Arlington St Leger a new addition to Arlington stakes slate

The International Festival of Racing, featuring the 30th running of the Grade

1 Arlington Million, tops a 2012 schedule that includes 26 stakes races worth

$5.8 million during 90 days of racing at Arlington Park from May 4 through

September 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 August 18 and

features three Grade 1 stakes -- the $1,000,000 Arlington Million for

three-year-olds and up; the $750,000 Beverly D. for fillies and mares,

three-years-old and up; and the $500,000 Secretariat Stakes for three-year-olds.

The newly created $400,000 Arlington St Leger for three-year-olds up is also

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 and the

Arlington St. Leger will be carded at a 1 11/16 miles. 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 30th 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," Arlington Park General Manager Tony Petrillo

said.

"We are extremely proud to be able to launch a new race with the Arlington St

Leger," Petrillo said. "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 May 26 and will feature the Grade 3,

$150,000 Arlington Matron Stakes, for fillies and mares at 1 1/8 miles on

Polytrack, and the $125,000 Arlington Classic, the first leg of the Mid-America

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

One other added-money race on the May calendar is the Grade 3, $150,000

Hanshin Cup for older horses at one mile over Polytrack, which will be run on

May 19.

The June stakes slate is highlighted by the June 16 Prairie State Festival.

The 13th 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 3, $150,000 Chicago Handicap, a seven-furlong main

track race, will close out the month's stakes slate on June 30.

 Million Preview Day, scheduled five weeks prior to the International

Festival of Racing on July 14, includes major prep races for the 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., and the Grade

3, $200,000 American Derby, which is also the second leg of the Mid-America

Triple, leads into the Secretariat Stakes. In addition, the Grade 3, $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.

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 1/2-furlong turf dash; and the Grade 3, $150,000 Arlington Oaks for

three-year-old fillies which returns to the schedule after a year's absence. The

Arlington Sprint is slated for July 7 with the local Oaks scheduled to run two

weeks later on 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 September 8 when Arlington presents the

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

geldings at one mile on Polytrack and the Grade 3, $150,000 Arlington-Washington

Lassie for two-year-old fillies at one mile on the main track.

Two additional stakes race are scheduled for the meet's final month -- the

Grade 3, $150,000 Washington Park Handicap for older horses at 1 1/8 miles on

the main track on September 1 and 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 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.