A schedule of 11 overnight stakes races worth an aggregate $725,000 for the 2012 meet was announced by Arlington Park March 21.
Two Arlington overnight stakes scheduled for Arlington Million Day on Aug. 18 will carry a purse of $70,000 each while the remaining nine races each will carry a purse of $65,000.
Director of Racing and Racing Secretary Chris Polzin has crafted a series of overnight stakes for 3-year-olds on the main track. It begins with the King’s Command Stakes at six furlongs on June 16, to be followed by the Coach Jimi Lee Stakes at seven furlongs on Million Preview Day July 14. The series concludes on Arlington Million Day Aug. 18 with the Straight Line Stakes at one mile.
Three-year-old fillies will have two overnight races to serve as preps for the $150,000 Arlington Oaks (gr. III), which will be run over 1 1/8 miles on July 21. The preps are the Meafara Stakes at 6 ½ furlongs on June 2 and the Mariah’s Storm at one mile on June 30.
Two-year-olds can prep for the $150,000 Arlington-Washington Futurity (gr. III) in the seven-furlong Meadowlake Stakes on Aug. 4. Their filly counterparts can use the seven-furlong Lisa M the same day as a prep for the $150,000 Arlington-Washington Lassie (gr. III).
The Sea o’Erin, which was last raced in 2009, returns on June 9 as an overnight stakes race at 1 1/16 miles on the turf. The Hatoof, a prep for the Sept. 15 Pucker Up Stakes (gr. IIIT), will again be part of the Million Day card on Aug. 18.
Illinois-owned horses will be featured in a pair of six-furlong main-track Illinois Owners Stakes on Sept. 22.
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