Cape Blanco awesome in Arlington Million romp

Report: USA, Saturday 

Arlington: Arlington Million (Grade 1) 1m2f, turf, 3yo

CAPE BLANCO (Aidan O'Brien/Jamie Spencer) completed a brilliant Grade 1 double for Ballydoyle in Chicago on Saturday with a ruthlessly dominant victory in the 29^th running of the Arlington Million.

The son of Galileo easily confirmed recent form with dual US turf champ Gio Ponti, who he beat last month in the Man o'War Stakes, with a two-and-half-length triumph over his old rival in the pink and green colours of part-owners Jim and Fitri Hay.

The Hays' racing manager Alex Cole was delighted to have beaten Gio Ponti for a third time, Cape Blanco also having finished in front of him in Dubai. "He's met him three times and three times he'sseen his arse," he said.

Sent off a 21-10 favourite, Cape Blanco was completing a double for Aidan O'Brien after Treasure Beach, his successor as Irish Derby winner, landed the Grade 1 Secretariat Stakes earlier on the card under Colm O'Donoghue.

US-trained Dean's Kitten got up for third a neck in front of Hayley Turner's mount Wigmore Hall, who enjoyed a ground-saving trip but could not accelerate in the closing stages.

With Grade 1 winner Mission Approved making the running, Cape Blanco raced just off the pace in fourth place, with Wigmore Hall on his inner.

An ultra-confident Spencer asked him to enter the fray on the far turn and then asked him to claim the race atleast two furlongs out.

While this was an early move, it was also the right one and Cape Blanco's opponents were all in trouble as the four-year-old powered home for an impressive victory in one of North America's most celebrated races.

"He's a good tough horse and he's brilliantly trained," said Spencer. "All I did was do the steering."

Cape Blanco stopped the clock in 2min 05.39sec on yielding turf to become his trainer's second winner of Arlington's fabled Million after Powerscourt in 2005. The winner is being seriously considered for Australasia's number one weight-for-age race, the Cox Plate.

For Spencer, Saturday's victory must have tasted all the sweeter as he had partnered Powerscourt to finish first past the post in Chicago in 2004, only to be disqualified for interference.

"Aidan gave me my instructions and I rode accordingly," added the rider. "I'm very pleased just to be able to ride the horse. There are very few horses that have the will to win like this - the more you ask from him, the more you get from him. He had loads left in the end."

Hayley Turner enjoyed her first experience of US Grade 1 racing on Wigmore Hall. "He ran well for me," she said. "Turning in we went hunting Cape Blanco and when we got some daylight he started running but Cape Blanco went on too, unfortunately."

Gio Ponti's jockey Ramon Dominguez, who won the Beverly D on Stacelita earlier on the card, paid tribute to the winner.

"He had first run on us but you have to give him credit - we were second-best today," he said.

"If you put Gio Ponti in striking range too soon, he is going to go too early and it takes him too much out of his game. He isn't three anymore but he runs so good every time he's out there. We are all so used to his consistency."