Finnegans Wake at last fulfilling potential

The Million on Saturday as part of Arlington International Racecourse's

International Festival of Racing will be Finnegans Wake's seventh attempt at the

Grade 1 level, and although Romans called the horse's Arlington 'Cap win "huge,"

he acknowledged that the Million was the type of race he had in mind when

promising big things for this horse two years ago.

"It took me a little longer than I expected with him to get that first big

win, but we haven't seen him cap out," Romans said. "As he gets older he gets

better. If he wins Saturday, it doesn't get any bigger than that."

Romans won the 2012 Million with Little Mike, and a win Saturday would make

him the sixth trainer in history to capture the race multiple times with Aidan

O'Brien being the most recent to do so with the aforementioned Powerscourt then

Cape Blanco in 2011.

European jockey Ryan Moore will have the call on Finnegans Wake. The

international superstar rider has never won the Million, but he does have

several Breeders' Cup and International Festival wins to his credit, including

the Beverly D.-Filly & Mare Turf double last year aboard eventual champion turf

female Dank.

"I've ridden Kieren Fallon a few times but never Ryan, but he's one of the

best riders in the world, so I think he'll be able to figure (Finnegans Wake)

out pretty quick," Romans said.

In Finnegans Wake's best Grade 1 efforts he rallied from near the back of the

pack, but he won the Arlington 'Cap pressing a soft pace, and Romans expects

Moore to employ similar forwardly placed tactics in the Million.

Finnegans Wake has won three of 21 starts and has earned $605,675. He will

ship to Arlington from Churchill on Wednesday.

In other International Festival of Racing news:

Trainer Eric Reed thinks the Arlington International Racecourse turf could be

Street of Gold's path to riches.

Elm Racing's four-year-old Street Sense filly will make not only her Grade 1

debut in the $750,000 Beverly D. Stakes on Saturday at Arlington but also the

first race at that level for her owner's fledgling racing and breeding

operation.

Street of Gold finished third last out, beaten just a neck in the Modesty

Handicap by fellow Beverly D. pre-entrant I'm Already Sexy. It was her 11th

stakes try and second placing at that level with both coming on the Arlington

sod.

"We were thinking about running in the Glen Falls at Saratoga, but because

(Street of Gold) performs so well (at Arlington), we thought we'd take a big

shot with her in the Beverly D.," Reed said. "She likes the turf course there,

so if we wanted to take a chance, this is the time."

Elm Racing purchased Street of Gold for $70,000 at the Keeneland April

two-year-olds in training sale, and she has won three of 21 starts and has

earned $129,986. Elm Racing has a focus on developing fillies and mares for a

broodmare band that it has established in Kentucky.

"This is the first Grade 1 they've been in, and they're putting together a

real good program," Reed said. "All the horses I have for them now are fillies.

They're really into the breeding stock, and for the program winning a race like

the Beverly D. would be a huge boost."

Reed began training for Elm Racing last year, and received Street of Gold as

a three-year-old following a juvenile campaign in which she won her career debut

but was unplaced in three subsequent starts. She has since won entry- and

second-level allowance races but has yet to break through in stakes company.

Reed thinks the Beverly D. combo of Arlington turf and 1 3/16 miles could make

the difference.

"She's only ordinary at a mile or 1 1/16 miles, but she's a different horse

at the classic-type distances," Reed said. "I train her at Mercury Training

Center in Lexington that I own, and I turn her out each day which helps keep her

fresh."

And fresh she stays, as the Beverly D. will be Street of Gold's 12th start in

the past 12 months. She raced on Million day last year as well, finishing third

in a division of the $75,000 Hatoof Stakes, her lone other stakes placing.

Bet Horseracing Free Online at TwinSpires.com