Arlington reveals 2014 stakes schedule

The International Festival of Racing, featuring the 32nd running of the

Arlington Million and the 25th running of the Beverly D., top a 2014 schedule

that includes 25 stakes races worth $5.5 million during 89 days of racing at

Arlington from May 2 through September 28.

In the year that Arlington celebrates the 25th anniversary of the rebuilding

of racing's most modern and customer-friendly facilities, the world renowned

racetrack announced that the Festival of Racing will be on August 16. The

International Festival features five stakes races including three Grade 1 events

-- the $1,000,000 Arlington Million, the $750,000 Beverly D. for fillies &

mares, and the $500,000 Secretariat for three-year-olds -- as well as the third

edition of $400,000 American St Leger and the $75,000 Hatoof. All five stakes

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 1 1/4 miles while the Beverly D. is contested at 1 3/16 miles. The American

St Leger will be carded at the marathon distance of 1 11/16 miles and the Hatoof

will be run at 1 1/16 miles.

Arlington also announced changes that will improve the quality and

competitiveness of the meet's two-year-old stakes races with distance changes.

In addition, the dates of the Illinois-bred restricted races have been spread

over four dates which means that Arlington will present at least one stakes race

on all but three Saturdays from Memorial Day until the middle of September. The

schedule also features several "big event" days that combine multiple stakes

races onto a single card.

The first of these days is scheduled for May 24, and will feature three Grade

3 events -- the $150,000 Arlington Matron for fillies and mares at 1 1/8 miles

on Polytrack, the $150,000 Hanshin Cup for older horses at one mile on the main

track and the $150,000 Arlington Classic (the first leg of the Mid-America

Triple) for three-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles on the turf.

Illinois-breds stakes are prominent in the early stages of the meet with

$100,000 events slated for May 31 (Springfield for three-year-olds), June 7

(Purple Violet for three-year-old fillies), June 14 (Isaac Murphy Handicap for

older female sprinters) and a pair of turf races on June 21 (Lincoln Heritage

for distaffers and its companion race the Black Tie Affair). The remaining

Illinois-restricted event (the Addison Cammack for sprinters) is carded for July

26.

The Grade 3, $150,000 Chicago Handicap, a seven-furlong main track race, will

close out the June stakes slate on June 28.

On July 12, Million Preview Day, scheduled five weeks prior to the

International Festival of Racing, includes major prep races for four

International Festival events. The Grade 3,  $200,000 Arlington Handicap

serves as the final local prep race for the Arlington Million, while the Grade

3, $200,000 Modesty Handicap plays the same role for the Beverly D. The Grade 3,

$200,000 American Derby, which is also the second leg of the Mid-America Triple,

leads into the Secretariat and the Grade 3, $150,000 Stars and Stripes Stakes at

1 1/2 miles on the turf will serve as a feeder for the American St Leger.

As has been the case for the last several 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.

Also to be run in July are the 2014 renewals of the $100,000 Arlington

Sprint, a 5 1/2-furlong turf dash, and the Grade 3, $150,000 Arlington Oaks, a 1

1/8-mile main track race for three-year-old fillies. The Arlington Sprint is

slated for July 5 with the local Oaks scheduled to run two weeks later on July

19.

In addition to the International Festival of Racing, the August stakes slate

includes the August 30 running of the Grade 3, $150,000 Washington Park Handicap

for older horses at 1 1/8 miles on Polytrack.

Two-year-olds will be featured on September 6 when Arlington presents the

Grade 3, $150,000 Arlington-Washington Futurity for two-year-old colts and

geldings on Polytrack and the $100,000 Arlington-Washington Lassie for

two-year-old fillies on the main track. Each of these events has been shortened

from one mile to seven furlongs -- a distance at which these races thrived in

their rich histories.

One additional stake race is scheduled for the meet's final month -- the

Grade 3, $175,000 Pucker Up Stakes for three-year-old fillies at 1 1/8 miles on

the turf, which will be run on September 13.

Any overnight stakes that may be added to the schedule will be announced at a

later date.

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