Can One Mean Man upset favorites in Secretariat?

Bernie Flint, a 76-year-old Kentucky based trainer, will arrive Saturday morning by plane to saddle One Mean Man in the 1 ¼-mile Grade I $400,000 Secretariat Stakes on the Arlington International Racecourse turf.

He has a return ticket for Kentucky that night.

"But if we win the race, I think I will exchange it for a ticket to Aruba," he said laughing. "Or make that Hawaii. Then I don't need a passport."

One Mean Man has already punched one winning ticket at Arlington. He won the Grade I American Derby on July 9. Now the three-year old gray son of Mizzen Mast is trying to knock out eight rivals for the biggest win of his career.

Flint, who has won more than 3,400 races since he began training in 1969, has bred three generations of One Mean Man's family.

"I believe in this horse's family," said Flint, a former New Orleans police officer. "Is he is good enough? I don't know. But we are going to try.

"With a little luck and if the racing gods are looking after us, we might do it."

One Mean Man, 12-1 in the morningline, won the American Derby by a half length over Secretariat rival Oscar Nominated. One Mean Man was also second on May 28 in the Arlington Classic to Surgical Strike, who is 9-2.

"I know the oddsmakers won't lean toward my horse," Flint said. "First of all, we've never been a mile and a quarter. And second, this is tremendous group of horses.

"But that's what makes it horse racing - the challenge. I'm just happy to see a horse that I've bred three generations is able to even be recognized."

Trainer Chad Brown's Beach Patrol was installed as the 2-1 favorite. The son of Lemon Drop Kid is seeking his first career stakes win after finishing third in the Belmont Derby on July 9. He was three-quarters of a length in front of Long Island Sound (placed sixth), who is the second choice in the Secretariat at 5-2.

Jockey Florent Geroux, who won the Arlington Million last year with The Pizza Man, will ride Beach Patrol.

Long Island Sound is also looking for his first stakes win. The Aidan O'Brien trainee made his North American debut in the Belmont Derby, where he was beaten by 2 ¼ lengths by Arlington Million contender Deauville (IRE).

Surgical Strike was fifth in the Belmont Derby and won his lone start over the Arlington turf course in the Grade III Arlington Classic in May.

The Ben Colebrook-trained son of Red Giant has been facing some of the best 3-year-old turfers in the country.

Ken and Sarah Ramsey's Oscar Nominated, trained by Mike Maker, will face One Mean Man for the fifth time. The rivals have run one-two in three different stakes events, with One Mean Man victorious in two of those.

Oscar Nominated won the Grade III Spiral Stakes at Turfway before finishing 17th in the Kentucky Derby.

The Ramseys and Maker also start Scissors and Tape, who has one win in seven starts heading into his first stakes competition.

Cherry Wine returns to the turf for the first time since his juvenile campaign. He was second in the Preakness Stakes and seventh n the Belmont this year. Trained by Dale Romans, Cherry Wine was most recently ninth in the Grade II Indiana Derby.

Trainer Todd Pletcher sends out American Patriot, who won the Grade III Kent Stakes at Delaware Park last month. He has won three of his six career starts and got his first stakes victory in the Kent.

Completing the field is Cordon, who broke his maiden at Arlington last month for trainer Pavel Vashchenko. Carlos Marquez Jr. will ride.