August 14, 2005
Some of the world's best turf horses made the trip to Arlington in Chicago for the 23rd edition of the Arlington Million. Disqualified to fourth after finishing first last year, Powerscourt was back and this time would not be denied. Among those left in the wake of the British-bred Powerscourt in the 1 1/4 mile contest were Ken & Sarah Ramsey's Kitten's Joy, 9-10 odds-on Million favorite, and Bushwood Racing Partners' 7-1 shot Better Talk Now, who defeated Kitten's Joy and Powerscourt in the Breeders' Cup Turf last October.
29-1 shot Whilly set the early fractions of 24.38, 48.51, and 1:12.84 over the yielding course. Edgar Prado kept favorite Kitten's Joy off the rail and out of trouble in fifth for the backstretch trip. Turning for home, Kitten's Joy unleashed his run going four wide, and got the lead with a furlong to go. But Powerscourt was closing strongly from seventh early on, and ran right by Kitten's Joy to win going away by 3 lengths in 2:03.38. It was a blanket finish for second, just a nose between Kitten's Joy and 15-1 shot Fourty Niners Son in third, and another nose to Better Talk Now in fourth.
"This little horse deserves this win," said jockey Kieren Fallon in winner's circle ceremonies. "He was unlucky last year to be taken down. I think it was a great training performance by Mr. (Aidan) O'Brien. The horse was in great condition today and he was an impressive winner. He had a long year last year before he came here. Aidan kind of freshened him up most of this year."
"Kitten's Joy raced super," said jockey Edgar Prado aboard the beaten favorite. "I wish we could have gotten another race in him. He got a hold of the turf okay. He tried hard and they just wore us down in the stretch."
On the undercard, Martin S. Schwartz' Angara had just one horse beat at the top of the stretch but launched a courageous rally near the center of the course to win the Grade I $750,000 Beverly D. Stakes by a neck over Megahertz. Angara settled in three wide at the back of the field while locally-stabled Miss Terrible, an 8-1 longshot, set the pace in the race through moderate fractions on the less than firm ground of 24.36 seconds, 49.23 seconds and 1:15.47. She covered the 1 3/16 miles in 1:58.30. Winning rider Gary Stevens said, "This filly is just unbelievable. I heard Megahertz coming at the quarter pole and I kind of eased out and tried to be patient. That carried us out of trouble and she went on about her business. It was all her. I didn't have to hit her. There's a little cut in the ground here and that's what she enjoys."
"She's such a great filly to run the kind of race she did," said Alex Solis aboard Megahertz. "The whole backstretch she was switching leads. The soft turf is not her type of going, but today she proved that she's a champion and she ran a valiant race."
