2025 Secretariat Stakes Preview at Colonial Downs

Key Takeaways:

• Dream On enters as the 5-2 favorite after winning the Penn Mile over yielding turf; Castellano rides again and is unbeaten aboard him.
• Cairo Caper and Maui Strong have been competitive in stakes company and bring solid tactical speed into a tightly matched field.
• End of Romance and Simulate offer upside off allowance wins and represent top barns known for spotting horses well.
• A competitive eight-horse field of 3-year-olds makes this year’s Secretariat Stakes wide open, especially if rain hits the turf.

Secretariat is best known for being the dominant 1973 Triple Crown winner. He still holds records for the fastest time ever for the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes—a tremendous machine, indeed. There is a pole at Belmont Park marking 31 lengths from the wire, his win margin over Twice a Prince in the 1973 Belmont Stakes.

The champion’s last two starts, however, came over turf. He won the Man o’ War (G1) over the grass at Belmont, and finished his career with a 6 ½-length triumph in the Canadian International (G2) on the lawn at Woodbine. Though Secretariat never raced over the turf at Arlington Park, he did race there, too—the track hosted the Arlington Invitational, where thousands of racing fans saw him cross the finish line nine lengths clear of My Gallant. That day, Big Red missed the track record for 1 ⅛ miles by just a fifth of a second.

Starting the next year, Arlington Park ran a stakes race for sophomores on the grass in Secretariat’s honor. The distance varied in its early years, but settled at 1 ¼ miles from 1985 through 2018. Starting in 2019, the race was shortened to a mile. Some of its most important winners include Mac Diarmida, Awad, Marlin, Kitten’s Joy, Adelaide, and Highland Reel.

Like the rest of the Arlington Million day features, the recent history of the Secretariat Stakes has been in flux. In 2021, the final year Arlington was open, the race was called the Bruce D. after former track owner Richard Duchossois’ late son, Bruce. The next year, it was not run due to turf track issues at Churchill Downs, but in 2023, it found its home at Colonial Downs alongside the Arlington Million and the Bruce D.

2025 Secretariat Stakes Information

• Race Date: Saturday, August 9
• Track: Colonial Downs
• Post Time: 4:41 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time
• Distance: one mile on the turf
• Age/Sex: three-year-olds
• Where to Watch: FanDuel Racing
• Where to Bet: FanDuel Racing

Secretariat Stakes Draw and Odds

This is the field for the 2025 Secretariat Stakes, including post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning-line odds for each runner.

Secretariat Stakes Prep Race Results

The eight runners in the Secretariat come out of seven different races. Four come out of graded-stakes company, and another four come out of allowance races.

Only one horse in the field is a last-out stakes winner, and that horse is Dream On. He rallied from last in a compact five-horse field to overhaul Cairo Caper by a length in the Penn Mile (G3) on June 27, and will face that foe again in the Secretariat. Giocoso tried top-level company for the first time last out in the American Turf (G1) at Churchill Downs on the Kentucky Derby undercard, rallying from near the rear to finish fifth, four lengths behind winner Zulu Kingdom. Maui Strong set the pace in the Manila (G3) at Saratoga, flattening late to cross the wire fourth, two lengths behind Zulu Kingdom.

The other four come out of first-level allowance races. End of Romance is the only one who faced an older company in his final prep—he stalked, pounced, and won by 1 ½ lengths in that one-mile, 70-yard race at Delaware Park on June 21. Simulate tracked the pace and kicked away to win by 2 ¼ lengths in a 1 1/16-mile allowance on the Saratoga lawn on July 18, ignored at almost 17-1 by the public but taking a strong step forward. Antisocial won an allowance on July 16, going a mile at Colonial Downs, beating seven others in stalk-and-pounce fashion. Anegada will try to rebound from an eighth-place finish in a 1 1/16-mile allowance at Ellis on July 5.

Secretariat Stakes Contenders

This is a closer look at the horses in the 2025 Secretariat Stakes, from the rail out.

1. Giocoso: Both of his wins have come on the turf, but he still needs to prove himself against stakes company. Perhaps he’s a better horse now than he was—he’s been on the bench for three months since running on for a credible enough fifth behind Zulu Kingdom in the American Turf, and he gets Ben Curtis—a 25% rider at Colonial Downs—back in the irons. A sharp pace isn’t a fait accompli, but enough horses like to be forward that the pace should be at least honest. He has been able to work a winning trip from toward the inside before, and though it requires his absolute best, this is company he can beat if he comes back on song.
2. Maui Strong: He was beaten last out in the Manila, but two lengths behind Zulu Kingdom, one of the best horses in the sophomore turf division, is a credible running line. He has been keeping some of the best company in the division, bumping heads with the likes of Test Score, New Century … quality horses. He is difficult to trust on the win end, since his only victory came in a maiden turf mile last year at Churchill Downs. But, he is versatile and consistent enough to consider for underneath shares.
3. End of Romance: He hasn’t faced graded-stakes company yet, but when Graham Motion decides a horse is ready to be competitive in a graded stakes, they often are. His two stakes tries have been good though not winning efforts: a late-running third in the Rushaway on the Tapeta at Turfway, and then another late-running effort in the Woodhaven, his first turf mile try—and though he was fifth, he was beaten only a length by Dream On. Even in allowance company, facing older foes for the first time is not an easy task. He faced that challenge with aplomb, showing more tactical speed than he had yet shown stateside and winning by 1 ½ lengths. He needs another step up from that, but there’s room for him to do it, and he should be able to carve out a trip.
4. Simulate: This Bill Mott trainee tries stakes company for the first time here. And, the questions are—was his last-out allowance win the real deal or an aberration, and does he need to be at Saratoga to do his best? It was his best race by far, and he showed that he has a passing gear, and didn’t need to go gate-to-wire as in his maiden score last year at Saratoga. If he can handle another course, and likely some cut in the ground, he can make a smart late run. But, don’t take too much shorter than his morning line on that prospect, since he has to prove that was for real.
5. Antisocial: Hopes were high from the outset, judging from the fact that he debuted in stakes company at Monmouth last year. He finally graduated third out, this spring at Aqueduct in a washed-off sprint against older foes, but has looked better than ever since being switched to turf for his last two. He missed by a neck in an allowance at Delaware two back, and then won by half a length in stalk-and-pounce fashion last out at Colonial. That local last-out win was his best outing yet. Jockey Luis Saez should be a good fit for his forward style, and trainer Jorge Duarte has been hot this meet at Colonial. Duarte also shines at a price with last-out winners, meaning this improving local has longshot appeal.
6. Anegada: With nine starts, this Mike Maker trainee has a lot of experience, but he has yet to step into a stakes race before this outing. The outlook is hazy—his only win in nine starts came in a maiden claiming mile at Gulfstream, but he has had a couple of credible money finishes in allowance company since. He is sufficiently pace-versatile to be interesting for a piece underneath—he’d need a step forward to win, but he’s not too far off for a piece underneath as the longest shot on the board.
7. Cairo Caper: A stakes winner at Woodbine last year, he moved to the United States for his sophomore season. He hasn’t quite been able to crack Dream On yet, but he hasn’t been far away—he was seventh but only beaten 1 ½ lengths behind that foe in his seasonal debut, and then second, beaten a length by him in the Penn Mile last out. He should be fitter in his third start of the year, and his tactical speed from an outside gate should play well. He also should be able to handle rain-affected ground well, given how well he ran in the Penn Mile, which was contested over yielding turf after multiple postponements for rain.
8. Dream On: The morning-line favorite rides a two-win streak into the Secretariat. He has the tactical style to handle the outside draw, as he can be effective from a stalking spot or rallying from midfield. The rain in the forecast also isn’t a worry for him, as he handled yielding ground well last out when he won the Penn Mile. He also always seems to find what he needs under Javier Castellano—Castellano has ridden Dream On three times so far, and all three times they posed for the photographer in the winner’s circle. The one concern as a short price is that, at least on paper, he isn’t faster than these—the field is extremely close and competitive in that way. But, in terms of handling the draw and the conditions, as well as just running to his company, Dream On has appeal.

Secretariat Stakes FAQ

Q: When and where is the Secretariat Stakes?

A: The Secretariat Stakes will be run Saturday, August 9, at Colonial Downs in New Kent, Virginia. Carded as the ninth of 12, post time is scheduled for 4:41 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the Secretariat Stakes?

A: Aidan O’Brien leads all trainers with four wins in the Secretariat between 2000 and 2015. He does not have a horse in the race this year. Among trainers who do, Bill Mott (Simulate) and Dale Romans (Maui Strong) lead with two wins each.

Q: Who is the favorite for the Secretariat Stakes?

A: Dream On is the 5-2 morning-line favorite for the Secretariat Stakes. Coming in off a one-length victory over yielding turf in the Penn Mile (G3), his second straight stakes victory, he has a very good chance to hold as the actual favorite come post time.

Q: Who is the best Secretariat Stakes jockey?

A: Pat Day, Kent Desormeaux, and Javier Castellano are all tied with three wins, the most for a jockey in this race. Castellano can take the record alone if he wins with Dream On, who he rides for trainer Mark Casse.

Q: Who won the Secretariat Stakes in 2024?

A: Trikari won the 2024 Secretariat Stakes for trainer Graham Motion and jockey John Velazquez. They unite again this year behind End of Romance.

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