Prince Mbilini gave Winning Link Stables a sharp Grade III turf victory, pressing the pace early before taking over at the stretch call and finishing the job under Curtis B. The six-year-old went off at 7-1 and completed the 1 1/16 miles on firm turf in 1:39.35.

Race Recap

The Arlington Stakes was run on May 30, 2026, at Churchill Downs as a Grade III 1 1/16-mile turf stake for older horses with a purse of $275.00. Prince Mbilini, owned by Winning Link Stables and ridden by Curtis B, handled the firm course well and earned the victory over a compact five-horse field.

Off The Horizon finished second for Nakamura Stables, McWicked was third for Mb Stables, Kidding checked in fourth for High Voltage, and Darrow finished fifth for Mb Stables.

Darrow was the early leader at the first call, showing the way through the opening fraction of :23.2. Prince Mbilini was right with him in second, while Kidding tracked in third. McWicked followed in fourth, and Off The Horizon was fifth early.

At the second call, Darrow still held a narrow advantage through :46.4, with Prince Mbilini continuing to press closely. Kidding remained third, McWicked stayed fourth, and Off The Horizon was still fifth while keeping contact with the field.

At the stretch call, Prince Mbilini made the decisive move and took over through 1:10. Darrow gave way after setting the tempo, while Kidding and McWicked remained in pursuit. Off The Horizon, who had been last at the first two calls, began to advance into contention.

Through the final stage, Prince Mbilini stayed on strongly and completed the race in 1:39.1. Off The Horizon closed from fifth to finish second, McWicked held third, Kidding finished fourth after tracking the pace throughout, and Darrow faded to fifth after leading the first two calls.

Individual Trip Notes

Prince Mbilini attended the pace early, took command at the stretch call, and finished clear for the win.

Off The Horizon was fifth early, remained fifth through the stretch call, and produced the best late move to finish second.

McWicked raced in fourth through the first two calls, remained involved late, and finished third.

Kidding tracked in third early, stayed close through the stretch call, but could not finish with the top two.

Darrow led through the first two calls, was overtaken by the stretch call, and finished fifth.

About The Winner

Prince Mbilini is a bay gelding by Tenga out of Pourcheresse, bred by Jerry Garcia Racing in Kentucky and currently owned by Winning Link Stables. With this victory, he improved his lifetime record to 27 starts, 9 wins, 4 seconds, and 3 thirds, with career earnings of $355.94.

Track: Firm
Time: :23²  :46⁴  1:10  1:39¹

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 3 – 1 Paid 35.60
$1 Trifecta: 3 – 1 – 4 Paid 57.20

Scratched: None

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES