Longshot wins second annual Mike Spellman Memorial Stakes at Arlington

It was a sunny day, but Stormin Elle still prevailed in the $53,800 Mike Spellman Memorial Stakes on Saturday afternoon at Arlington International Racecourse.

The six-year-old mare is trained by Wayne Catalano, who the late Mike Spellman often wrote about as the Daily Herald's horse racing writer.

"He (Mike) was looking down on us," said Catalano, who won the Arlington training title 11 times from 2000 to 2013. "It's always nice to win, but this was a special win."

Mike's family and many friends were on hand for the second annual running of the special race named for Spellman, the Herald's popular sports columnist and Blackhawks beat writer who died unexpectedly in January 2015.

A big crowd gathered in the park area to celebrate Spellman's life throughout the afternoon and later headed to the winner's circle with owners Don and Joe Cochonour's Stormin Elle, a longshot who paid $22.60 to win.

"The racetrack was home for Mike not only as an adult but as a teenager as well," said Spellman's brother Neal. "We had a lot of fun times here with our family, high school and college friends.

"To be memorialized at a place where he went voluntarily would mean the world to Mike.

"I can't say enough about Tony (Petrillo, Arlington's general manager), Howard (Sudberry, Arlington's director of marketing and communications) and their staff. They take great care of us from the moment we get here to the moment we leave."

Before the race, the track bugler appeared in the park area, donned a specially made blue T-shirt honoring Spellman, and played the call to post.

After the race, a toast took place for the winning team along with Spellman's family and friends and colleagues.

"The celebration was spectacular," Neal Spellman said. "And our family feels honored to be the recipients of the good will the track has shown."