The Europeans may have swept the Grade 1 undercard but it was the Americans who won the Arlington Million in Chicago when Little Mike struck at Arlington Park on Saturday night.
Trained by Dale Romans, Little Mike was in the lead from the start and partnered by Ramon Dominguez the pair built up a five-length lead by the home stretch.
There Luca Cumani's Afsare made inroads under Kieren Fallon to finish second, while Colombian, owned by Princess Haya of Jordan, was third in a dead-heat finish with Rahystrada.
Dominguez set a dawdling pace that rode his rival riders to sleep and Little Mike kicked for home when it mattered to keep Afsare a length and a half at bay at the wire.
"At the three-eighths pole I thought we'd done as much as we could to slow them down," Dominguez told the Daily Racing Form. "He really accelerated, and he galloped out like a freight train."
Earlier in the evening Rabbah Bloodstock trainer David Simcock took the Grade 1 Beverley D. Stakes with I'm A Dreamer, ridden by Hayley Turner, while the French won the Grade 1 Secretariat Stakes with Bayrir, trained by Alain de Royer-Dupré.
For Turner it was a historic success. The British rider became the first jockey to ride a thoroughbred on the Dubai World Cup card in March and she became the first woman to win the ten-furlong event.
The Beverely D. Stakes is part of the 'Win and You're In' series for the Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita in November and as Turner was deputising for William Buick, there is every chance she will miss out in California should the filly travel back to America. A European campaign is also an option.
"Hayley has won on the filly twice in her career now and also substituted for me last year in the July Cup, Simcock said.
"She is normally William's ride, but he had to ride for Mr Gosden and I put some names to the owner and his choice was Hayley - she's a very capable jockey.
"She travelled really strong, there wasn't a massive amount of pace early on, but we half expected that. She ran quite fresh and picked up really well.
"We have loads of options now. It's which route we want to take. Yellow Ribbon and Breeders' Cup is one route or Champions Day and Prix de l'Opera."
The inaugural running of the American St Leger Stakes was won by Jakkalberry, the Dubai Sheema Classic third, who is trained by Dubai regular Marco Botti. Ioya Bigtime was second for the home team, while Zuider Zee, also owned by Princess Haya, was third.
If the Dubai royals were hitting the post in Arlington, over in Saratoga they hit the back of the net when Questing ran out a nine-length winner of the Grade 1 Alabama Stakes.
The Godolphin filly, trained by Kieran McLaughlin, was adding the $600,000 contest to her previous success in the Coaching Club American Oaks and is surely now America's leading three-year-old filly.
"It was one of the most impressive performances I've been involved with - she is a special filly.
"She is definitely the best three-year-old filly in America on the dirt."
The daughter of Hard Spun set a blistering time of 2m 1.29 seconds for the mile and a quarter, despite wandering over the track to deny In Lingerie. Via Villaggio was another eight lengths back in third.
It was the fastest time recorded in the race in 32 years and McLaughlin was delighted to be in the hunt for the $1million prize in the Cotillion Handicap at Parx Racing in Pennsylvania on September.
"Questing went fast from the gate and the fast fractions worried me a bit but she was always travelling pretty easily and comfortably, while the others were off the bridle," McLaughlin added.
"She came off the rail in the straight again but I reckon that is something we can work on."
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