ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Illinois - Saturday's 21st Arlington Million and its two supporting Grade I turf races -- the $700,000 Beverly D. for the fillies and mares and the $400,000 Secretariat for 3-year-olds -- will make up the most international weekend of racing in the history of the track, even surpassing the 19th Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships it hosted last October.

Both the Arlington Million and the Beverly D. will be featured as part of ESPN's "Road to the World Thoroughbred Championships Powered by Dodge" telecast Saturday at 5:00 p.m. ET. The 90-minute live show will also feature the Grade I $750,000 Alabama Stakes from Saratoga.

A field of 13 is set for the Million, a mile-and-a-quarter race on the turf for older thoroughbreds, with eight of those entrants from foreign countries.

Heading the list of invaders is Godolphin's superstar, Sulamani. The 4-year-old bay colt by Hernando, bred in Ireland, is currently ranked second in the John Deere Turf Division World Thoroughbred rankings. He is behind only the 3-year-old, Alamshar, who he ran second to in the Group I King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes at Ascot in his last start on July 26. Sulamani earlier this year won the Group I Dubai Sheema Classic on Dubai World Cup night, and has earned almost $2.5 million with five first place finishes and two seconds in nine career starts. Last year he won the French Derby and was second in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

This could be a historic race for the powerful Godolphin Team of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum of Dubai as they seek their 100th Group or Grade I victory.

Paolini returns from Germany looking for better racing luck then he had in last year's Arlington Million when he could find no racing room in the stretch and ended up running sixth while only beaten a half-length. Paolini is a true globetrotter. The 6-year-old German-bred son of Lando trained by Andreas Wohler has raced in Europe, America, Asia and Dubai.

Other European-based challengers include Olden Times, Vangelis, Tripat, Kaieteur, Touch of Land and Beauchamp Pilot.

Canada will be represented by the Roger Attfield graded-stakes winner Perfect Soul, first in the Grade II King Edward Breeders' Cup Handicap at Woodbine in Toronto on June 15.

Leading the list of four American turf defenders, and the expected race favorite, is the Neil Drysdale-trained, Storming Home, ridden by Gary Stevens. Storming Home is a multiple Grade I winner in America and Europe, and is owned by Dubai's ruler, Sheikh Maktoum al Maktoum, Sheikh Mohammed's older brother. In his last start the 5-year-old horse by Machiavellian, won the Grade I Charlie Whittingham Handicap at Hollywood Park on June 14.

Also representing the USA are Grade I winners Perfect Drift, The Tin Man and Honor in War.

Arlington's Park's chairman, Richard L. Duchossois, is the man who introduced the first million dollar thoroughbred race to the world with the running of the first Arlington Million back in 1981, a race won in a classic stretch duel by John Henry and jockey Bill Shoemaker when they came back to beat The Bart by a nose at the wire.

"There is no question that our hosting the Breeders' Cup last fall has had a tremendous impact on this year's Arlington Million," Duchossois said. "This year we will have more international horses at our festival then in any of our first 20 runnings."

In the Grade I $700,000 Beverly D., a mile and three-sixteenths on the turf for fillies and mares, Bobby Frankel runs uncoupled entry mates Tates Creek and Heat Haze for Juddmonte Farms as the favorites in the field of eight. Tates Creek won the Grade I Gamely Handicap on May as part of a four race-winning streak. Heat Haze is a multiple graded stakes winner that just ran second in the Grade I Diana Handicap at Saratoga.

The lone foreign entry in the Beverly D. is Walzerkoenign, a multiple group winner in Germany and France.

There is an even dozen drawn in the gate for the Grade I, $400,000 Secretariat for 3-year-old turf horses going a mile and a quarter. Headliners include the Irish invader, Evolving Tactics for champion trainer Dermot Weld, who shipped the colt over three weeks ago to Arlington to win the American Derby. France is another top prospect who comes to Arlington from champion Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien. The English-bred son of Desert Prince won a Group III at the Curragh in April and was second in the Group I Irish Two Thousand Guineas a month later. Recently he finished third in the Group II Goffs International Stakes at the Curragh.

Other European-based sophomores include King's Drama and Joe Bear. King's Drama has already competed in the U.S. running a troubled third at Colonial Downs in the Virginia Derby on July 12. Joe Bear just won the Racing Post Handicap at Goodwood and before that, the Joe Jennings Bookmakers Rated Handicap at Newmarket in England.

Heading the American contingent in the Secretariat is J.J. Pletcher and Barry Simon's Lismore Knight, the winner of the Arlington Classic for trainer Todd Pletcher. Foufa's Warrior and Just Wonder are coming to the Secretariat off graded stakes victories.

Arlington Park will be offering a special International Festival of Racing Pick 4 wager with a guaranteed pool of $250,000 on Saturday. The guaranteed Pick 4 will cover races 8 through 11 and will include the three Grade I turf stakes: the Beverly D. (Race 8), the Arlington Million (Race 10), and the Secretariat (Race 11).

"The International Festival of Racing is a special day that deserves a special wager," said Arlington Park President Cliff Goodrich. "It's very rare to be able to wage on three Grade I races in a Pick 4."