The Arlington Million was the first horse race in the world to offer a seven-figure purse. Now, it’s looking for a home after a sad last hurrah at the late Arlington Park two summers ago and a nine-furlong Churchill renewal in 2022. The Million is back to its proper 1 1/4-mile distance at Colonial Downs, but with all due respect, this hardly is a million-dollar field. We’ll bypass Virginia and look instead at the boutique meets in New York and California. Fourstardave Trainer Bill Mott just won the Bowling Green last weekend with 9-year-old Channel Maker, and Mott still has Casa Creed going great guns at age 7. Winner of the Fourstardave last summer at the expense of the favored mare Regal Glory, Casa Creed looks for a repeat on Saturday and might be favored to get it. :: DRF's 2023 Saratoga headquarters: Previews, past performances, picks, recaps, news, and more. The difference between 2022 and 2023: Casa Creed came into last year’s Fourstardave after a two-month break and this year runs back just one month after delivering a peak performance winning the Kelso. It’s not like one expects Casa Creed’s form to fall off a cliff, but his established pattern is showing his very best with ample time between starts. It’s hard to see him running any better than he did July 15, less difficult to envision something a bit worse. Annapolis will be no worse than second choice. He was no match last out for Casa Creed, though the turf that day might have had a bit of cut to it that Annapolis didn’t love. But why manufacture excuses for a short price? Annapolis hasn’t looked like the same colt in three subsequent starts since sharp victories in the Saranac and the Keeneland Turf Mile. I’m going with Annapolis’s Todd Pletcher-trained stablemate Emmanuel. Emmanuel for whatever reason hit a flat spot this spring in races at Keeneland and Pimlico, but when last seen in the Poker, he followed through on the turf potential he showed last summer and his first two 2023 starts. There was little early and middle pace in the Poker, and Emmanuel settled in last, coming wide, and it was impressive that he ran down odds-on Chez Pierre and Filo di Arianna, the latter the chief beneficiary of the race flow. Working on dirt at Saratoga, Emmanuel was slow to get into his July 22 drill and got pummeled that morning by Forte. But he looked much better working inside Annapolis on Aug. 5, going the better of the pair, flashing under the wire and galloping out like a horse ready to win the Fourstardave. Galway There’s little doubt Love Reigns is the best filly in the Galway. She had no business winning at Keeneland in April and scored a flashy victory in her Saratoga start last summer. But are we getting the best version of Love Reigns? She was badly off form in the Breeders’ Cup and missed an intended trip to England because she wasn’t working to her trainer’s satisfaction. She had a couple of faster five-furlong drills several weeks ago, but video of more recent works is nothing to write home about. Also, this is a full field in a turf sprint; who wants a short price when luck will play a major role? I’ll try the other Love horse, Love Appeals. This filly makes her fifth start, but the first two mainly were about showing connections she wanted to be a sprinter more than a miler. After cruising to victory over six furlongs at Aqueduct in April, Love Appeals was best last out going 5 1/2 furlongs at Monmouth, where she checked in third. Bumped and pushed toward the rail at the start, Love Appeals also was steadied on the far turn before finishing fastest. She doesn’t have the biggest turn of foot, but with a better start ought to get first run on the deeper closers after stalking a fast, contested pace, and Love Appeals had an excellent dirt drill for this Aug. 5. Sorrento Ur in Trouble managed to finish second in her career debut, won by the Sorrento favorite Dua, despite clearly needing the race. She lost focus into the turn and was running in spots through the homestretch before finally leveling off late and galloping out in front. She’s the filly with the most upside on the day, and after going off at 18-1 last time ought to be a fair price once again. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.