A luckless Archipenko (left) is unable to catch start to finsh winner Spirit One in the 2008 Arlington Million (Picture: Ocala.com)
The year 2008 was probably the greatest in history for the South African thoroughbred industry from an international performance point of view and it was very nearly capped by triumph in one of America’s most iconic races, the Arlington Million, which became the first race in the world to have a US$1 million stake.
At the 2008 Dubai World Cup Carnival, Herman Brown and Anton Marcus won the Gr 1 US$5 million Dubai Duty Free in new course record time at Nad Al Sheba with the South African-bred Jay Peg (Camden Park) and later that night the Mike de Kock-trained Sun Classique won the Gr 1 US$5 Million Dubai Sheema Classic under Kevin Shea after that partnership had earlier won the Gr 2 US$2 million UAE Derby with Honour Devil. Jay Peg went on to win the Gr 1 US$3 million Singapore Airlines Cup, while DeKock won the Gr 1 QE II Cup at Sha Tin with Archipenko, while the Sean Tarry-trained National Colour finished a narrow second in the Gr 1 Nunthorpe Stakes in England, among other successes for South African racing personalities or horses that year.
The Arlington Million was run on August 9, 2008, and Archipenko started favourite at the equivalent of about 12/10.
The Kingmambo colt broke well under Kevin Shea, but Johnny Murtagh, riding the Aidan O’Brien-trained Mount Nelson, who was third favourite, immediately locked on to Archipenko on his outside as the Philippe Demercastel-trained French raider Spirit One set the pace.
Shea eventually dropped his mount a length further behind Spirit One in a probable attempt to shake Mount Nelson off.
However Murtagh didn’t relinquish his position one wide of the rail and another horse had moved up behind his mount.
Shea, therefore, had little choice but to remain on the rail.
As had become normal for him, Archipenko appeared to be moving no better than any of his rivals as they moved into the final turn.
However, he once again found the gear he had become well known for and was all over the back of the leader as they straightened.
Archipenko was unlucky not to win the big Chicago race as he continued to be kept in a pocket by Murtagh.
The De Kock-trained stalwart was eventually extracted by Kevin Shea after Mount Nelson began fading, but it was too late and he could only fly up for a 0,75 length second behind Spirit One, who was ridden by Ioritz Mendizabal.
“Johnny had me in all the way around,” said Shea later. “When it was time to go, I begged him to let me go and he wouldn’t let me through.”
Shea had to stop riding him and there is little doubt that he would have won had it not been for the raceriding tactics of Murtagh.
Murtagh explained, “I secured a pocket on the rail [running second] and I was where I wanted to be. At the half-mile pole, I thought we were going to get there. We just couldn’t get there.”
De Kock was upset by the result according to Racing Post’s Nicholas Godfrey.
“That’s the most ungentlemanly piece of riding I’ve seen in a long time,” said an angry De Kock. “It was as if he was looking for our horse all the way round. I’m very disappointed in Johnny. In my opinion, he rode his horse to keep us in rather than to actually win the race. There was no need for Johnny to keep us in like that.”
Mount Nelson was owned by Coolmore, former owners of Archipenko.
Archipenko, a four-year-old son of Kingmambo, had been transformed as a racehorse since being sold out of O’Brien’s yard and moving to de Kock.
He now had stallion potential and Coolmore and the latter would not have been happy to have lost him, although with their stallion riches it was unlikely they would have viewed it as a big blow.
Dr Ashley Parker, who together with his mother Rose of Ascot Stud owned a 40% share of Archipenko, watched the race with a party of 40 people in his hometown of Port Elizabeth.
Although disappointed and confirming that de Kock had been upset, he was philosophical about the result.
De Kock came in for some criticism for his reaction, but explained it away in an article in the South African press which appeared a couple of days later. Michael Roberts also gave his opinion in the article, which can be read below as it appeared at the time:
Mike de Kock spoke of the emotions that himself and Kevin Shea had felt after Archipenko had been unlucky not to win the Arlington Million on Saturday and admitted that he had reacted in “the heat of the moment” when accusing jockey Johnny Murtagh of “ungentlemanly” riding.
Archipenko had been trapped on the rail throughout the race and was kept in a pocket in the straight by Murtagh on Mount Nelson. But for that it seems probable that he would have won. When he finally got out, he flew at the winner, but it was too late, and he had to settle for a 0,75 length second to the pillar-to-post winner, Spirit One.
“It was probably the most important race of my career and I felt he was the best horse in the race and should have won,” said de Kock. “To win a Group I in Europe or North America would be like winning a major in golf. Can you imagine, the horse would also now have been a winner of Group races on four different continents. Winning the race would also have been a huge boost for his stallion potential. With the emotion we said things in the heat of the moment and I didn’t afford Johnny the respect he deserves. He rode a tactically sound race. I can also not find anything by which to criticise Kevin. Archipenko was keen early on but when he was eventually able to drop him a length back of Mount Nelson, another horse had come up behind Mount Nelson. There was not a single opportunity for Kevin throughout the race to get off the rail.”
De Kock said that there had been no fall-out whatsoever with Murtagh, who rides for him in Dubai.
“He is a great jockey and I’m looking forward to him riding for us in Dubai again,” he said.
De Kock added that he had spoken to the Racing Post editor and made a retraction and the editor admitted at the same time that the Racing Post reporter covering the race had gone a bit overboard in his reporting of post-race events.
Back home, Michael Roberts, who is the only South African to have ever won the U.K jockey Championship, didn’t watch the Arlington Million so couldn’t comment on the race itself.
However, from his Karkloof training centre yesterday, he spoke of the difficulties of riding from an inside draw on the tight American tracks.
“They don’t give an inch out there or in England,” he said. “In South Africa we have false rails and generally ride very loosely but I soon learnt how different it is overseas. Racefans over here look at American jockeys riding and can’t understand why they are going wide on their mounts. For example when Kent Desormeaux rode Big Brown in the Belmont. But I know Kent and know that he is one of the world’s best jockeys. He was simply not going to gamble on keeping the inside rail where he could end up trapped.”
Roberts continued, “I didn’t watch the race on Saturday but I did gather beforehand that Mike (De Kock) was not happy with the draw and I can understand why. It is very, very difficult to ride from the inside draw. What do you do? I sometimes used to gamble on the inside rail and get away with it. But I can tell you that in England if you were in contention and let a winner through down your inside you were often booed in the weighing room. It’s a very tough school overseas and if you are a foreigner it’s even tougher. Also, through experience you learn which jockeys will keep you in at all costs and which jockeys you have a chance with. I can imagine that Johnny Murtagh falls into the former category. If he didn’t he would not have got such a top job as the Ballydoyle rides. I myself, if I felt my mount had no chance, would let another jockey through on my inside and expect him to do the same for me at a later date in a similar situation. But if I had a chance, even a place chance, I would hold my position and would not give an inch.”
Five years later in 2013 there was more disappointment for South Africans at the Arlington Million as the SA-bred De Kock-trained The Apache (Mogok) past the line first under Christophe Soumillon but was demoted to second after an objection, although there were few gripes about the upheld verdict.
