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ARLINGTON NOTEBOOK AUGUST 26, 2010 by David Zenner Another International Festival of Racing is in the record book and a trio of great performances left 30,304 fans on track waiting for more. Donegal Racing's PADDY O' PRADO (El Prado [Ire]) solidified his status as the best turf-favoring three-year-old in North America with a 1 1/4-length victory over European invader Wigmore Hall (Ire) (High Chaparral [Ire]) in the $400,000 Secretariat S. (G1) at Arlington Park Saturday, and in the opinion of his jockey, Kent Desormeaux, he may be the best three-year-old in North America regardless of surface. "I think he's by far the best three-year-old and I don't just mean on turf,” said the Hall of Fame jockey following his second straight victory in the Secretariat after winning last year's renewal aboard Take the Points. "I think I should have won the Kentucky Derby (G1), but I got shut off at the quarter pole. "We went slow," Desormeaux said of Saturday's trip aboard the gray colt. "He's a natural striding horse and I had to drag him off the lead which was my biggest concern. It worked out good. The turf is a bit soft but we were going slow." Trained by Dale Romans, Paddy O' Prado covered the mile and a quarter in 2:04.71 over a turf course rated "good" after overnight rains Friday into Saturday morning. The victory was the third straight stakes score for Paddy O' Prado, who captured the Colonial Turf Cup (G2) and the Virginia Derby (G2) in his previous starts after running third in the Kentucky Derby and sixth in the Preakness S. (G1). He earned $240,000 to boost his bankroll to $1,351,297. * * * About 45 minutes after the Secretariat, Arlington Park chairman Richard L. Duchossois won the most important race to him when his ECLAIR DE LUNE (Ger) (Marchand de Sable), trained by Hall of Fame conditioner Ron McAnally, overtook pacesetter Romacaca (Running Stag) in the stretch to the score a 1 1/2-length victory in the $750,000 Beverly D. (G1), which is named for Duchossois' late wife. "Winning this race means more to me than winning the Kentucky Derby," said the 88-year-old Duchossois in accepting the Beverly D. trophy from his children and grandchildren. Ridden by Arlington Park’s leading jockey Junior Alvarado, Eclair de Lune covered the mile and three-sixteenths over "good" turf in 1:56.56 "This is one race I've wanted to win for (Mr. Duchossois)," McAnally said. "He's a first-class man and I knew he wanted to win this race for his late wife. He's one of the greatest guys and very generous to everyone. "Same type of race she ran the last time," the trainer said of the trip by the four-year-old filly, who finished a good second to the ill-fated Tuscan Evening (Ire) in the July 17 Modesty H. (G3). "Alvarado rode her last time and he felt he could win with her today." Eclair de Lune won for first time since being purchased by Duchossois last year. She earned $436,500 to move her bankroll past the half-million dollar mark to $547,843. * * * Finally, HRH Princess Haya of Jordan's DEBUSSY (Ire) (Diesis [GB]) scored an unexpected victory with a crescendo of a late run in Arlington Million XXVIII (G1). Just moments earlier, Castleton Lyons' Gio Ponti (Tale of the Cat) appeared to have designed a second straight tally in the centerpiece race of the Chicago Thoroughbred racing season with his patented last-to-first run, but he could not withstand the winner in the last strides. "We were too tight for room early," said winning jockey William Buick, Norwegian-born but British-based as the first-call rider for John Gosden. "I thought, 'Oh no, I'm not going to have room' but then we finally got clear and he was able to run his race." Debussy accomplished the mile and a quarter distance over the turf course rated "good" in 2:03.01, after stablemate and eventual third-place finisher Tazeez (Mutakddim) carved out early splits of :50.04, 1:13.69 and 1:37.85. "I've been trying to win the race for 28 years," added Gosden, who also trained in California for a number of years. The four-year-old Debussy now has earned five victories from 14 lifetime starts and increased his career earnings to $1,006,813. All three grade 1 winners could see action in the Breeders' Cup World Championships at Churchill Downs on November 5-6. HORSES TO WATCH Friday (8/20) 9TH -- JINGLE JANGLE (Shore Breeze) circled four-wide to get into contention but was out finished by the winner. Sunday (8/22) 1ST -- CURE (Stormin Fever) was bumped at the break and came up a neck short at the end.
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