2011 Arlington Million: Picks, Odds, & Post Positions

Written by Jake Thompson
Thursday, 11 August 2011 19:43

Post positions and morning line odds are out so we are ready to release our 2011 Arlington Million horse racing picks.

We’ve already released tips on the 2011 Arlington Million earlier in the week and are now ready to go with our horse racing picks on the winner and the trifecta.  Arlington Park morning line odds were just released after the draw for post positions and there are definitely some interesting things to note.  The 2011 Arlington Million odds are posted below and it’s now time to start talking about the August 13th race (6:15 PM ET post).

2011 Arlington Million Post Positions, Horses, & Odds:

1 – Rahystrada, 12-1

2 – Tajaaweed, 12-1

3 – Dean’s Kitten, 30-1

4 – Zack Hall, 10-1

5 – Gio Ponti, 2-1

6 – Proceed Bee, 50-1

7 – Cape Blanco, 9-5

8 – Mission Approved, 6-1

9 – Wigmore Hall, 8-1

10 – General Perfect, 50-1

Gio Ponti is one of the Arlington Million horses that we just have to include in our horse racing picks.  He’s 1-1-0 in this race the past two years and should be coming on strong in the later stages of the Arlington Million.  His post position allows him plenty of options when it comes to the pace and we think that he’s simply the type of horse that outdoes the other entries in terms of quality.

Cape Blanco defeated Gio Ponti last time out and is currently listed at 9-5 odds for the Arlington Million.  Although he has only finished above 4th once over his last 5 starts, he very well could be the best of the contenders running here.  The other races were against world-class competition and he should have a much easier go in the 2011 Arlington Million.

Mission Approved (6-1 odds) and Wigmore Hall (8-1) are considered the next two favorites for this $1,000,000 race, but we are tossing both for various reasons.  Mission Approved starts far from the outside and I don’t think he’ll get a nice enough spot to figure into the pace.  He’s also likely to tire in the later stages and I just see him as more of a 15-1 horse.  Wigmore Hall is an import that has been racing all over the world with some success.  Although he could definitely find himself in the trifecta, I ultimately believe that he’d be better off in a longer race and don’t think he’ll be able to figure out the pace from the far outside spot in the post positions.

Tajaaweed at 12-1 is the last horse I’m including in my potential Arlington Million trifecta, and he made our picks list because of the fact that he’s fresh off a 1st place finish at this track over the exact distance he’ll try to tackle on Saturday.  The son of Dynaformer has been hit or miss but I firmly believe he’s coming into his own and that some previous poor runs were the result of bad trips and not a bad horse.

2011 Arlington Million Picks – Trifecta Box:

Gio Ponti 2-1

Cape Blanco 9-5

Tajaaweed 12-1

2011 Arlington Million Picks – Winner:

Gio Ponti 2-1

Although Cape Blanco has bested our pick previously, I think the pace scenario here will be perfectly tailored for Gio Ponti to make a big move on a tiring field after the midway point.  Look for the 2009 Arlington Million victor to get back in the winner’s circle with a big effort that sees him pass our other two top choices late.