Racing: Phillips a million-dollar woman in 'ultimate fairytale'

If American chauvinists remain reluctant to let a woman loose on their economy, Hillary Clinton should perhaps introduce them to the fiscal miracle just realised by a graduate in political science named Catherine Day Phillips. After university, Phillips was initially reluctant to follow her father into the precarious business of training racehorses, but now she finds herself supervising a barn full of them in Toronto. And success in the 25th Arlington Million surely warrants her description of Jambalaya, a five-year-old gelding who cost just $2,500, as perhaps "the ultimate fairytale horse".

Of course, this prize has been overtaken in many ways since 1981, when it first arrested the attention of the racing world. That, as they say, was when $1m was a lot of money. And, despite the maple leaf proudly adorning the silks of his rider, Jambalaya was only marginally qualified to enrich the race's international traditions. He was more of a rustler, having made a much shorter journey across the border than, for instance, The Tin Man, the Californian veteran who became favourite to repeat his 2006 success following the late scratching of After Market.

But Jambalaya's example will certainly ensure that this race continues to dismantle frontiers of one kind or other: in this case, the formidable barriers that so often confine wealth and opportunity to the same parish of the Turf. This was a spectacular breach by any measure: a $2,500 (£1,240) yearling wins a $1m race. As political scientists might say: "You do the math."

Jambalaya had already earned $994,214 before coming here, including a Grade One success in Florida, and raised the best sprint after all seven runners had been still bunched together rounding the turn. He beat The Tin Man by three-quarters of a length, the next four home all clustered within a similar margin. Doctor Dino did best of the Europeans, in third, Danak and Pressing having both dropped out of the crowd scene: the former swished his tail unhappily beforehand, and the latter took a slap across the face from another rider's whip.

The first woman to train a Million winner, Phillips was in a daze afterwards. "Dreams come true, and here we are," she said. "At first, I thought: 'Hey, we're going to get a piece of this.' But then I saw him dig in, drop his head and pin his ears and I realised we might just win it. Somehow he fell through the cracks at the sales and we got him for 25 hundred. And he had already given us so many wonderful times. But I'm not so naïve as to think any one race can be career-changing. We just have get up in the morning, work hard, do it all again."

Jambalaya is now automatically eligible for the Breeders' Cup Turf at Monmouth Park in October, and a similar carrot was also dangled before the winners of the other Grade One races. Shamdinan, exported from France after his failure in the Irish Derby, made the perfect start for his new owners when getting up on the line in the Secretariat Stakes. Admiralofthefleet was disappointing in fourth, albeit briefly short of room.

There was another gripping finish in the Beverly D Stakes, Royal Highness entering the equation for the Filly & Mare Turf at the Breeders' Cup when just catching Irridescence. The runner-up will now head back to Britain, having excelled in defeat – as did Johnny Murtagh, with his riding, and Mike de Kock, with his gracious reaction.

"She has done us proud," the trainer said. "We have come all this way and been beaten a short head, and you know what Tiger Woods says about finishing second. But I still think that there's honour in defeat. If you can't take being second in horseracing, then you shouldn't be in the game."

Interesting? Click here to explore further