by Steve Bailey

Peachtree Stable’s Red Giant will try for his fourth straight victory and first career graded stakes triumph as he takes on eight challengers in the $400,000 Secretariat Stakes for three-year-olds on Saturday at Arlington Park.

The chestnut Giant’s Causeway colt, who was installed as the 5-to-2 morning-line favorite under jockey Garrett Gomez, enters off back-to-back nose victories in the Restoration Stakes on June 17 at Monmouth Park and the Virginia Derby (G2) on July 21 at Colonial Downs.

In the Virginia Derby, Red Giant covered 1 1/4 miles—the same distance as the Secretariat—in a Colonial Downs turf course record 1:59.62 for trainer Todd Pletcher.

Overall, Red Giant has won four of his eight career starts and earned $712,410.

Multiple group stakes winner Admiralofthefleet will make his North American debut for trainer Aidan O’Brien after unplaced finishes in his previous two outings in the Vodafone Epsom Derby (Eng-G1) and the Coral-Eclipse Stakes (Eng-G1).

The bay Danehill colt, the second choice on the morning line at 3-to-1, won last year’s Juddmonte Royal Lodge Stakes (Eng-G2) and the Aktiv Kapital U. K. Ltd. Dee Stakes (Eng-G3) earlier this season.

Owned by a partnership between Michael Tabor, Susan Magnier, and the Niarchos family, Admiralofthefleet has won three of eight starts and earned $261,261.

The Aga Khan’s Shamdinan (Fr) also will make his stateside debut after finishing ninth of 11 in the Budweiser Irish Derby (Ire-G1) on July 1 at the Curragh.

Trained by Alain de Royer-Dupre, the chestnut Dr. Fong colt has won only one of his five starts but has hit the board on three other occasions and has earned $261,013.

Claiborne Farm’s and Adele Dilschneider’s homebred Lattice enters off a three-quarter-length victory over Secretariat challenger Going Ballistic in the American Derby (G2) on July 21 over the Arlington turf.

The dark bay or brown Arch colt, who is trained by Racing Hall of Fame conditioner Bill Mott, did not race as a juvenile and has won three of his five starts this season with one runner-up finish.

Steve Bailey is deputy news editor for Thoroughbred Times

The field, in post-position order with (sire), jockey, trainer, and odds:

1. Going Ballistic (Lite the Fuse), Donnie Von Hemel, Clifton Berry, 8-to-1;

2. Admiralofthefleet (Danehill), Mick Kinane, Aidan O’Brien, 3-to-1;

3. Fleeting Shadow [Ire] (Danehill), Dermot Weld, Patrick Smullen, 15-to-1;

4. Lattice (Arch), Bill Mott, Robby Albarado, 6-to-1;

5. Red Giant (Giant’s Causeway), Todd Pletcher, Garrett Gomez, 5-to-2;

6. Love Dubai (E Dubai), Mike Maker, Corey Lanerie, 20-to-1;

7. Mostacolli Mort (Hold for Gold), Julio Canani, Victor Espinoza, 30-to-1;

8. Shamdinan (Fr) (Dr Fong), Doug O’Neill, Julien Leparoux; 7-to-2; and

9. Pleasant Strike (Smart Strike), Todd Pletcher, Rene Douglas, 8-to-1.