News

Jambalaya was on his way back to Woodbine in Toronto Sunday after conquering the thoroughbred world in David and Goliath fashion on Saturday, becoming the first Canadian-bred to win the prestigious Arlington Million.

The five-year-old gelding arrived in Chicago for the race last week in a humble horse trailer driven by one of his owners, Todd Phillips, whose wife, Catherine Day Phillips, trains the horse. They bought Jambalaya four years ago for a bargain-basement price of $2,500 (all currency U.S.).

Jambalaya, named for a Hank Williams tune, was surrounded by flash and dash on the Arlington Park backstretch. Day Phillips admitted she has the country music programmed into her cellphone. She played it in the winner's circle on Saturday.

“Being at the Arlington Million was surreal,” Day Phillips said Sunday, her cellphone jammed with messages. “It's the big leagues.”

Even though Jambalaya had won the Grade 1 Gulfstream Park Stakes and the Grade 3 Pan American Handicap in Florida over the winter, some racing analysts curtly dismissed his chances in the field of classy American-bred and European-bred horses.

With the win, Jambalaya gets automatic entry to the Breeders' Cup Turf at Monmouth Park in New Jersey in October.

Day Phillips is the first female trainer to win the Arlington Million.

“I think it's fun,” she said of the achievement. “There have been a lot of firsts for females this year.” She had hoped to become the first female winner of the Queen's Plate, but missed out on that milestone when Josie Carroll did it last year with Edenwold.

The Arlington Million is tougher to win, though. Jambalaya was blocked on the rail for most of the race, until midstretch, when jockey Robbie Albarado pointed him toward a clearing and “Jambalaya knew what to do,” Day Phillips said.

He steadily gained ground on the U.S. star, The Tin Man, who won the race last year. The Canadian underdog won by three-quarters of a length on yielding turf.

“Robbie said that he was so easy to ride,” Day Phillips said. “He just did everything he asked him to.”

It now appears that the top two turf runners in North America are Canadian-bred. The other, Sky Conqueror, gave the Arlington Million a pass, but has defeated Jambalaya the past two times they've met at Woodbine.

Day Phillips thinks she will send Jambalaya to the Breeders' Cup Turf, but she wants to see how he comes out of three tough races in a row. He may jump on the van again and go to New York to run in the $500,000 Man O' War Stakes at Belmont Park next month. It's big-league racing, too, and a major prep for the Breeders' Cup Turf.

“He loves going away,” Day Phillips said. “He gets three people fussing over him and he gets pampered. He just really enjoys getting on the van.”

Jambalaya made back his purchase price by finishing third in the first start of his life, winning $6,270 three years ago. The rest, his owners say, has been gravy. He's now won $1,588,215 in his 21-race career.

Jambalaya was bred by Toronto developer Gus Schickedanz and is a son of Langfuhr, a speedy horse who won top races in the United States. He's now one of the leading sires on the continent.

“[Jambalaya] has given everybody such an absolute thrill,” Day Phillips said.