Arlington Park News Release: ARLINGTON TO RUN 26 STAKES IN 2012 WORTH $5.8 MILLION

                FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: David Zenner

(847) 385-7535

Cell: (847) 371-1670

Dzenner@arlingtonpark.com

 

ARLINGTON TO RUN 26 STAKES IN 2012 WORTH $5.8 MILLION

Arlington Million and the International Festival of Racing Slated for Aug. 18

 

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. (Jan. 24, 2012) – The International Festival of Racing, featuring the 30^th running of the Grade I Arlington Million, tops a 2012 schedule that includes 26 stakes races worth $5.8 million during 90 days of racing at Arlington Park from Friday, May 4 through Sunday, Sept. 30.  The Stakes Schedule must first be approved by the Illinois Racing Board at its January meeting.

 

Arlington's International Festival of Racing will be on Saturday, Aug. 18 and features three Grade I stakes – the $1,000,000 Arlington Million for 3-year-olds & older; the $750,000 Beverly D. for fillies & mares, 3-years-old & older; the $500,000 Secretariat Stakes for 3-year-olds and the newly created $400,000 Arlington St. Leger for 3-year-olds & older scheduled to be run over Arlington’s internationally acclaimed turf course

 

The Million and Secretariat are both run at North America's classic distance of a mile and a quarter while the Beverly D. is contested at a mile and three-sixteenths and the Arlington St. Leger will be carded at a mile and eleven-sixteenths (1m 5 1/2f).  The Secretariat received a $100,000 boost to its purse for the 2012 renewal.

 

            “The International Festival of Racing has always been a great event but now with the celebration of the 30^th running of the Million, the addition of the Arlington St. Leger, and the purse increase of the Secretariat, the Festival is set to go to a whole new level,” said Arlington Park General Manager Tony Petrillo. 

 

“We are extremely proud to be able to launch a new race with the Arlington St. Leger,” he continued. “This is an historic race in Great Britain, the third leg of the English Triple Crown. We are honored to be able to name our race after that classic. It strengthens our relationships with the international racing community and we are sure this race will be very popular with the American racing fans.”

 

The 2012 schedule features several “big event” days that combine multiple stakes races onto a single card.

 

The first of these days is scheduled for Saturday, May 26 and will feature the Grade III $150,000 Arlington Matron, for fillies and mares at a mile and an eighth on Polytrack, and the $125,000 Arlington Classic, the first leg of the Mid-America Triple for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles on the turf.

 

One other added-money race on the May calendar is the Grade III $150,000 Hanshin Cup for older horses at one mile over Polytrack, which will be run Saturday, May 19.

 

The June stakes slate is highlighted by the June 16 Prairie State Festival.  The 13^th annual showcase for Illinois-registered horses includes six $125,000 stakes for horses bred and/or foaled in Illinois. Each of these races is up $25,000 from last year making for an additional $150,000 available for state-bred runners. The Grade III $150,000 Chicago Handicap, a seven-furlong main track race, will close out the June stakes slate on Saturday, June 30.

 

On July 14, Million Preview Day, scheduled five weeks prior to the International Festival of Racing, includes major prep races for the four International Festival events.  The Grade III $200,000 Arlington Handicap serves as the final local prep race for the Arlington Million while the Grade III $200,000 Modesty Handicap plays the same role for the Beverly D., and the Grade III $200,000 American Derby, which is also the second leg of the Mid-America Triple, leads into the Secretariat Stakes.  

 

In addition, the Grade III $150,000 Stars and Stripes Stakes at a mile and a half on the turf will be run as part of the Million Preview Day card to serve as a prep race for the Arlington St. Leger Stakes on Million Day.

 

As has been the case for each of the last two years, the top three finishers in each of the Preview Day stakes races will have their entry and start fees waived for the counterpart race during the International Festival of Racing.

 

Also to be run in July are the 2012 renewals of the $100,000 Arlington Sprint, a 5 ½-furlong turf dash; and the Grade III $150,000 Arlington Oaks for 3-year-old fillies which returns to the schedule after a year’s absence.  The Arlington Sprint is slated for Saturday, July 7 with the local Oaks scheduled to run two weeks later on Saturday, July 21.

 

In addition to the International Festival of Racing, August’s stakes slate includes the return of the Illinois Owners Stakes for Illinois-owned horses.

 

Two-year-olds will be featured on Saturday, Sept. 8 when Arlington presents the Grade III $150,000 Arlington-Washington Futurity for 2-year-old colts & geldings at one mile on Polytrack and the $150,000 Arlington-Washington Lassie for 2-year-old fillies at one mile on the main track. 

 

Two additional stakes race are scheduled for the meet’s final month – the Grade III $150,000 Washington Park Handicap for older horses at a mile and an eighth on the main track on Saturday, Sept. 1 and the Grade III $175,000 Pucker Up Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at a mile and an eighth on the turf, which will be run on Saturday, Sept. 15

 

With the influx of money from the Horse Racing Equity (“HRE”) Trust Fund, most of the stakes races enjoy purse increases from their 2011 figure, and the Arlington Oaks was able to return to the schedule.

 

The complete 2012 Arlington Park stakes schedule is attached.

 

Arlington Park – the Chicago area’s premier Thoroughbred racetrack located in Arlington Heights, Ill. – will run a 90-day meet in 2012 from Friday, May 4 through Sunday, Sept. 30. Arlington Park, whose parent company is Churchill Downs Incorporated (Nasdaq: CHDN), also operates 11 off-track, simulcast-wagering facilities – Trackside Arlington Park (Arlington Heights), Trackside Chicago, Trackside Quad City Downs (East Moline), Trackside Waukegan, Tavern on North featuring Trackside Villa Park, Shooters Bar & Grill at Don Carter Lanes featuring Trackside Rockford, Fat Sam’s Bar & Grill featuring Trackside OTB in Lockport, Stanley’s Ale House featuring Trackside OTB in South Elgin, Nicolino’s featuring Trackside OTB in McHenry, TADS Sports Bar & Grill featuring Trackside OTB in South Beloit and Salerno-Pincente Ristorante featuring Trackside OTB in Hodgkins.  Information on Arlington Park can be found online at www.arlingtonpark.com.

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Arlington Park 2012 Stakes Schedule

Pending approval of the Illinois Racing Board

 

Day/Date                              Race                                                                      Conditions                                         Purse                                                Distance

Saturday, May 19                    Hanshin Cup (GIII)                                                  3yo & up                                                  $150,000 G                             1 Mile

Saturday, May 26                    Arlington Classic                                                      3yo                                                          $125,000 G                             1 Mile & 1 1/16 (T)

Saturday, May 26                    Arlington Matron (GIII)                                             3yo & up, f&m                                          $150,000 G                             1 Mile & 1/8

                   The Prairie State Festival                                                                                                                                        ________                                                                   

Saturday, June 16                   Purple Violet Stakes (IL)                                          F, 3yo                                                      $125,000 A                              1 Mile                                               

Saturday, June 16                   Springfield Stakes (IL)                                              3yo                                                          $125,000 A                              1 Mile                                               

Saturday, June 16                   Isaac Murphy Handicap (IL)                                    F&M, 3yo & up                                        $125,000 A                              6 Furlongs                 

Saturday, June 16                   White Oak Handicap (IL)                                          3yo & up                                                  $125,000 A                              6 Furlongs                 

Saturday, June 16                   Lincoln Heritage Handicap (IL)                                F&M, 3yo & up                                        $125,000 A                              1 Mile & 1/16 (T)               

Saturday, June 16                   Black Tie Affair Handicap (IL)                                  3yo & up                                                  $125,000 A                              1 Mile & 1/16 (T)

Saturday, June 30                   Chicago Handicap (GIII)                                          F&M, 3yo & up                                        $150,000 G                             7 Furlongs                 

Saturday, July 7                      Arlington Sprint                                                        3yo & up                                                  $100,000 G                             5 1/2 Furlongs (T)

                   Million Preview Day                                                                                                                                                  ________                                                                   

Saturday, July 14                    Stars and Stripes (GIII)                                            3yo & up                                                  $150,000 G                             1 Mile & 1/2 (T)                 

Saturday, July 14                    Arlington Handicap (GIII)                                         3yo & up                                                  $200,000 G                             1 Mile & 1/4 (T)                 

Saturday, July 14                    Modesty Handicap (GIII)                                         F&M, 3yo & up                                        $200,000 G                             1 Mile & 3/16 (T)               

Saturday, July 14                    American Derby (GIII)                                             3yo                                                          $200,000 G                             1 Mile & 3/16 (T)               

Saturday, July 21                    Arlington Oaks (GIII)                                                F, 3yo                                                      $150,000 G                             1 Mile & 1/8                       

Saturday, Aug. 11                   Illinois Owners Stakes (IL-owned)                           3yo & up                                                  $100,000 G                             1 Mile & 1/16 (T)

Saturday, Aug. 11                   Illinois Owners Stakes (IL-owned)                           F&M, 3yo & up                                        $100,000 G                             1 Mile & 1/16 (T)

                   Arlington International Festival of Racing                                                                                                           ________                                                                   

Saturday, Aug. 18                   Arlington St. Leger Stakes                                        3yo & up                                                  $400,000 G                             1 Mile & 11/16 (T)             

Saturday, Aug. 18                   Secretariat Stakes (GI)                                             3yo                                                          $500,000 G                             1 Mile & 1/4 (T)                 

Saturday, Aug. 18                   Beverly D. (GI)                                                        F&M, 3yo & up                                        $750,000 G                             1 Mile & 3/16 (T)               

Saturday, Aug. 18                   Arlington Million XXX (GI)                                        3yo & up                                                  $1,000,000 G                          1 Mile & 1/4 (T)                 

Saturday, Sept. 1                     Washington Park Handicap (GIII)                            3yo & up                                                  $150,000 G                             1 Mile & 1/8

Saturday, Sept. 8                     Arlington-Washington Futurity (GIII)                         2yo                                                          $150,000 G                             1 Mile

Saturday, Sept. 8                     Arlington-Washington Lassie (GIII)                           F, 2yo                                                      $150,000 G                             1 Mile

Saturday, Sept. 15                   Pucker Up Stakes (GIII)                                           F, 3yo                                                      $175,000 G                             1 Mile & 1/8 (T)

 

(IL) denotes races for Illinois Registered Conceived and/or Foaled Horses

 

 

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