Winchester takes his shot in Stars and Stripes stakes

Millionaire and multiple Grade I stakes winner Winchester heads a field of seven grass runners entered for today’s Grade III Stars and Stripes stakes, a 1½-mile turf contest that headlines Arlington Park’s Military Appreciation Day.

Winner of the 2008 Grade I Secretariat Stakes, Winchester returns to Arlington for the first time since that triumph and will be making his 2011 debut.

The son of champion Theatrical, the 6-year-old horse last raced when finishing 11th in the Group I Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Vase at Sha Tin last December.

A career earner of more than $1.2 million, the Christophe Clement trainee numbers the 2010 Grade I Manhattan Handicap and the Grade I Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational among his most prominent victories.

Winchester will be ridden by jockey Cornelio Velasquez.

Among those lining up to face Winchester are graded stakes winners Proceed Bee and Free Fighter.

The former, a Scott Becker-trained son of Bernstein, captured the Grade III Hawthorne Derby in 2009.

The latter, a son of Out of Place and now trained by Mike Reavis, won the 2009 edition of this race when trained by Chris Block. Chris Emigh has the mount aboard Proceed Bee while Tim Thornton has been named to steer Free Fighter.

Completing the field for the Stars and Stripes are Getta Rhythm (James Graham), Hattaash (Tanner Riggs), Kingofthebluegrass (Junior Alvarado) and Lemonade Kid (Jozbin Santana).