Godolphin homebred Santin turned back Smooth Like Strait by 1 ¾ lengths to win the 39th running of the $1 million Arlington Million (G1), run this year for the first time at Churchill Downs on Saturday, Aug. 13.
Trained by Brendan Walsh and piloted by Tyler Gaffalione, Santin overcame a bump after the start of the 1 1/8-mile fixture and stalked the early pace of Smooth Like Straight four-wide in second around the first turn. He launched his bid for the lead nearing the three-eighths pole and entered the lane six-wide before putting his rivals away. He edged clear of Smooth Like Strait in the late stages, completing the 1 1/8 miles over a firm turf in 1:46.88 to become racing’s newest millionaire.
“He’s got some speed and when we saw how the Beverly D. was playing, we thought we needed to sit a little closer,” said Gaffalione. “We were in a good spot around the turn and (Smooth Like Strait) came out a little but I had a lot of horse beneath me. We know how much talent he has, and he showed that in the Turf Classic and here this afternoon in the Million. It’s so special to win this race. Its history speaks for itself, and I’m glad we are able to be a part of it.”
Santin is a 4-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Distorted Humor out of the Medaglia d’Oro mare Sentiero Italia. It was the second Grade 1 stakes victory for Santin who also annexed the Turf Classic (G1) at Churchill Downs in May. The latest score improved his overall record to 8-4-2 and the $601,400 winner’s share of the purse elevated his lifetime bankroll to $1,437,100.
Winning trainer Brendan Walsh noted that the Arlington Million played out similarly to the Turf Classic win on May 7.
“It was the same type of race,” Walsh said. “Tyler got him in a good position, and we knew from the Beverly D. that you probably wanted to be up there with the pace. He delivered on what we thought he could do. He’s been training super.”