Santin Outstays Smooth Like Strait in Million

[Wandering Eyes]

Godolphin's SANTIN (c, 4, Distorted Humor–Sentiero Italia, by Medaglia d'Oro) refused to allowed the free-running California invader Smooth Like Strait (Midnight Lute) an easy time of things from the front in Saturday's transplanted GI Arlington Million, and the beautifully bred colt took full advantage of his superior stamina to score by about 2 1/2 lengths, with Sacred Life (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) just outfinishing the surprisingly favored Set Piece (GB) (Dansili {GB}) for third. Winner of the GI Old Forester Turf Classic over Saturday's course and distance on the GI Kentucky Derby undercard May 7, Santin hit the ground running and was intent on taking the race right to Smooth Like Strait, capable of going a good race over nine furlongs, but clearly better at the mile. The second favorite, Smooth Like Strait had things very much his own way through fractions of :23.85 and :47.43, but had to work hard in the next couple of furlongs and came under a heavy John Velazquez ride 2 1/2 furlongs from home. He carried Santin about four lanes wide into the stretch, but the latter was always doing the better work, as he wrested command at the three-sixteenths pole and came away to score cozily in the finish. It was a good gap off to Sacred Life, the only starter in the race for four-time Million winner Chad Brown.

Saturday, Churchill Downs
ARLINGTON MILLION S.-GI, $1,000,000, Churchill Downs, 8-13, 3yo/up, 1 1/8mT, 1:46.88, gd.
1–SANTIN, 125, c, 4, by Distorted Humor
                1st Dam: Sentiero Italia (MGSW & MGISP, $994,900),
                                by Medaglia d'Oro
                2nd Dam: Golden Way (Ire), by Cadeaux Genereux (GB)
                3rd Dam: Diavolina, by Lear Fan
O/B-Godolphin, LLC (KY); T-Brendan P. Walsh; J-Tyler
Gaffalione. $601,400. Lifetime Record: 8-4-2-0, $1,437,100.
Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Smooth Like Strait, 125, h, 5, Midnight Lute–Smooth as
Usual, by Flower Alley. O/B-Cannon Thoroughbreds, LLC (KY);
T-Michael W. McCarthy. $194,000.
3–Sacred Life (Fr), 125, r, 7, Siyouni (Fr)–Knyazhna (Ire), by
Montjeu (Ire). (€50,000 Ylg '16 ARAUG). O-Michael Dubb,
Madaket Stables LLC, Wonder Stables; B-Mr. Viktor
Timoshenko & Mr. Andriy Milovanov (FR); T-Chad C. Brown.
$97,000.
Margins: 1 3/4, 5 3/4, HD. Odds: 2.45, 2.32, 6.44.
Also Ran: Set Piece (GB), Cavalry Charge, Admission Office, Cellist, Field Pass. Scratched: Megacity. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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