DREAM ON AIMS FOR THIRD CONSECUTIVE STAKES SCORE IN GRADE 2 $500,000 SECRETARIAT

NEW KENT, Va. (Aug. 2, 2025) – Sporting back-to-back stakes wins, D.J. Stable’s Dream On was tabbed as the 5-2 morning line favorite in the Grade 2 $500,000 Secretariat on Aug. 9 at Colonial Downs. A field of eight 3-year-old males signed on for Saturday’s one-mile turf race.

One of three graded stakes on the turf for Festival of Racing Day, the Secretariat is scheduled as race 9, followed by the 1 3/16 miles Grade 2 $500,000 Beverly D and the Grade 1 1¼ miles Arlington Million.

Saturday’s 12-race program also includes the $100,000 Petramalo Mile, a one-mile dirt race for 3-year-olds and its sister race, the $100,000 Tyson Gilpin at seven furlongs; the $150,000 Van Clief for 3-year-olds & up at 5½ furlongs on the turf and its distaff companion event, the $150,000 Andy Guest. First post is 12 p.m. ET.

After a strong freshman campaign, Dream On earned a spot in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1), where the Mark Casse trainee ran fifth. His 3-year-old campaign has been sensational up to date as the Not This Time colt has won three of his four starts, including the Penn Mile (G3) at Penn National in June and the Woodhaven at Aqueduct in April. Both stakes scores were over the turf and at the same distance as the Secretariat. Casse shipped Dream On to New Kent after his graded stakes score, and since then he has put in three local “bullet” drills including a 1:01.80 five-furlong work over the turf on July 25 and a :50.80 half-mile tune-up on Aug. 1. Drawing the outside post in the field of eight, Dream On will be piloted by Javier Castellano.

Rocker O Ranch’s Giocoso will make the Secretariat his first start since running a game fifth to Zulu Kingdom last out in the American Turf (G1) on the Kentucky Derby 151 undercard. Prior to that, Giocoso ran in three Derby preps, but both of his wins have come on the turf for trainer Keith Desormeaux.

“I tried to make a Derby horse out of him, but he’s just not as good on dirt,” Desormeaux said. “He’s ready to go for the second half of the year. He’s always been a high-level horse. I expect a big race out of him in the Secretariat.”

Colonial Downs’ reigning titleholder and current meet-leading jockey Ben Curtis takes the call and will guide Cairo from the rail.

Exiting a fourth-place finish last out in the Manila (G3) at Saratoga, West Point Thoroughbreds, Blue Devil Racing Stable, and Edwin Barker’s Maui Strong aims to make the Secretariat his first added-money score. The multiple graded stakes placed son of Kitten’s Joy is trained by Dale Romans. Made 7-2 in the morning line, Maui Strong will be guided from post 2 by Vincent Cheminaud.

After saddling last year’s winner Trikari, trainer Graham Motion entered End of Romance in his bid for consecutive Secretariat titles. The Irish-bred son of Showcasing (GB) came to North America with two scores and earned his first stateside victory last out in an allowance race at Delaware Park.

Here is the complete field for the $500,000 Secretariat (G2) from the rail out with jockey, trainer and morning line odds: Giocoso (Curtis, Desormeaux, 6-1); Maui Strong (Cheminaud, Romans, 7-2); End of Romance (John Velazquez, Motion, 5-1); Simulate (Junior Alvarado, Mott, 8-1); Antisocial (Luis Saez, Jorge Duarte Jr., 10-1); Anegada (Tyler Gaffalione, Mike Maker, 12-1); Cairo Caper (Victor Carrasco, Phil Schoenthal, 9-2); and Dream On (Castellano, Casse, 5-2).

Tickets for the Colonial Downs Festival of Racing can be purchased at www.colonialdowns.com.

Colonial’s races will be prominently featured on FanDuel TV all season long. Additionally, FanDuel TV will be on-site for coverage of the Festival of Racing on August 9.

Racing fans who can’t make it to Colonial can wager at any of the Rosie’s Gaming Emporiums throughout the state, The Rose Gaming Resort in Dumfries or VA-Horseplay locations in Chesapeake and Henrico. Bettors also can wager on racing from ColonialDowns via www.TwinSpires.com, the official advance-deposit wagering service for Churchill Downs Incorporated and its family of racetracks. TwinSpires.com boasts an improved wagering experience and mobile app combining the latest technology with the ability to wager on virtually every quarter, harness and thoroughbred horse race from venues around the globe. TwinSpires.com also offers access to unmatched insight and analysis from horse racing experts, handicappers, insiders, educators and Bloodstock Research Information Services (Brisnet).