Blanco lands Arlington Million

Cape Blanco completed a big race double Stateside for Aidan O'Brien yesterday evening when impressively taking the Arlington Million in Chicago under Jamie Spencer.

Treasure Beach, winner of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby at the Curragh, was also on the mark at Arlington yesterday when landing the Secretariat Stakes in the hands of Colm O'Donoghue.

Spencer rode an excellent race aboard Cape Blanco. The four-year-old was in fourth place in the early stages but moved up at the end of the back straight, and took the Grade 1 contest by the scruff of the neck turning for home.

The combination hit the front entering the straight and were soon well clear as they had the race in safe keeping from that point.

Gio Ponti had no answer but ran a game race in second with Dean's Kitten in third, while Michael Bell's Wigmore Hall ran on late for fourth.

The latter looked to be moving well for Hayley Turner on the inner as the race began in earnest but found trouble in running and was shuffled back to an impossible position at a critical stage.

Turner finally found a clear passage but it was all too late as the placed horses had already flown.

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

"He is very lazy, he only does what you ask him but you know he will get you there and always is going to find plenty.

"Even in the last furlong I had a look around and he idled for a few strides. That is just the epitome of him.

"When it said seven minutes to post time, those were the longest seven minutes in a long time. He gave me torture at the start, he was just so fresh. He just wanted to get on with it.

"You know when they are like that, he's very aggressive, so you know he is well.

"I think that any kind of racing suits him. I just think all races suit him.

"Those two runs after Dubai, for whatever reason he just wasn't himself. We should just draw a line through them. Now he is really back and he is a high class horse and very few horses would win the way he has. He has such a big heart.

"I've won two races here in a month and I'm very lucky and people shouldn't forget that the only reason I'm riding this horse is because of Dr Hay.

"He made a massive investment to get me on good horses. I would have ridden Wigmore Hall but he didn't win. I can't tell how much I appreciate their input."

Spencer was first past the post in the race back in 2005 on O'Brien's Powerscourt but was disqualified for causing interference, for which he came in for some criticism in the States.

"I try not to dwell on the past. Mine is pretty colourful, so I try not to dwell but to look at the future," he added.