We started with the Mister D. Stakes. For Episode 254 of Chicago Race of the Day, we look at another one of Saturday’s Grade 1 races at Arlington Park! This race is the Beverly D, a mile and three sixteenths race for fillies and mares. It is historically one of the top preps for the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf, and drew a pair of world-class turf mares in Mean Mary and Santa Barbara.

Does it boil down to them? Who are the live longshots? Find out here!

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For Episode 253 of Chicago Race of the Dady…we discuss our first of three races in one day. Yes, usually we just do one. But, with three Grade 1 races on Saturday at Arlington, we’re going to talk about each of them.

Previews of both the Beverly D. and the Bruce D. (formerly known as the Secretariat) are forthcoming, but right now, let’s dive into the marquee race of the day: the Mister D. Stakes, formerly known as the Arlington Million!

Listen to Chicago Race of the Day right here. And, make sure to subscribe on either Google Play, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, or through the RSS feed so you don’t miss an episode!

For Episode 252 of Chicago Race of the Day, let’s look at the 8th! It’s a claiming sprint for horses aged three and up, with an uncommon twist on a common Chicago condition. We talk about that, and of course about the contenders. And, we use trainer and jockey angles to find a serious win candidate who should be a square price.

Listen to Chicago Race of the Day right here. And, make sure to subscribe on either Google Play, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, or through the RSS feed so you don’t miss an episode!

Million Week gets started Thursday, August 12…well, the racing portion does, anyway. (With morning works and the draw, it’s been Million Week all along.)

Let’s jump into the 2nd race on Thursday, an allowance optional claimer on polytrack. We discuss one thing you always need to keep in mind when handicapping allowance-optional races, and then make sense of the field!

Listen to Chicago Race of the Day right here. And, make sure to subscribe on either Google Play, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, or through the RSS feed so you don’t miss an episode!

It’s the sestercentepisode of Chicago Race of the Day: that’s right, Episode 250! For Sunday, August 8, we’ll be diving into the day’s 2nd race, a $25,000 maiden claimer for two-year-olds going five furlongs on the polytrack. With two experienced horses and four new faces there’s plenty to dive into, especially since several of the pedigrees, weave through some personal favourite family trees.

So, let’s talk about babies!

Listen to Chicago Race of the Day right here. And, make sure to subscribe on either Google Play, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, or through the RSS feed so you don’t miss an episode!

Stakes action returns to Arlington on Saturday, and Episode 249 of Chicago Race of the Day jumps right in! Saturday’s sixth race is the Sharon N. Kirby Memorial, a turf mile for Illinois-bred sophomore fillies. The race drew a field of nine, including all of the promising Illinois-bred turf fillies you’d hope would have entered the race.

So…let’s dive in, and see who is most likely to get the trophy!

Listen to Chicago Race of the Day right here. And, make sure to subscribe on either Google Play, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, or through the RSS feed so you don’t miss an episode!

Episode 248 of Chicago Race of the Day steps away from the two-year-old ranks to instead look at the Arlington 2nd on Friday. The race features some very salty and very fast turf sprinting mares…including a likely favourite who is neither best on the turf nor best at five furlongs. So, let’s see who can win this race at a better price!

Listen to Chicago Race of the Day right here. And, make sure to subscribe on either Google Play, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, or through the RSS feed so you don’t miss an episode!

Episode 247 returns to the two-year-old ranks for Thursday’s Arlington 6th: another two-year-old turf dash! Yes, we’ll switch it up and step away from the two-year-olds soon. But…in this race? There are a couple of really big pedigrees that I love to talk about, including one of the entrants being a full brother to a pair of stakes winners. So, this race was a natural choice!

Listen to Chicago Race of the Day right here. And, make sure to subscribe on either Google Play, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, or through the RSS feed so you don’t miss an episode!

Episode 246 is a little bit longer than usual, but there’s a good reason. Sunday’s Arlington finale is the first juvenile turf race of the year in Chicago! The race drew a full field, too — ten in the main field, plus a main-track only. All but two of the horses are first-time starters, and no one has tried the grass at all. No one, on paper, looks like they should be (or will be!) a heavy favorite.

So, let’s dive in, get to know some brand new turfers, and make sense of this big field!

Listen to Chicago Race of the Day right here. And, make sure to subscribe on either Google Play, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, or through the RSS feed so you don’t miss an episode!

For Saturday, July 31, let’s return to the maiden ranks! Two-year-olds are stretching out to five and a half furlongs for the first time this Arlington meet. And, in a field of seven, over half of the horses have started at least once. For Episode 245 of Chicago Race of the Day there’s a mix of pedigree, pace, and trainer angles…and an intriguing longshot who should get an good run at a good price.

Listen to Chicago Race of the Day right here. And, make sure to subscribe on either Google Play, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, or through the RSS feed so you don’t miss an episode!

We looked at two-year-old maidens on Thursday, and we’ve got more two-year-old maidens later this racing week, so let’s switch it up on Friday. We’ll be diving into the first race, a conditioned claiming sprint for older horses on the main track. It’s a wide-open race, as races at that level tend to be, and it’s a good chance to point out a couple things to keep in mind while handicapping lifetime conditioned claimers.

Let’s dive in!

We return to the two-year-old ranks for Episode 243 of Chicago Race of the Day! The Arlington 4th on Thursday, July 28 is a maiden special weight for Illinois-bred juvenile fillies, going five furlongs on the main track. It’s an interesting field including five new faces — and, so rarely for a two-year-old race in Chicago, no Larry Rivelli entrant.

For Episode 242 of Chicago Race of the Day, we delve into a very well-matched bunch of older starter allowance mares going a mile on the turf. It’s a division that has been a revolving door all year, meaning it’s a great place to look for a horse who may well get ignored on the tote, and has a reason to step up and run a race that few will be expecting.

Fortunately, there’s just such a horse in this field, so listen on!

Episode 241 of Chicago Race of the Day returns to the maiden ranks for Saturday’s Arlington 2nd, a maiden claiming turf mile. There’s a little pedigree handicapping, a little form handicapping, and a little time to confront a situation that underscores why, when handicapping, even rules that seem like they are approaching “absolute”…are never quite as absolute as they seem.

So, join me for a look at this turf maiden!

For Episode 240 of Chicago Race of the Day, we look at Friday’s sixth race at Arlington: a top-shelf allowance on the main track. It drew a field of seven, including plenty of short-priced fireworks up front, making it a nice spot to take a stand against them.

So, join me for a look at some of the best main-track sprinters on the grounds, and let’s beat some chalk!