Winning Ponies

Saturday is being promoted as Arlington Million Day at the Chicago-area track, even though the race itself has a new name and a smaller purse. The day will feature three Grade 1 races: The Mister D. (formerly the Arlington Million, now with a $600,000 purse), the Beverly D. and the Bruce D. (formerly the Secretariat Stakes). Arlington Park, (now known as Arlington International Racecourse), has a storied history, Arlington was born in 1927, the same year that Charles Lindbergh made the first Transatlantic flight. Arlington has attracted millions of visitors over the years and has played host to royalty, famous entertainers, sports stars, and generations of families that shared special times at a special place. John G. Dooley was behind the microphone in 1981, when John Henry dug in in the final stride under the urging of Bill Shoemaker and amazingly out-nodded The Bart in the inaugural edition of the landmark $1 million dollar event. Dooley was in high school then, but he has been in the Arlington announcer