Tom Pedulla offers takeaways from Arlington Million Stakes day at Colonial Downs and two major turf stakes at Saratoga Race Course. The Grade 2, $500,000 Beverly D. Stakes at Colonial Downs and the Grade 1, $500,000 FanDuel Fourstardave Handicap at Saratoga were part of the Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” series. The Beverly D. carried an automatic berth in the Maker’s Mark Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf. The Fourstardave sends its winner on to the FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Mile Presented by PDJF. The Breeders’ Cup World Championships will be held Nov. 1-2 at Del Mar.

Nations Pride after winning Arlington Million. (Coady Media)

ROAD WARRIOR: Nations Pride, a group/graded stakes winner in four countries, added the prestigious Arlington Million to his laurels with a 1 ¾-length victory Sunday. The Godolphin homebred, trained by Charlie Appleby and ridden by William Buick, won for the 10th time in 18 starts while his earnings soared to $3,445,554. “He really impressed me,” Buick said. “He’s an exciting horse and he’s won four Grade 1s now.” Godolphin’s powerhouse breeding and racing operation is now tied with Juddmonte for most victories by an owner in the race with three after previous Arlington Million successes with Santin (2022) and Sulamani (2003).

HOMETOWN HERO: There are not many Grade 1 turf races in the United States that trainer Chad Brown has not won. That list became even smaller when e Five Racing Thoroughbreds’ Irish homebred Carl Spackler delivered his first Grade 1 triumph in the Fourstardave. Brown, from nearby Mechanicville, had many family members and friends in attendance to celebrate the breakthrough with him. “I haven’t won it because it’s a hard race to win, so that makes it even more special,” he said. The Lope de Vega 4-year-old colt was ridden by Tyler Gaffalione as part of a six-horse field. Brown will look to give Carl Spackler one more start to prepare him for the Breeders’ Cup World Championships.

ALL HEART: Moira displayed courage and determination no trainer could hope to instill when she nipped defending winner Fev Rover by a head in the Beverly D. The winner, trained by Kevin Attard and ridden by Jose Ortiz, covered the 1 3/16-mile distance in 1:54.80 on firm turf. She is owned by Lanni Bloodstock, Madaket Stables, and SF Racing. Moira will return to her Woodbine base to prepare for her next outing. “We’ve got the E.P. Taylor [Stakes] at home,” Attard noted of that Sept. 14 race. “I think that’s a race we are going to take into consideration and that would take us right into the Breeders’ Cup.” Moira won for the sixth time in 15 starts with five second-place finishes for earnings of $1,823,999.

Trikari winning Secretariat Stakes. (Coady Media)

PERFECT FIT: One of a trainer’s greatest challenges is finding the right distance for each horse. Trainer Graham Motion found that sweet spot with Amerman Racing’s Trikari and was rewarded with a victory in the Grade 2, $500,000 Secretariat Stakes. The one-mile race for 3-year-olds was held at Colonial Downs. John Velazquez rode Trikari to a 2 ¼-length decision. “I think [one mile] is really going to be his game,” Motion said. As to future plans, the trainer said, “I’ve been trying not to think about the Breeders’ Cup because it’s tough for 3-year-olds. A race at Keeneland, maybe against older horses, something along those lines is something we’ll have to consider.”

BREAKING THROUGH: Jockey Dylan Davis, a graduate of Saratoga Springs High School, owned two previous Grade 1 victories. Both of those had come at Woodbine in Toronto. The third, with Carson’s Run Sunday in the Grade 1, $600,000 Saratoga Derby Invitational, is one he will always treasure. “It meant a lot. First Grade 1 in New York, in the states, and hometown in Saratoga. It’s incredible,” Davis said. “I mean, just doing my best out there and it’s an incredible moment and I’m going to cherish it.” Carson’s Run is owned by West Point Thoroughbreds and Steven Bouchey. The horse is named after Carson Jost, who has Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome.