Race to be run as Mister D Stakes for US$600,000

The Arlington Million (Gr 1, 10f ) will be run on August 14 as the Mister D. Stakes for a decreased purse of US$600,000, as Illinois' three remaining Grade 1s will be named in honor of former Arlington International Racecourse owner Richard L. Duchossois and his family members.

The purse reduction comes as no surprise. Churchill Downs Inc., which owns the Chicago racetrack that Richard Duchossois built from the ashes of a former grandstand, has announced its intention to sell the property for redevelopment. 

No stakes were staged at Arlington in 2020 during a shortened meet after conflict between track management and horsemen and during COVID-19.

The changes in the stakes program also call for the former Secretariat Stakes (Gr 1, 8f) for three-year-olds will now be run at the Bruce D Stakes and run for a purse of US$300,000, while the Beverly D Stakes (Gr 1, 9.5f) will be run for US$400,000 down from US$600,000 in 2019. 

Arlington president Tony Petrillo said the name change is designed to honor the family just months before Duchossois' 100th birthday

"Mr. D has been as important to Arlington Park as Arlington Park has been to Illinois racing," Petrillo said. "Without Mr. D's commitment and dedication to Arlington, we would not have racing in Illinois as we know it today."

Petrillo said the remainder of Arlington's summer stakes schedule will be released later in the month. The track opens April 30 for what's widely assumed to be its final season.