The Arlington Million Arlington Park is meant to be one of the nicest racetracks in the US, and we are lucky to have the picturesque course just north of Chicago. The main stand suffered a massive fire in 1985 and didn't re-open to 1989. The race course originally opened in 1927 and was the first course to have a public-address system, an electric totalisator and a photo-finish camera.

In 1981 it also become the home to the world's first $1,000,000 race. Other races now carry larger prizes but the Arlington Million is still considered one of America's premier horse races.

I used to love going horse racing at home and have been to a lot of Southern England's best courses but Arlington Park's beautiful setting and facilities would not look out of place in deepest Sussex. The sun shone on all 12 races today, and it shone on me too, as I picked out a fair number of winners and places including Gorella in the 2nd biggest race of the day.

In the main race, the much fancied Ace came nowhere after Kieran Fallon was denied a licence by the Illinois Racing Board due to the current allegations hanging over him regarding race-fixing charges back in the UK. Four horses had travelled from England, Ireland, France and Germany but it was a horse from California, Tin Man (photo right), that led all the way to win the Arlington Million by a length.
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