ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. -- This is his first trip to Arlington International, although trainer Paco Gonzalez actually had planned on coming a long time ago.

	Bienamado has never won a Grade 1 but is regarded as one of the country's top grass horses after a convincing win in the Grade 2 Sunset Handicap.

"We were bringing Bien Bien to the Million in 1993," said Gonzalez.

But restrictions because of an outbreak of equine viral arteritis on the Arlington backstretch discouraged most trainers from shipping into Chicago that summer, badly depleting what would have been an otherwise terrific Million.

Seven years later, Gonzalez is finally getting his chance at the Million with Bienamado, a 4-year-old colt by Bien Bien who is one of the top contenders in the Grade 1 fixture. "Can you believe it?" asked Gonzalez, beaming.

Although Bienamado has won just twice in as many starts since Gonzalez began training him, with both races coming at Hollywood Park, Bienamado quickly has become one of the most highly regarded turf horses in North America. He cruised to a seven-length triumph in the restricted Jim Murray Handicap, then galloped to victory in the Grade 2 Sunset Handicap.

"He can run," said Gonzalez, 55, in typically understated fashion.

Bienamado was bred in Kentucky by John Toffan and Trudy McCaffrey, who own the colt in partnership with Robert Sangster. As a 2-year-old in 1998, Bienamado was sent to Peter Chapple-Hyam in England, where it was believed he would flourish on turf, said Gonzalez.

Although he did have some success, including a narrow defeat to the eventual superstar Montjeu in the Group 2 Prix de Niel last September, the owners ultimately decided to have him shipped him back to the U.S.

Following one lackluster effort against older horses in the Canadian International, Bienamado was turned over to Gonzalez in California. "We were going to run him in the Hollywood Derby, but he came up with heat in his knee," said Gonzalez. "We X-rayed him and didn't find anything seriously wrong, but we ended up turning him out for four months."

The time off and the Gonzalez training regimen clearly have helped immensely. "He's learned a lot," said Gonzalez. "He wasn't switching leads before, but he knows what to do now."

Besides Bien Bien, who was one of the top turf horses of his generation and finished second to eventual Horse of the Year Kotashaan in the 1993 Breeders' Cup Turf, Gonzalez also has trained Mane Minister and Free House since coming to work for Toffan and McCaffrey in 1990. He is hopeful that Bienamado is their next star.

Although Gonzalez is unsure whether Bienamado will be the post-time favorite in the 17th Million, he is confident that the colt will give a great account of himself.

"I know that Manndar is a very good horse," he said. "He was running in California until he came east," where he won back-to-back Grade 1's. "The European horse [Slickly] looks pretty good, too."

But given the way Bienamado ran in his first two U.S. starts, Gonzalez believes he has the horse to beat. "He's a very smart horse, a very good horse," he said.

And one who has his trainer in a position to win his first Million, even if it is seven years late.