Modesty deepest of four Arlington Million Preview stakes

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – Ship-ins from the East Coast, California, and even England, along with a solid regional core, were entered Wednesday in the four turf stakes comprising Saturday’s Million Preview Day card at Arlington.

The Modesty Handicap for older fillies and mares drew an overflow field, but the Arlington Handicap at 1 1/4 miles attracted only six entrants and could go with as few as five if one cross-entered horse, Mister Marti Gras, starts in the 1 1/2-mile Stars and Stripes.

The fourth stakes, the American Derby for 3-year-olds, got 10 entrants, and despite lacking the one-two finishers from the May 24 Arlington Classic, the race has some quality.

All four races are Grade 3’s, and all but the $150,000 Stars and Stripes offer a $200,000 purse. Arlington’s turf course was dry Wednesday, and the local forecast through Friday calls for cool, clear weather, but there’s a slight chance of storms later Friday and a 50 percent chance Friday night.

American Derby: Divine Oath, fourth in the $400,000 Penn Mile last out, is coming from New York for trainer Todd Pletcher. Divine Oath also finished second to Mr Speaker, who went on to win the $1.25 million Belmont Derby, in the Lexington Stakes on Polytrack. But the one-two Penn Mile finishers, Bobby’s Kitten and Global View, ran out of the money in the Belmont Derby.

Schoolofhardrocks, who beat older allowance foes in his turf-route debut, comes in from California for trainer David Hofmans, who has started only two horses at Arlington, and none since 2004.

England-based trainer William Haggas has run one horse in the United States, Primary, who finished third in the 2006 Secretariat here. Haggas’s second U.S. runner is Our Channel, whose last start came in the Epsom Derby.

Afortable heads the locals. He was third in the Arlington Classic after falling too far behind a slow early pace. He closed decently, and trainer Chris Block believes the longer American Derby distance will help.

Arlington Handicap: War Dancer winds up here rather than in the Stars and Stripes after trainer Ken McPeek considered both spots for his last-out winner of the Louisville Handicap.

Mister Marti Gras is entered in this race as well as the Stars and Stripes, and Block said he and owner Bob Lothenbach probably won’t pick a race until Friday.

Infinite Magic, who won the 2013 American Derby, makes his second start of the year.

Modesty Handicap: Easily the deepest stakes on the day, with a full field of 14 runners set to start.

Two trainers with strong filly-and-mare turf divisions, Malcolm Pierce and Christophe Clement, have runners. Clement won the Robert Dick at Delaware last weekend with Aigue Marine and has Tabreed for the Modesty. Pierce finished one-two in the Dance Smartly at Woodbine with Overheard and Deceptive Vision; he has Dance Again for the Modesty.

I’m Already Sexy sharply won the Grade 3 Pucker Up over the Arlington course last summer.

Stars and Stripes: Trainer Mike Maker won the 2013 edition with Dark Cove and has Moro Tap this year. Block won in 2012 with Ioya Bigtime and in 2009 with Free Fighter, and he has at least Suntracer if not Mister Marti Gras to start Saturday.

Illinois-bred turf standout The Pizza Man winds up among 11 here rather than in the Arlington Handicap.