Mondialiste, a 6-year-old horse from England whose cup of tea seemed to be running in one mile races, took a swig of the American classic distance of 11/4 miles in Saturday’s Arlington Million and was the toast of the track.
Charging five-wide from the middle of the 11-horse field in the stretch, Mondialiste gained the lead in the final 16th of a mile and held off six challengers to win the 34th running of the international race by a neck.
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Kasaqui, an Argentine-bred who came to this country in March, lost the photo-finish. Finishing third, a neck behind Kasaqui, was Deauville, a 3-year-old from Ireland.
Then came four U.S. representatives — Greengrassofyoming, Danish Dynaformer, defending champion The Pizza Man and World Approval, the 3-1 favorite. Less three lengths separated the seventh horse from the winner.
“We couldn’t have asked for a better run,” said Mondialiste’s jockey, Daniel Tudhope. “We knew we couldn’t be too far back and if we could get in position we’d have a great chance. We went over the race so many times beforehand but you just don’t know how it’s going to go.”
It was the 21st career start for the Irish-bred son of Galileo, the world’s foremost sire of grass horses, and 14 of his previous races were one mile. Last September he made his North American debut with a victory in the Grade I Woodbine Mile and on Oct. 31 he was second in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Mile behind Tenpin after being blocked at the top of the stretch.
Mondialiste concluded his 2015 campaign by finishing 12th in the Group I Hong Kong Mile and his first two races this year in Europe were almost as dismal, a distant seventh in a 1 1/8-mile Group I at the French track, Chantilly, and an 11th in a 1-mile Group I in England at Ascot.
David O’Meara, who has trained Mondialiste for Geoff and Sandra Turnbull since the summer of 2014, then decided to stretch out the distance in a 1 5/16-mile Group II race at York on July 23. He finished a close second but for O’Meara the outcome was exhilarating. The trainer decided to take him to Arlington International Racecourse for the Million.
“His last race was his best ever in England,” O’Meara said. “We thought we’d bring him over because he performed so well this side of the water last year.”
Mondialiste responded by running the best race of his life.
Sent off as the third betting choice at 4-1, he went the distance on firm turf in 2:01.87 and kicked back betting payoffs of $10.80, $6.40 and $4.80 in winning for the fifth time.
The Pizza Man, who has the distinction of being the only Illinois-bred winner of the Million, was attempting to join the great John Henry as the race’s only two-time winner. The loss was his sixth in seven starts since he went to the Arlington winner’s circle for the 11th time in last year’s race.
“He was going through the motions,” jockey Mike Smith said. “He’s just not himself right now.”
Owner-breeder Rich Papiese also had no alibis.
“There’s nothing wrong with the race,” Papiese said. “It was just one of those things.”
Neil Milbert is a freelance reporter for the baiduhai.