When Zulu Alpha injured his left foreleg last fall, precluding a start in the Breeders’ Cup Turf, his connections said they hoped to have him back for the winter meet at Gulfstream Park. It has taken a lot longer than that. Zulu Alpha last saw racing action finishing third as the odds-on favorite Sept. 12 in the Kentucky Cup Turf and returns to action Saturday in the Grade 3, $100,000 Arlington Stakes. Seven others are entered in a 1 3/16-mile turf contest shorter than Zulu Alpha’s preferred trip. :: Get Daily Racing Form Past Performances – the exclusive home of Beyer Speed Figures “He’s definitely going to need the race, especially at that distance,” trainer Mike Maker said. “I’m hoping his class will get him there.” Zulu Alpha turned into one of the better long-distance American grass horses the second part of 2019 and through 2020. Though 1 1/2 miles might be his best distance, Zulu Alpha won the 2020 Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Turf over 1 3/16 miles, beating the accomplished Irish mare Magic Wand. Maker described Zulu Alpha’s setback last year as “a minor ankle injury,” and while the gelding is an 8-year-old, Zulu Alpha acts like the same horse he was last year, Maker said. “He hasn’t missed a beat, really,” Maker said. All due respect to Zulu Alpha, who will be ridden for the first time by David Cabrera, but given his age, the distance, the long layoff, and his short price, this is a horse begging to be played against by value-seeking bettors. And there are alternatives in the Arlington. Trainer Chris Block starts Captivating Moon and Another Mystery, both of whom could factor given the right circumstances. There’s rain forecast Thursday into Friday night, and Captivating Moon ran a career-best race winning the Fair Grounds Stakes in February over a rain-softened grass course. Illinois-bred Another Mystery hasn’t started at Arlington since 2019, but last summer in California finished third going 1 1/4 miles in the Grade 2 John Henry Turf Cup. A similar performance would make him a threat Saturday. But the prime players come out of a June 19 Arlington allowance race, where Bizzee Channel held off favored Two Emmys. Bizzee Channel endured a demanding stop-and-start trip. He was forced to make little runs three times during the race, yet still prevailed by 2 1/4 lengths. The 5-year-old by English Channel, whose offspring often mature late, had a difficult trip in his lone start as far as 1 1/8 miles, and trainer Larry Rivelli said he’s confident his improving gelding will stay 1 3/16 miles on Saturday. “He gives it his all every time, and he’s actually getting better,” Rivelli said. “He used to be a poor eater, a bad doer, and we finally got him on some ulcer medicine, doing a lot better. He eats to the bottom of the feed tub now.” Still, Two Emmys is the play here. Two Emmys, another 5-year-old by English Channel, had an excellent winter in New Orleans, leading and holding second to high-class Colonel Liam in the 1 1/8-mile Muniz Memorial on March 20. Trainer and co-owner Hugh Robertson gave him a break after leaving New Orleans with this race especially in mind. Two Emmys’s intended comeback run, the Brooks Fields at Canterbury, was rained off turf, and Two Emmys instead returned to Arlington and ran in the allowance race at week later. He surely is a tighter horse this time than last, and Two Emmys figures to be somewhat overlooked in the wagering. The Arlington is race 6 on an eight-race card that includes three other stakes and has a first post of 2:25 p.m. Central. Flown drops in class in Hatoof Class-dropping Flown has found a good spot in the $75,000 Hatoof Stakes to notch her first win of 2021. :: Join DRF Bets and play the races with a $250 First Deposit Bonus. Click to learn more. A solid 2-year-old of 2020, when she placed in a stakes and won a Keeneland maiden race, Flown debuted this year in the Grade 2 Appalachian at Keeneland, which boasted a strong field and was run at a walking pace, giving Flown no chance to rally from last of sixth. She finished fast in her second 2021 race, closing for second in a Churchill Downs first-level allowance won by Gam’s Mission, who returned to win the Grade 3 Regret, where Flown was a close third. The competition in the 1 1/16-mile Hatoof, for 3-year-old fillies, should prove softer, though Flown won’t be much of a price shipping from Kentucky for trainer Brendan Walsh and jockey Adam Beschizza.