The crowd of more than 31,000 that attended last Saturday's International Turf Festival at Arlington Park dodged raindrops during the afternoon, but it seemed well worth it as they saw several outstanding performances by leading Eclipse Award candidates.

Cape Blanco (Ire.) might have run the slowest raw time in the 29-year history of the Arlington Million (G1), due largely to deteriorating course conditions, but the clock really isn't the best way to judge the style and relative ease of his victory. Although not exactly toying with this group, Cape Blanco nonetheless confirmed our earlier opinion that he's probably the best thoroughbred seen in the U.S. this year.

There was no guarantee that Cape Blanco would run back to his victory in the July 9 Man o' War S. (G1), especially after another journey from Ireland, but on paper that's all that really looked necessary to win. He had too much class to oppose on merit, and the 2 1/4-length margin in the Man o' War between him and Gio Ponti (Tale of the Cat) figured to rise in the Arlington Million considering the American champion's preference for firmer ground.

The margin was indeed higher in the Arlington Million, but only by an extra quarter-length. Gio Ponti ran another gallant race in defeat, but met a rival that's simply better. The most shocking aspect of the Million result was the Cape Blanco paid $6.20, the highest mutuel in the three Grade 1 races that comprise the Festival.

Cape Blanco solidified his grip on leadership in the race for champion turf male honors, and the hope is trainer Aidan O'Brien will continue to ship the 4-year-old back to the States for other engagements. The most logical would be the Oct. 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational (G1) at Belmont Park over 1 1/2 miles, followed by the Nov. 5 Breeders' Cup Turf (G1) at Churchill Downs at the same distance. A sweep of those two races, combined with continued volatility in other divisions, would certainly put Cape Blanco in the discussion for Horse of the Year honors. At this time, he'd have my vote.

O'Brien had another winner at the Festival when Treasure Beach (GB) eked out a neck win over Ziyarid in the Secretariat Stakes (G1) for three-year-olds. A grinding type that is never going to dazzle with wide-margin victories, Treasure Beach was hands-down the most accomplished European invader ever to come over for the Secretariat. It's not every year the 1 1/4-mile test attracts an Irish Derby (Ire-G1) winner who also happened to narrowly miss in the Epsom Derby (Eng-G1).

Although the narrow margin of victory might suggest Treasure Beach might not be all that (as the young folks would say), sheer class and a strong fighting instinct have allowed him to prevail against rivals rated much more highly that Ziyarid.

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What O'Brien will eventually do with Cape Blanco and Treasure Beach is hard to predict, but it seems unlikely either has a race in Europe on his agenda for the remainder of the season unless one of the yard's other superstars can not fulfill the rest of their continental engagements. A showdown between the two at the Breeders' Cup may not be in the offing either but would be most enticing.

What would not be appetizing, from a parochial American viewpoint, is if O'Brien were to undo all the good work Cape Blanco has done to this point and instead have Treasure Beach be the yard's standard-bearer in America's leading grass stakes this fall. With a championship for Cape Blanco firmly within sight, this is definitely not the time to change horses in midstream. There are plenty of options left in North America — the Canadian International (Can-G1) and Northern Dancer Turf Stakes (Can-G1) are other races that come to mind — for both horses to pad their resumes this fall.

On the flip side, Coolmore's global ambitions extend beyond Europe and North America to places like Australia. Although they would gladly accept an Eclipse Award, and have multiple times in the past, the desire to showcase Cape Blanco in a race such as the Cox Plate (Aus-G1), Australia's premier weight-for-age event, might be of higher priority to them than clinching an American championship.

Before moving on to the fillies and mares, it might be best to make passing reference to some of the leading American-based contenders for champion turf male honors, as well as explain our reservations regarding their respective candidacies.