Neil Milbert, Special – Chicago Tribune

After Upperline surged to the lead with three-eighths of a mile to run in Saturday’s Grade III, $100,000 Arlington Oaks, she gave the 32,681 spectators a preview of the fireworks display that followed the racing program at

“She just exploded tonight,” jockey 

E.T. Baird

 said.

When the smoke cleared, Upperline was 4 3/4 lengths in front of second-place Snow Top Mountain in the 1 1/8-mile race on the Polytrack.

Upperline broke sharply and stalked the pace set by Chantilly Nayla before asserting herself to give trainer Michael Stidham his fourth stakes victory of the meeting.

Fast-fading Chantilly Nayla wound up fourth in the field of six 3-year-old fillies, three-quarters of a length behind third-place Dundalk Dust and 12 behind Upperline, who won in 1 minute, 52.13 seconds.

Upperline’s triumph was the third of her eight-race career and her first in a stakes race.

“From the get-go, we thought she was that quality horse,” Stidham said. “Early on when we worked her with other 2-year-olds, she did some impressive things.”