Fort Washington outkicked Grand Sonata, Integration, and Mystik Dan in the stretch to score the biggest win of his career in the Grade 1 Arlington Million Stakes Aug. 9 at Colonial Downs.

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Fort Washington raced last in a seven-horse field for the first mile of the historic grass race while chasing moderate splits of :23.94, :48.36, 1:12.25, and 1:36. Fort Washington then tipped out wide into the stretch under jockey Junior Alvarado and rallied past his rivals to complete 1 1/4 miles on firm turf in 1:59.58. He paid $13.40 to win.

"I wanted to make sure I saved enough ground so that I had a big punch at the end," Alvarado said. "When I swung out in the clearing, he finished up very strong."

Grand Sonata closed up the inside to run second, beaten a half-length. Integration was another three-quarters of a length back in third.

The 2024 Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve winner Mystik Dan made his career turf debut in the race and ran competitively but came up empty in the final furlong to finish fourth by 3 1/2 lengths.

"With grass horses like he ran against today, it's a different turn of foot," said Mystik Dan's jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. "He handled the grass fine, but he just didn't travel in my hands like I'd like him to."

Winning jockey Alvarado said it meant a lot to win the Arlington Million, noting "my career kind of started taking off" when he rode at Arlington Park, where the Million was a longtime fixture before Arlington closed in 2021.

Shug McGaughey trains the winner, who broke through at the graded level in the Grade 3 Monmouth Stakes as a 5-year-old in 2024. Fort Washington added 2025 wins in the Grade 3 Canadian Turf Stakes and Grade 3 Dinner Party Stakes earlier this year with Alvarado aboard.

Charlene's Dream Leads All the Way to Win Beverly D.

In what was an anticipated clash between Grade 1 winner Be Your Best and multiple graded stakes victress Beach Bomb, it was the up-and-coming Charlene's Dream who stole the show to win the $501,200 Grade 2 Beverly D. Stakes Aug. 9 at Colonial Downs.

Charlene's Dream. (Coady Media)

The race played perfectly into jockey Javier Castellano's hands aboard Charlene's Dream. Jockey Tyler Gaffalione aboard Be Your Best took back on the 3-2 favorite and cleared the way for Charlene's Dream on the front end. The Texas-bred filly, stretching out beyond 1 1/8-miles for the second time in her career, rattled off a :23.78 first quarter before settling into Castellano's hands and slowing down the tempo for a :48.30 half mile.

"I had watched her other races, and she seemed like a horse that didn't want you to take too much of a hold of (early in the race)," Castellano said. "I let her go and let her roll early during the first part of the race but by the backstretch I gave her a break. She stayed engaged with the other horse outside and at the top of the stretch she was game. I asked and she responded."

Charlene's Dream met Be Your Best's challenge while the pair raced several lengths clear of the rest of the six-horse field. Charlene's Dream never let her more accomplished rival past her and re-rallied down the stretch and stormed to the wire to win by 1 1/2 lengths.

Trained by Ed Moger Jr., Charlene's Dream ($7.20) completed the 1 3/16 miles over a firm turf course in 1:53.74, less than a second off the Colonial track record of 1:52.98.

The Brendan Walsh-trained Spanish Eyes rallied late to edge Be Your Best for runner-up honors. Beach Bomb finished fifth. -- Molly Rollins