Integration, second to Nations Pride in the 2024 Arlington Million Stakes (G1T) at Colonial Downs and three other grade 1s since, is favored to win his first top-level stakes in the Aug. 9 renewal of the $1 million contest.
The 1 1/4-mile grass race appears a prime opportunity for Integration in part due to both the Million and Saturday's Sword Dancer Stakes (G1T) at Saratoga Race Course splitting up some of the competition between the two races. Nations Pride, trained by British conditioner Charlie Appleby, runs in the Sword Dancer, as does Far Bridge—who was a close third, just behind runner-up Integration—when they competed together in the June 8 Manhattan Stakes (G1T) at Saratoga.
Trainer Todd Pletcher cross-entered Grand Sonata in both stakes before deciding on a race.
The Shug McGaughey-trained Integration is headed to Virginia, where his chief opposition is led by Mystik Dan, the 2024 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner who is racing on grass for the first time; British shipper Cairo, a group 3 winner and group 1-placed at Royal Ascot; and stablemate Fort Washington, winner of the Canadian Turf (G3T) and Dinner Party (G3T) stakes this winter and spring.
West Point Thoroughbreds and Woodford Racing's Integration, 8-5 on the Million morning line, was valiant in defeat in the Manhattan, closing strongest from behind slow fractions to finish a head behind front-running Deterministic.
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Three of six follow-up competitors from that race—Deterministic, Far Bridge, and fourth-place Corruption— were victorious in their next outings. Deterministic took the Fourstardave Stakes (G1T), Far Bridge the Bowling Green Stakes (G2T), and Corruption an allowance optional claimer July 30 at Saratoga.
Veteran jockey John Velazquez, aboard in the Manhattan, travels to Colonial for the mount.
Colonial Downs leading rider Ben Curtis picks up the ride on Refai Alghraiban's Cairo, who finished third in the Queen Anne Stakes (G1) at Ascot June 17 for trainer Alice Haynes. The horse went 3-for-5 to begin his racing career, taking a maiden race at age 2 and later the 2022 Killavullan Stakes (G3) and Patton Stakes at 3, but has been mired in a 16-race losing streak going back to the spring of 2023.
He earned a career-best Racing Post rating of 116 in the Queen Anne when he showed behind Docklands and Rosallion at odds of 100-1. Notable Speech and Carl Spackler were among the top-class milers behind him at Ascot.
Integration and Cairo are sons of Quality Road .
Cairo is the 7-2 second choice on the morning line, with Fort Washington at 4-1 and Mystik Dan at 9-2.
The latter is unraced on grass but worked on the surface Aug. 1 inside the Oklahoma Training Track at Saratoga, covering five furlongs in 1:02.17, about two seconds slower than the fastest turf drill of the morning at the five-furlong distance.
"I always wanted to try him on the turf and in his work on Friday, it looked like he loved it," McPeek said. "The move was so good and the horse is doing so good, I was like yeah, let's run."
A son of two-time Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) winner Goldencents , Mystik Dan is out of the Colonel John mare Ma'am, who notched one of her four wins on grass.
Mystik Dan, an earner of $4,467,120, won the Blame Stakes (G3) on dirt this spring and was most recently fourth in the June 28 Stephen Foster Stakes (G1) at Churchill Downs.
Colonial Downs, Saturday, August 9, 2025, Race 11Entries: Arlington Million S. (G1T)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Mystik Dan (KY) Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr. 122 Kenneth G. McPeek 9/2 2 2Time Song (KY) Luis Saez 122 Jonathan Thomas 30/1 3 3Vesting (IRE) Javier Castellano 122 Michael J. Maker 12/1 4 4Runaway Storm (KY) Alex Achard 122 Ethan W. West 20/1 5 5Cairo (IRE) Ben Curtis 122 Alice Haynes 7/2 6 6Fort Washington (KY) Junior Alvarado 122 Claude R. McGaughey III 4/1 7 7Grand Sonata (KY) Tyler Gaffalione 122 Todd A. Pletcher 8/1 8 8Integration (KY) John R. Velazquez 122 Claude R. McGaughey III 8/5
