A change of pace is always worthwhile. Besides, this might be our final trip to Arlington - I don't think that they have even applied for a racing license for next year. Racing in Illinois is very different than it once was.
There was a time when this was Arlington Million weekend, and it was a very big deal. But the Million has been renamed the Mr. D Stakes and the purse reduced to $600,000. The Beverly D. keeps its name but has the purse reduced from $600,000 to $400,000. What used to be the Secretariat Stakes is now the Bruce D. Stakes and its purse has been reduced from $500,000 to $300,000. It is possible that the horsemen got tired of having the lion's share of the purse money taken away by out of state [or out of country] runners who shipped in for the race. All of the purses in Illinois races have diminished greatly. Four of the stakes races are restricted to Ill Breds and only carry a purse of $75,000. I've gotten accustomed to seeing optional claimers on the NYRA circuit with purses in excess of $100,000.
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