Million contender Scottish racking up the miles

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – The horse named Scottish is anything but bounded by national borders.

Scottish was purchased by Godophin at the end of his 3-year-old season as a prospect for the international circuit, and Godolphin’s vision of what Scottish might become has come to fruition. Scottish finished second last fall in the Group 1 Caulfield Cup in Australia, has come to Arlington this week for a run in the Arlington Million, is set to travel to Australia again in early autumn, and could wind up in Dubai over the winter.

“He was a gelding, and he fit the profile of a horse that could get some miles and be treated as an international campaigner,” said trainer Charlie Appleby, in whose Newmarket-based yard Scottish generally resides.

Scottish is one of 13 horses entered in the Million. From the rail out, the field for the 1 1/4-mile race is Oak Brook, Oscar Nominated, Enterprising, Ghost Hunter, 7-2 morningline favorite Deauville, Fanciful Angel, The Pizza Man, Kasaqui, Scottish, Beach Patrol, Divisidero, Ascend, and Mekhtaal.

Scottish, though he is 5, has started only twice at the Group 1 level, but don’t let that part of his résumé lead you down the wrong path. He faced the solid Group 1 horse Time Test in his 2016 debut, then had a campaign geared around getting him to Australia, where he beat 14 but lost to Jameka in the Caulfield Cup, a 1 1/2-mile race probably slightly farther than Scottish’s ideal trip.

Godolphin won a Million in 2003 with Sulamani, but only after Storming Home was disqualified. Saeed bin Suroor trained Sulamani, and Appleby’s lone Million starter, Tryster, finished eighth at odds of 4-1 last year. Tryster was a laterunning horse who needed luck and pace, but Scottish has speed and prefers forward placement.

“The Million actually was contemplated for him last year, but we had Tryster for the race,” Appleby said. “He’s much more straightforward to ride than Tryster.”

The rest of Scottish’s 2017 campaign of course depends on how he fares Saturday, but the plan now is to return to Australia, this time for the Cox Plate over 1 1/8 miles. Scottish already has secured an invitation to that race and is scheduled to begin a two-week quarantine in England in midSeptember preparing for travel.

By then, he might have won an Arlington Million.

Ascend makes quick turnaround

Ascend made the lead at the top of the stretch just two Saturdays ago in the 1 3/8-mile Bowling Green Stakes at Saratoga but was swallowed up by deep closers late in the race and checked in fourth as the 9-5 favorite.

Still, the disappointing performance from Ascend, who had won the Grade 1 Manhattan in his previous race, had nothing to do with trainer Graham Motion deciding to run Ascend back two weeks later in the Arlington Million.

“I already had in mind that we could run back in this race, so it wasn’t a knee-jerk reaction,” Motion said.

Ascend shipped Tuesday from New York to Arlington, and though he drew poorly in post 12 for Saturday’s race, a return to the form he showed in winning the Manhattan at the Million’s 1 1/4-mile distance would make him very competitive.

Motion is a trainer who often doesn’t even work horses back until a couple of weeks after they race. During the last five years, he has started 45 horses within two weeks of their previous race, and 21 of them have finished third or better. Of those horses, three ran back in graded stakes: Lake Drop finished second at odds of 5-1 in the 2012 Red Smith Stakes, and Rusty Slipper was fourth at 6-1 in the 2013 Florida Oaks and Fortune Pearl finished third at 8-1 in the 2014 Black-Eyed Susan.

“Ascend has always been a laid-back, easygoing horse, and this seems like something he could handle,” Motion said. “I haven’t done much with him since the Bowling Green, but I’ve been very happy with him.”

Delacour’s first local starter

During a very successful training career that began in 2013, Arnaud Delacour has sent out close to 1,050 starters. But Hawksmoor, who runs in the Grade 1 Beverly D. on Saturday, will be his first at Arlington.

Hawksmoor is part of a deep, very competitive 10-horse field in the 1 3/16-mile Beverly D. From the rail out, the entrants are Dacita, Prado’s Sweet Ride, Kitten’s Roar, Dona Bruja, Grand Jete, Zipessa, Rainha Da Bateria, Sarandia, Hawksmoor, and Rain Goddess.

Delacour would probably still be without an Arlington runner had things gone according to plan with Hawksmoor. The 4-year-old filly got off to an excellent start in 2017 with a narrow win over multiple Grade 1 winner Dacita in the Beaugay Stakes and a onelength score in the New York Stakes over Quidura, who came back to finish second in the Grade 1 Diana. Hawksmoor herself had been penciled in for the Diana, but two weeks before the race, she became ill.

“She got sick and had a fever,” said Delacour. “We had to miss a week of training completely, but she’s been good ever since. She’s had three strong breezes for this race, and I think she’s doing very well.”

Hawksmoor races for Roy and Gretchen Jackson’s Lael Stables, which won the 2006 Secretariat here with Showing Up. The Irish-bred Hawksmoor had solid group-level form overseas during 2015 and 2016 before being imported late last year. She finished a tough-trip second in the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland, ran well below form in the Mrs. Revere Stakes at Churchill Downs to end her 3-year-old campaign, and came out breathing fire this year.

Permian has come a long way

Permian began his 2017 campaign by finishing third in a Class 2 handicap at Bath in England. That is a long way from being the 2-1 morning-line second choice Saturday in the Grade 1 Secretariat Stakes.

“He was definitely above average as a 2-year-old, but I think we’d all be quick to admit going into this season we didn’t expect him to reach the heights he has,” said Charlie Johnston, assistant to his father, trainer Mark Johnston.

Permian comes off a very tough loss in the Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris, in which he led every step except the last one, losing to Shakeel despite looking like a winner even on a slow-motion replay.

“He did so much right in that race, he deserved to win,” said Charlie Johnston. “Every part of the horse and the jockey, apart from his nose, were in front at the finish. It was a frustrating defeat, but on the plus side, it really confirmed he’s up to Group 1 level.”