Nates Mineshaft tunes up for Arlington Million

Windy Hill Farm's Nates Mineshaft put in his final work for next Saturday's

Grade 1 Arlington Million Sunday morning by going a solid three furlongs in :36

3/5 along the inner rail of the firm turf. With jockey E.T. Baird aboard,

the son of Mineshaft went his final eighth in :12 and galloped out in :49 4/5.

Trainer Anne P. Smith was on

horseback watching the work from the outer rail. 

"E.T. and I spoke

beforehand and really wanted to get a sharp three-eighths, with a two-minute

lick and make sure he galloped out well. I really wanted to make sure E.T. felt confident in what he had underneath of him going into such a big race,"

the conditioner said. "He came back in pretty good shape."

In her first year as a head trainer,

Smith will be trying to get the confirmed front runner to stretch a quarter-mile

farther than he has ever competed on the grass. 

"He's holding up to what I

have asked him to so far. I have been trying to condition him be ready for

the company and the distance. I feel that he is prepared to the (optimal)

level he can be," she reported. 

"I'm definitely respecting the

company who is coming," Smith added. "I really feel like (trainer

Richard) Mandella's horse and Little Mike have to be respected." 

Richard Mandella is planning to run GusMay-Fer's Argentinian champion Indy Point in the

Million, while Priscilla Vaccarezza's defending Million champion Little Mike is

also on course for Saturday's event.

Between now and next weekend, Smith will do her best to prepare Nates Mineshaft

for the toughest test of his career and the biggest event of hers. 

"Whatever we feel like he needs to feel fresh from now until the race, we

will do. He will do some light work and also get a few massages."

The other impressive work of Sunday morning was Team Block's Ioya Bigtime, who

worked five furlongs on the turf in advance of his return date in the American

St. Leger. With new jockey Francisco Torres up, the son of Dynaformer

worked in a solid 1:00, with a gallop-out in 1:12 3/5 for six furlongs. 

Runner-up last year in the inaugural St. Leger, the notoriously wayward worker

was very relaxed under Torres, who will ride the six-year-old for the first time

on Saturday. The work also caught the attention of Arlington clocker Bobby Belpedio. 

"Ioya Bigtime was really impressive today. He looked

really good over the turf and galloped out nice," Belpedio reported. 

Two other St. Leger pre-entrants,

Team Block's Suntracer and Gary and Mary West's Code of Conduct, put in their

final serious moves, as well. Also trained by Chris Block, Suntracer went

five furlongs in 1:01 with Eddie Castro, who has the call in the St. Leger. The Wayne Catalano-trained Code of Conduct worked along with stablemate

sophomore filly Dance Team (who is being aimed toward the $75,000 Hatoof Stakes

on the Million Day undercard) and both were timed in 1:02 for the same

distance. 

Tim Keeley's probable Hatoof favorite My Option drilled four furlongs on the turf Sunday morning in

advance of her first start since taking the Arlington Oaks on the main

course. A multiple stakes winner, she went in :48 3/5 under regular rider

Eddie Perez. 

Belpedio dubbed the work "easy and

impressive" after watching the Block-trained daughter of Belong to Me

conclude her duties.

Two fillies who may take on My Option

in the Arlington Million Day undercard event also worked over the lawn on

Sunday. The Catalano-trained duo of stakes winners Gold Edge

(regular jockey Channing Hill up) and Bold Kitten (regular jockey Florent Geroux

up) worked in 1:02 2/5 in tandem. James F. Miller's Grade 3 winner Gold

Edge and Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey's restricted stakes winner Bold Kitten will

both be looking to rebound after poor showings in the Arlington Oaks. 

Two separate flights of European

shippers for the International Festival of Racing arrived safely on the

Arlington grounds on Saturday evening. The first to arrive were Flaxman

Holding's Duntle (Grade 1 Beverly D. Stakes), Team Valor International's First

Cornerstone and the Aga Khan's Visiyani (both in the Grade 1

Secretariat Stakes). 

The second flight included four Arlington Million pre-entrants -- Giuliano

Manfredini's Guest of Honour, Invictus' Mull of Killough, Pearl Bloodstock's

Side Glance and Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al Maktoum's The Apache. Also

on that flight was the American St. Leger-bound duo of Mark Hawtin's Wigmore

Hall and Australian Thoroughbred Bloodstock's Dandino, as well as Alan Spence's

Beverly D.-bound Gifted Girl.

The Saturday arrivals will be in quarantine until Tuesday morning. 

Expected to arrive Sunday afternoon at Arlington were Yvonne Jacques' Grandeur

(Million), Godolphin's Hunter's Light (Million), James Wigan's Dank (Beverly D.)

and Charles Fox's Yeager (Secretariat).

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