OSCAR Performance continued his bid for a three-year-old championship, an unheard of premise for a turf performer but a reality in a spastic division this year, dominating the Grade 1 Secretariat Stakes on Arlington Million Day.

Owned by Amerman Racing, trained by Brian Lynch and ridden by Jose Ortiz, the son of Kitten’s Joy stalked the pace before unleashing another electric finish to score by two and a quarter lengths over Irish-bred Taj Mahal and Afandem.

“He’s a good horse who keeps showing up,” Lynch said. “We’ll try the older horses in the fall. Who knows, if he beats them and the other three-year-olds keep beating each other, maybe we’d be in the mix for the title.”

Oscar Performance improved his career record to six wins, including three consecutive stakes wins this year, all his wins have come without Lasix.

The race was marred by an injury to favorite, Irish-bred Permian, who broke down in the waning stages of the 10-furlong stakes and was euthanized. William Buick was hospitalised with a fractured vertebrae but returned to the UK on Wednesday.

POSTULATION

American-bred, Irish-raced Postulation added a second consecutive stakes score to his docket, annexing the Grade 3 American St Leger, a $250,000 stakes race stretching 13 and a half furlongs over the Arlington turf.

Owned by Runnymede Racing and trained by Eddie Graham (the same team who upset the Arlington Million with Hardest Core in 2014) the son of Harlan’s Holiday made nine starts for Dermot Weld before transferring to present connections.

Winless in his first five starts in America, the bay gelding broke out with a six-length score in the Cape Henlopen at Delaware Park in July before venturing to Arlington Park. Sent off fifth choice in the field of eight, the Juddmonte-bred five-year-old made it look easy, stalking early before unleashing a long, steady rally.

The ultimate little guy, Graham, 46, rode a few races as an amateur steeplechase jockey before working as an assistant trainer. Tepidly going out on his own in 2001, Graham managed to win 22 races before breaking out in 2014 with eight wins from 15 starters (flat and jump), including the improbable run by Hardest Core.

Training off Postulation’s owners Gregory and Caroline Bentley’s farm in Unionville, Pa., Graham has won six races from 23 starts this year.

“The distance, it’s all about the distance,” Graham said. “When you watch his race at Delaware Park, (the jockey) said he couldn’t even pull him up and that the outrider had to pull him up. I guess this is just luck here, it’s humbling.”