Million Preview tops Saturday card at Colonial Downs
Opening weekend action at Colonial Downs includes three new stakes as the $125,000 Million Preview, $125,000 Beverly D. Preview, and the $125,000 Boston attract classy, competitive fields.
Named for the celebrated Virginia-bred and “America’s first great racehorse,” the Boston serves as a prep for the Secretariat (G2). With all three added money events scheduled to be run across the Secretariat Turf Course, the Million Preview receives top billing as Race 8. Nine races have been carded on Saturday, July 13 and first post is 1:30 p.m.
Each of the three inaugural stakes serve as prep races for the Colonial Downs Festival of Racing, scheduled for Saturday, August 10, which will include the Grade 1 Arlington Million, the Grade 2 $500,000 Beverly D., and the Grade 2 $500,000 Secretariat Stakes.
West Point Thoroughbreds, Woodford Racing, Pine Racing Stables, William Freeman, Michael Valdes, and John Ballantyne’s Integration headlines a field of six older horses in the 1 1/8 miles $125,000 Million Preview.
![Integration](https://www.theracingbiz.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/integration-va-derby.jpg)
Known for his brilliant turn of foot, the Shug McGaughey trainee was unbeaten as a 3-year-old, including two local scores. Integration followed up his win in the 2023 New Kent County Virginia Derby with a five-length victory over I’m Very Busy at Aqueduct in the Grade 2 Hill Prince.
Sent off as the favorite in the Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1), his first start as a 4-year-old, Integration found himself in a tight spot down the stretch and could get no closer than 1 3/4 lengths to Warm Heart. In his two subsequent starts, both Grade 1s, the Quality Road colt placed third in the Maker’s Mark Mile and fourth in the Turf Classic at Churchill Downs. Pegged as the even money favorite, Kendrick Carmouche returns to the irons and breaks from post 4.
Mrs. Fitriani Hay’s winner of the 2022 Man O’ War (G1), Highland Chief (Ire), will make his third start of the year in the Million Preview. Coming back off a 17-month layoff, the 7-year-old Gleneagles (Ire) horse finished fifth to Silver Knot in the 12-furlong Elkhorn (G2) at Keeneland in April before cutting back in distance to run fourth in the Dinner Party (G3) on the Preakness undercard at Pimlico. Trainer Graham Motion gives the call to Trevor McCarthy, who will start as the 8-1 fourth choice in the morning line from the rail.
The Million Preview field also includes Allen Stable’s multiple graded stakes-placed Siege of Boston. Trained by James Toner, the 5-year-old horse came up a half-length shy of winning the Monmouth Stakes (G3) last out.
Here is the complete field for the $125,000 Million Preview from the rail out (with jockey, trainer, and morning line):
Highland Chief (IRE) (McCarthy, Motion, 8-1), Nineeleventurbo (Hector Berrios, Neil Drysdale, 15-1), Forever Souper (Mychel Sanchez, Mike Trombetta, 5-2), Integration (Carmouche, McGaughey, 1-1), Happyisashappydoes (Antonio Gallardo, Teresa Connelly, 20-1), Siege of Boston, (Jorge Ruiz, Toner, 3-1).
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