Trainer Eddie Graham ‘humbled' by second Million Day victory

Trainer Eddie Graham has had a busy but satisfying week.

On Saturday, he won the Grade 3, $250,000 American St. Leger on the Arlington Million undercard with Postulation. On Tuesday, he worked his 2014 Arlington Million winner Hardest Core five furlongs in 1:02 over the Tapeta track at Fair Hill Training Center.

Graham, 46, has two graded stakes wins in his career. That they both came at Arlington Park on Million Day is amazing. That he legged both horses up for their victories in the minor Cape Henlopen Stakes at Delaware Park borders on the unbelievable.

“When Postulation won the Cape Henlopen we were already talking about the St. Leger walking back from the race,” Graham said.

Postulation is owned by Gregory and Caroline Bentley. Hardest Core races under their son Andrew’s name. Both horses are based at the Bentley’s Runnymede Farm outside Unionville, Pa. Graham trains them over turf runs and paths in the hilly Pennsylvania countryside, but also keeps stalls at the Fair Hill Training Center.

“I mix it up,” said Graham, who has 6 wins from 23 starts this year.

Hardest Core is now 7. He has started only four times since his Million win because his last two campaigns have been cut short by slight tendon tears. He has not raced since finishing second in the Grade 3 Singspiel at Woodbine 13 months ago, but could be ready to run in September.

“Kevin Keane did a procedure, which he has been performing for 20 years, to strengthen the tendon,” Graham said. “I put him back in training January 1st and went easy with him. I’d like to run him in some of the distance races coming up. I’ll find a mile and sixteenth race to get him started back.”

Graham said the gelded son of Hard Spun has been eager in his training.

“As long as he’s happy and wanting to train, I’ll go on with him,” Graham said. “If he’s ever acting like he doesn’t want to do it, I’ll retire him. But right now, he’s acting like he’s 3. I was very happy with his Tuesday work.”

Although Hardest Core has only one timed workout, he has plenty of miles under his belt. A neighboring farm, owned by Joyce Slater, has a large hill with a long, taxing turf gallop that Graham uses to condition his horses.

“Today was his first official work, but really it was his fifth,” Graham said. “I have worked him up the hill at Joyce Slater’s four times. I used the hill with Postulation twice before the St. Leger.”

The Bentleys are currently having a synthetic training surface built at Runnymede.

“We are having a six-furlong run put in up a hill,” Graham said. “It is a straight course using Michael Dickinson’s Tapeta, the same as at Woodbine. It will be similar to what Dickinson has at his farm.”

Postulation, a 5-year-old gelding by Harlan’s Holiday, was bred by Juddmonte Farms and raced two seasons in Ireland for Juddmonte and trainer Dermot Weld. After being purchased by the Bentleys, he made his debut for Graham last August.

It took a while for Graham to figure out Postulation, but a light rating hold and longer distances have resulted in impressive victories in the 1 1/2-mile Cape Henlopen and the 1 11/16-mile St. Leger.

Alex Cintron was aboard for the Cape Henlopen but had a prior commitment Saturday, so the mount went to Jorge Vargas Jr. The St. Leger was the first graded win for Vargas, a 22-year-old native of Puerto Rico, who is fifth in the Parx standings.

Graham said it was “humbling” to return to Arlington for Million Day and walk away with another win.

“Going back to Arlington was like a dream for everyone,” he said. “We didn’t know if we’d ever have another horse to go back there with. It was emotional for us after the race.”

Graham is considering the Grade 3, $600,000 Kentucky Turf Cup, a 1 1/2-mile race at Kentucky Downs on Sept. 9, as a next start for Postulation. As a Kentucky-bred, he is eligible to compete for the total purse, which includes $300,000 from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund.

“I’d like to see them get some of the rain we have had here this summer,” Graham said. “When I went there last year the ground was hard, and he likes a little cut in it.”