Arlington or Saratoga for English Channel?: Trainer leans toward 11/ 2 -mile stake at spa for Million favorite

Controversy and confusion continued to haunt the hooves aroundArlington Park on Wednesday.

With the 24th renewal of the Arlington Million set for Saturday,the northwest suburban oval normally would be in the midst of itsmost grand and glorious week of the summer. Instead, in the midst ofa grim and ghoulish season from somewhere south of Dante's Inferno,pre-Million bubbles kept surfacing.

Among them were the following:

- English Channel, a streaking grass star from the barn of ToddPletcher, was installed as the 3-1 favorite atop a field of 11 forMillion XXIV. But management at Saratoga continued to insist that the

4-year-old son of Smart Strike likely will race instead in the$500,000 Sword Dancer on Saturday at the prestigious upstate New Yorkspa. At 1oe miles, the Sword Dancer is a quarter of a mile longerthan the Million.

"The Sword Dancer is the easier race, and we wouldn't have toship," Pletcher told the Daily Racing Form. "[It] would also leave usat a mile and a half, and then we could come back at a mile and ahalf in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic [this fall at Belmont] and thenat a mile and a half in the Breeders' Cup Turf Classic [in Novemberat Churchill Downs]."

Entries for the Sword Dancer will be taken this morning atSaratoga. Pletcher has English Channel and Go Deputy listed for bothraces. English Channel drew the extreme outside Post 11 for theMillion. If the colt doesn't go at Arlington, Bobby Frankel's Irish-bred Cacique (4-1) will be the morning-line favorite.

- Arlington stewards announced that Kieren Fallon -- the regularrider of Aidan O'Brien's Ace, the 5-1 third choice in the Million --will not be allowed to race at the track this weekend because of asuspension and pending criminal indictment in England for allegedrace fixing. Fallon also was slated to ride O'Brien's Ivan Denisovichin the $400,000 Secretariat Stakes.

In a statement, Arlington stewards said: "Mr. Fallon's presence onthe grounds of any facility under the jurisdiction of the IllinoisRacing Board calls into question the honesty and integrity of horseracing due to his current indictment in England."

Fallon was implicated in the alleged scandal by horse-racingregulators in Great Britain after an investigation into more than 80races between December 2002 and September 2004. He has been allowedto ride in Ireland and France during the British ban.

- Illinois Racing Board staff announced that it will release theresults of the third "official" examination of the troubled Arlingtondirt surface this morning at a news conference at the ThompsonCenter. The timing is odd because it once again will draw attentionto the fact that 24 horses have died this summer at Arlington becauseof running-related catastrophic injuries, though only three haveperished in the last five weeks.

The initial investigation into the dirt surface was diminishedwhen an outside expert hired by the track left town before any of thesurface was dug up to be examined. The second investigation,initiated by the IRB, was compromised when Arlington management metwith the state's imported hireling and received recommendations aboutthe surface that were not forwarded to the IRB.

The newest examiner, who will be featured at today's presssession, is Michael Peterson, an associate professor of mechanicalengineering at the University of Maine.

Even amid the good this week, Arlington can't seem to escape thecrossed stars of its game this summer: Showing Up -- the 7-5 morning-line favorite in the Secretariat -- is owned by Roy and GretchenJackson's Lael Stables. That's the same couple that owns Barbaro, the2006 Kentucky Derby winner who has been battling to stay alive sincebreaking a leg in the opening yards of the Preakness three monthsago.

The Million, the Secretariat and the $750,000 Beverly D. -- theonly Grade I races of the Chicago thoroughbred season -- are all setto go on the Arlington grass Saturday.

jodonnell@suntimes.com

ARLINGTON MILLION XXIV

Grade I 3-Year-olds and UP One Mile and One Quarter, Turf

PP Horse Trainer Jockey Odds

1 Major Rhythm Ed Beam Earlie Fires 30-1

2 The Tin Man Richard Mandella Victor Espinoza 10-1

3 Ace (Ire) Aidan P. O'Brien Kieren Fallon 5-1

4 Touch of Land (Fr) Henri-Alex Pantall Christophe Lemaire 15-1

5 Soldier Hollow (GB) Peter Schiergen Rene Douglas 15-1

6 Phoenix Reach (Ire) Andrew Balding Martin Dwyer 5-1

7 Cosmonaut Patrick L. Biancone Julien Leparoux 20-1

8 Better Talk Now H. Graham Motion Ramon A. Dominguez 6-1

9 Go Deputy Todd A. Pletcher John R. Velazquez 15-1

10 Cacique (Ire) Robert J. Frankel Edgar Prado 4-1

11 English Channel Todd A. Pletcher John R. Velazquez 3-1

Owners: 1, James Messineo; 2, Aury and Ralph E. Todd; 3, Mrs. JohnMagnier, Michael Tabor and Mrs. H. McCalmott; 4, Gary A. Tanaka; 5,Gestut Park Wiedingen;

6, Winterbeck Manor Stud; 7, Flying Zee Stable; 8, Bushwood RacingPartners;

9, Wertheimer and Frere; 10, Juddmonte Farms Inc.; 11, James T.Scatuorchio.

Sires: 1, Rhythm (Ky.); 2, Affirmed (Ky.); 3, Danehill (Ire.); 4,Lando (Fr.); 5, In the Wings (GB); 6, Alhaarth (Ire.); 7, Lemon DropKid (Ky.); 8, Talkin Man (Ky.); 9, Deputy Minister (Ky.); 10,Danehill (Ire.); 11, Smart Strike (Ky.).

THE BEVERLY D.

Grade I $750,000 3-Year-olds and UP, F&M One Mile and 3/16, Turf

PP Horse Trainer Jockey Odds

1 Gorella (Fr) Patrick L. Biancone Julien Leparoux 5-2

2 Sharp Lisa Doug F. O'Neill Edgar Prado 12-1

3 Chic Dancer Christine K. Janks Chris Emigh 20-1

4 Rising Cross (GB) J. R. Best Martin Dwyer 15-1

5 Wend William I. Mott Garrett Gomez 10-1

6 Honey Ryder Todd A. Pletcher John Velazquez 3-1

7 Live Life (Fr) Neil D. Drysdale Victor Espinoza 10-1

8 Minge Cove Scott Blasi Shaun Bridgmohan 30-1

9 Royal Copenhagen (Fr) Laura de Seroux Rene Douglas 20-1

10 Rich in Spirit Thomas F. Proctor Mark Guidry 12-1

11 Film Maker H. Graham Motion Ramon Dominguez 4-1

Owners: 1, Martin S. Schwartz; 2, J. Paul Reddam, Suarez RacingInc. and Mark Schlesinger; 3, S.D. Brilie, Ltd. Partnership; 4, GaryA. Tanaka; 5, Claiborne Farm;

6, Glencrest Farm LLC; 7, Shawn L. Dugan; 8, Vinery Stables andTom Ludt; 9, Richard L. Duchossois; 10, Glen Hill Farm; 11,Courtlandt Farms.

THE SECRETARIAT STAKES

Grade I $400,000 3-Year-olds One Mile and One-Quarter, Turf

PP Horse Trainer Jockey Odds

1 Showing Up Barclay Tagg Cornelio Velasquez 7-5

2 Proudinsky (Ger) Robert J. Frankel Edgar Prado 6-1

3 Go Between William I. Mott Garrett Gomez 5-2

4 Primary William J. Haggas Robby Albarado 5-1

5 Ivan Denisovich (Ire) Aidan O'Brien Kieren Fallon 4-1

6 Niagara Causeway Ron Sticka Chris Emigh 20-1

Owners: 1, Lael Stables; 2, Gary A. Tanaka; 3, Peter Vesgo; 4,Highclere Thoroughbred Racing Ltd.; 5, Mrs. John Magnier, MichaelTabor, Irving Cowan and Mrs. Marjorie Cowan; 6, La Bahia Stud Inc.