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27-447: The trophy itself is a work of art. It is a cup (more like a bowl) that stands 24 in (610 mm) tall and 30 in (760 mm) wide at the rim of the cup. It is made of solid polished silver and 14 karat gold. The base is two platforms that make the foundation of the trophy. The bottom platform is 14 in (360 mm) at its base with another platform beveled right on top of the first. Both platforms are made of silver. The base

54-509: A Magnolia backing that is topped with a red and white peppermint striped broad-brimmed blanket. It is arranged with a field of red carnations that is 20 in (510 mm) wide surrounded by a 4 in (100 mm) trim of two white carnations representing the flowers of the Arlington Million. The entire blanket is 84 in (2,100 mm) long by 24 in (610 mm) wide. Arlington Million The Arlington Million

81-620: A complicated agreement with Virginia and Maryland regulators and the Maryland-Virginia Racing Circuit. The track was fairly successful and offered good summertime turf racing in the traditionally poor three-year-old turf division. The track ran two legs of the annual Jacobs Investments Grand Slam of Grass . This event consisted of the Colonial Turf Cup and the Virginia Derby from Colonial Downs,

108-615: A deal with Maryland to stop Maryland racing during the Colonial Downs thoroughbred meet, although this later ended. The tract of land on which the track is built was obtained through an eminent domain suit brought by the State of Virginia against an African American/Native American family (Tero Johnson) that had owned the majority of the land since 1863. Until 2005, the track was managed by the Maryland Jockey Club under

135-606: A garland of flowers that is draped over withers of the winning horse. This blanket is unlike most prestigious grade one races because it does not have just one type of flower. The Kentucky Derby has roses, the Preakness Stakes has the black-eyed Susans, the Belmont Stakes has white carnations, the Breeders' Cup has Chrysanthemums . The Arlington Million calls their blanket their "Million Dollar Flowers." It has

162-490: A huge solid silver bowl that is 12 in (300 mm) tall and 30 in (760 mm) wide. The bowl is Etched with the words Arlington Million in the shape of an arch. Inside the arch is a 3 in × 5 in (76 mm × 127 mm) 14 karat gold relief of the Arlington Park emblem with two horses and a coat of arms. In time this emblem would become the facility's logo and used on marketing pieces for

189-466: A price of over $ 20 million. Peninsula Pacific later bought out the other investors, taking full ownership of Colonial Downs. The track held its first race since 2013 on August 8, 2019. In 2022, Peninsula Pacific sold the bulk of its assets, including Colonial Downs, to Churchill Downs, Inc. The track has a 1¼-mile dirt oval, a 7½-furlong inner turf oval and a 1⅛-mile outer turf oval. The track featured an autumn harness racing meet. Colonial Downs

216-563: Is a Grade 1 flat horse race in the United States for thoroughbred horses aged three years and upward on turf. It was originally raced at Arlington Park in Arlington Heights , Illinois over a distance of 1 + 1 ⁄ 4 miles. The Arlington Million is the first thoroughbred race to offer a purse of US$ 1,000,000. It is part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge series, and the winner automatically qualifies for

243-403: Is owned and operated by Churchill Downs, Inc. The track opened on September 1, 1997. More than 13,000 attended the track on opening day. The track used several unconventional construction and business approaches. They constructed one of the largest tracks in size in the country but built a relatively small clubhouse. They also built OTBs prior to the opening of the track. The track also struck

270-411: Is supporting eight 8 in (200 mm) Greek revival silver columns. Those columns are capped by another platform that is encircled by a 14 in (360 mm) gold collar that is 1 + 1 ⁄ 4  in (32 mm) tall by 1 ⁄ 8  in (3.2 mm) deep. Inside the collar are 1 in (25 mm) 14 karat gold letters that spell the words Arlington Million . Atop the trophy sits

297-465: The Breeders' Cup Turf . Churchill Downs , whose parent company owned the land of the defunct Arlington Park racetrack, hosted the Arlington Million in 2022. The 2023 race was run at Churchill-owned Colonial Downs in Virginia. The Arlington Million was introduced in 1981 by Joe Joyce , the father of TVG 's Mike Joyce and the president of Arlington Park at the time. The winner receives 60% of

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324-655: The Secretariat Stakes from Arlington Park and the Breeders' Cup Turf . The track requested 25 thoroughbred dates in 2009, down from 45 in 2008. After negotiations with the track's horsemen and the Commonwealth of Virginia, the track ran 40 thoroughbred dates. The schedule originally ran from June 12 to August 4, 2009, but was later moved up one week. This allowed the track to run live racing on Belmont Stakes day, June 6. The fall harness meet ran 36 dates, from September 8 through November 7. The harness meet

351-560: The case was dismissed in the District Court on November 24, 2015. In November 2015, Colonial Downs was denied 2016 racing dates by the Virginia Racing Commission. In rendering their decision, commissioners stated that Colonial Downs "displayed callous disregard for the industry" when it surrendered its unlimited racing license in 2014. A spokesman for Jacobs Entertainment, Inc. said that all options to keep

378-523: The final year of live racing at Arlington, the race was called the Mister D. Stakes (after Richard L. Duchossois ) with a purse of $ 600,000. The 2022 Arlington Million was run at Churchill Downs . The Louisville racetrack's parent company, Churchill Downs Incorporated (which owns the Arlington Park property), announced that it would relocate the race along with several of Arlington's traditional stakes races. A special one-day Arlington Million racing card

405-455: The inaugural Arlington Million by a nose over The Bart. The track famously ran the Arlington Million in 1985 under the shadow of a burnt-out grandstand, after a fire had occurred there 25 days earlier. In 2007, Jambalaya became the first Canadian bred horse to win the Arlington Million, with his trainer, Catherine Day Phillips , being the first female trainer to ever win the race. The race has been run under several different names: in 1981, it

432-535: The local oval as Mr. D's place. And indeed, he patrols the facility often and is always a presence in the paddock for big events such as the International Festival of Racing, the annual celebration of racing on turf which features the Grade I Arlington Million. One can count on the festival to lure top horses from throughout the world. Like most signature races, the Arlington Million has its version of

459-475: The million dollar purse and the Arlington Million Trophy . The race was graded after only its second running and was awarded a grade one status in 1983 based on the talent of the runners that raced in its first two years. The horse John Henry won the race twice. On August 30, 1981, Willie Shoemaker became the first jockey to win a $ 1 million thoroughbred horse race when John Henry took

486-440: The race. The first is right after the race is run, Mr. D. will pass out dozens of flutes of champagne and toast the winners just before watching the replay on the jumbotron. Then the trophies are passed out by Chairman Emeritus of Arlington Park Richard Duchossois and then interviews and commentaries are made. Even though Richard Duchossois merged Arlington Park with Churchill Downs Inc. several years ago, everyone still thinks of

513-527: The relocation of the Arlington Million and other races is another sign that the Arlington Park racetrack was closed for good, adding: "What I want to do now is take a horse down there and win the first Arlington Million at Churchill Downs." Because the Churchill Downs turf course is smaller than the one used at Arlington, the distance of the race was shortened from 1 + 1 ⁄ 4 miles to 1 + 1 ⁄ 8 miles. In December 2022 an agreement

540-455: The track open have been exhausted. In April 2018, Virginia enacted a law to allow historical racing machines (similar to slot machines) at the track and at off-track betting parlors, in an effort to make it economically viable to reopen the track. Weeks later, the track was purchased by Revolutionary Racing (later named Colonial Downs Group ), a Chicago-based partnership that included gaming executives and Peninsula Pacific Entertainment , for

567-476: The track. Although the pertpetual trophy is only used in the ceremony, a 60% solid silver only replica is given to the winning owner each year. That replica stands 18 in (460 mm) tall and is 14 in (360 mm) wide at the rim of the cup. It is supported by six Greek revival columns. The winning trainer and jockey also receive trophies but these do not resemble the perpetual trophy. Richard Duchossois has started several traditions run in relation to

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594-653: The years. Time record: At 1 + 1 ⁄ 4 miles Most wins: Longest odds: Shortest odds: Most wins by an owner: Most wins by a jockey : Most wins by a trainer : Largest Margin of Victory: Shortest Margin of Victory: Colonial Downs Colonial Downs is a racetrack located in New Kent County, Virginia adjacent to Interstate 64 , halfway between Richmond and Williamsburg . The track conducted Thoroughbred flat racing and Standardbred harness racing between 1997 and 2014, and reopened for thoroughbreds in 2019. It

621-727: Was called the Arlington Million Invitational Stakes; from 1982 through 1984 it was known as the Budweiser Million Stakes; from 1985 through 1987, it was the Budweiser-Arlington Million. In 1988, the race was held at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto , Ontario to accommodate the completion of repairs after the 1985 fire, and there was no race held in 1998 or 1999 during a two-year shutdown of Arlington Park. In 2021,

648-570: Was held at Churchill on August 13, 2022. The plans were made possible after Churchill reached an agreement with Ellis Park , which normally controls racing in Kentucky during the summer, along with the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission and Kentucky horsemen. The move was criticized by the president of a group representing Illinois horsemen. Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association president Chris Block suggested that

675-575: Was reached between Churchill Downs and the American Graded Stakes Committee to move the 2023 Arlington Million to Colonial Downs in Virginia . The move allowed the race to return to its original distance of 1 + 1 ⁄ 4 miles. Several times throughout the race's history, it was nationally televised, usually through a simulcast aired on WGN-TV picked up by their superstation feed , NBCSN , and TVG throughout

702-466: Was the only 1¼-mile track in North America with harness racing and features a one turn mile. The horses start from a chute on the backstretch. Harness racing times at Colonial Downs were the fastest in racing. On October 11, 2008, the world trotting record was set during the $ 100,000 Patriot Invitational. It was set by Enough Talk. The trotter became the first in harness racing history to break

729-654: Was timed to end on Breeders' Cup weekend. Colonial Downs stopped scheduling thoroughbred racing from 2013, due to a dispute between track management and horsemen's groups. Harness racing ended the following year, and all track-affiliated betting sites were closed in April 2015. The track filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia , seeking clarity in recently amended state horse racing laws, but

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