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The feature race of the Colonial Downs racing season happens Saturday, August 9: the Grade 1, $1 million Arlington Million. Though the race’s namesake track is no longer, the world’s first million-dollar Thoroughbred race is alive and well in Virginia, and a well-matched field of eight will line up to go 1 ¼ miles on the grass. It’s not only exciting for the connections – with such a competitive group, it is an excellent horse racing betting opportunity!
The winners’ list is a who’s who of top turf horses like John Henry, Gio Ponti, and 2019 Horse of the Year Bricks and Mortar. Keep reading to find out who can join this illustrious group, and to find out the best places to bet the Arlington Million online!
Where to Bet the Arlington Million
The goal is always to pick the winner of the Arlington Million – but it’s also important to place that bet where you can maximize your profit on the winner. It can seem tough at first to find the right place to bet the Arlington Million online, but we are here to help make it easy! Our experts show you what you need to know about the top online sportsbooks, so you can make a quick and confident choice.
All of our recommended online sportsbooks have the basics you need: a smooth user experience, trusted deposits and payouts, and market-leading odds. Each site offers different incentives like sportsbook sign-up bonuses, referral benefits, and even rebates that pay you real money for every bet you make. Taking a few minutes now to choose the best one for your betting style can boost your bankroll by hundreds or thousands of dollars!
The Best Online Racebooks
These are the best options for betting the Arlington Million online. Check our reviews, choose which site has the best features for how you like to bet, and then bet the Arlington Million with confidence!
Arlington Million Horses and Odds
This is the official field for the 2025 Arlington Million including post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning lines:
- Mystik Dan (Kenny McPeek/Brian Hernandez, Jr.) – 9/2
- Time Song (Jonathan Thomas/Luis Saez) – 30/1
- Vesting (Mike Maker/Javier Castellano) – 12/1
- Runaway Storm (Ethan West/Alex Achard) – 20/1
- Cairo (Alice Haynes/Ben Curtis) – 7/2
- Fort Washington (Shug McGaughey/Junior Alvarado) – 4/1
- Grand Sonata (Todd Pletcher/Tyler Gaffalione) – 8/1
- Integration (Shug McGaughey/John Velazquez) – 8/5
Keep in mind that the morning line is just the racetrack’s best estimate of the odds come post time. On track the odds fluctuate until post time, meaning you don’t know what you’ll be paid until the gates open. However, online sportsbooks offer fixed odds on major horse races. This means you can lock in the best odds just by betting, meaning it is a smarter choice!
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| Integration | +160 | +160 | +160 |
| Cairo | +350 | +350 | +350 |
| Washington Square | +400 | +400 | +400 |
| Mystik Dan | +450 | +450 | +450 |
Free Arlington Million Picks
With your online betting account set up at the best site for you, it is time to get to know the top contenders for the 2025 Arlington Million!
Arlington Million Favorites
The favorite for the Arlington Million is Integration. It makes sense that he is the favorite – he has been keeping top company race in and race out. Unfortunately, despite looking primed for a breakthrough at the top level, he keeps finding one too good.
To be fair, there’s no Deterministic or Spirit of St Louis or Carl Spackler in this bunch, he won on a drop to a Grade 2 last fall, and he could get a good stalking trip from the outside – so, it isn’t out of the question that this A-stringer from the Shug McGaughey barn could break through in this spot. But, the price will be short, too short to get all that excited with him on top.
Cairo stands to be well bet – he is the only international shipper, and comes out of a proper Group 1 race, the Queen Anne (G1) at Royal Ascot, where he finished third. However, unlike Integration, even when he drops in class he tends to fall just short. He should get an honest pace to close into, and he can definitely get a share against horses better than this, but keep him underneath and not on top.
Arlington Million Best Bet
The best bet in the Arlington Million is Fort Washington. The second-stringer from the Shug McGaughey barn, he tries 1 ¼ miles for the first time in this spot but has both the pedigree and the race record to make the stretch out interesting.
He should appreciate the sharp pace to rally into – he doesn’t tend to drop all the way to the clouds, but he reliably finds run down the lane and will get plenty of pace with Time Song, Vesting, and Runaway Storm all entered in the race. And, with rain possible through the week, his two-back win at Pimlico after a wet week means he should handle the footing well.
Exotic Contenders
Mystik Dan tries the grass for the first time. It was a matter of days between his first turf drill and Kenny McPeek entering him in the Arlington Million – but with no truly scary horses pointed to the race, why not try him here? His trademark rail run makes the inside post draw no worry, and he should get the right pace setup for it, too. If he can run back to his recent races after the surface switch, he should be right in the mix.
Grand Sonata comes into this race off of a good second-place effort in the United Nations (G2). He is another who should benefit from all of the speed entered in this race. The question is the distance – he usually races over longer than this 1 ¼ miles – but between the pace setup and the ability to run his race at different racetracks, he should be able to run on for the minors if he runs one of his better races.
Arlington Million Free Picks
These are the best bets for Saturday’s 2025 Arlington Million:
- $10 to win/place – #6 Fort Washington
- $1 exacta box – #6 Fort Washington with #1 Mystik Dan, #8 Integration
- $0.50 trifecta key – #6 Fort Washington with #1 Mystik Dan, #5 Cairo, #8 Integration
- $0.20 superfecta key – #6 Fort Washington with #1 Mystik Dan, #5 Cairo, #7 Grand Sonata, #8 Integration
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