Sunday 18 August 2002
Beaten by five lengths into third place by Sinndar in the Vodafone Derby at Epsom, Beat Hollow went on to win the Group I Grand Prix de Paris, before being transferred to the States where he has been at the top of the turf hierarchy since the beginning of the year. His win in the Arlington Million is his third at Grade I level this year, having already won the Grade I Woodford Reserve Turf Classic Stakes and the Grade I Manhattan Handicap.
Sinndar, Sakhee, Beat Hollow and Best Of The Bests, the first four home in the Millennium renewal of the Vodafone Derby have all been subsequent Group I winners. Sinndar himself went on to become the only horse in history to win the Epsom Derby, Irish Derby and the Arc de Triomphe in the same year. He was subsequently crowned European Champion Three Year Old of 2000.
Second placed Sakhee took the title of European Champion Older Horse last year after his Group I victories in the Juddmonte International and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. He then lost nothing in defeat when finishing a nose second to Tiznow in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic on the dirt.
Fourth placed Best Of The Bests defeated Banks Hill when taking the Group I Prix d’Ispahan in May, and finished a good third to the Champion filly on Sunday in the Group I Prix Jacques Le Marois over a mile.
To complete the frame, fifth placed Wellbeing, subsequently transferred to France, defeated Sakhee in the Group III Prix Gontaut Biron on August 10th after taking a Listed event earlier in the season.
