just after the Manhattan, though he said Thursday via text message that it was too early to say where Flintshire would next race. World Approval also will be considered for the Million, and trainer Charlie Appleby at the Dubai World Cup meeting mentioned the race as a possibility for Tryster, most recently fifth in the Group 1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes over ground far softer than he prefers.

Rivelli wins four

Trainer Larry Rivelli won four of the eight races on the Thursday card at Arlington. Rivelli won race 1 with first-time starter Richiesdreamgirl, race 3 with first-off-the-claim Shadow Valley, race 5 with Case Cracker, and race 6 with Daddy’s Boo. Daddy’s Boo was the only one of the winners who was favored.

Rivelli’s big day put him up five wins, 29-24, over Mike Stidham in the Arlington trainer standings entering Friday’s card.

◗ With nine races carded Saturday rather than the usual eight, Arlington will run just a seven-race card Sunday to complete a 32-race week that will be standard during four-day race weeks in July and August. The nominal feature is race 4, a first-level, turf-sprint allowance that could come down to Full Tap and Strawberry Bomb, with an edge to Full Tap.

– additional reporting by Marty McGee