The Grade 2, $500,000 Cigar Mile Handicap Presented by Twinspires.com features a nearly full field of 11, most established stakes runners, in what should be an incredibly exciting race Saturday at Aqueduct.
Leading the field in accomplishments, and purse earnings, is Senor Buscador ($12.9 million), who captured the Group 1 Saudi Cup in February and who most recently was fifth of 14 in the Grade 1 Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic. Another horse exiting one of the best races of the year is Post Time ($1.1 million), who finished fast when rallying from last of 13 to get second in the Big Ass Fans Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile last month. Mullikin ($853,612) rallied for third in the Cygames Breeders’ Cup Sprint last month and won the Grade 1 Forego Stakes prior to that. Book’em Danno ($1 million) is another horse who fits at this level, having won the Grade 1 Woody Stephens Stakes Presented by Mohegan Sun in June. Law Professor ($1 million) hasn’t won a graded stakes since 2021 when capturing the Grade 2 Santa Anita Mathis Mile Stakes but won his most recent start and has amassed five career wins in seven races at Aqueduct. Locked ($660,650), who won the Grade 1 Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity in the fall of 2023, returned off an 11-month layoff to win last month and could be ready for these foes. Coastal Mission ($1 million) won the Grade 3 Forty Niner Stakes on this track in October and is going for his third straight win. Repo Rocks ($978,046) won the Grade 3 Westchester Stakes in May of 2023 but has won just one of eight since. His most recent effort was a nonthreatening fourth in the Forty Niner Stakes. Pipeline ($503,913), who was unplaced in the 2023 Cigar Mile, enters the race off more than 2 ½ months away and won his most recent race. Nelson Avenue ($251,405) finished second behind Coastal Mission in the Forty Niner in his most recent race. Vinsanity ounds out the field, having won two of 20 races for $74,718 in earnings.
Main win contenders:
In doing research prior to handicapping this race, I noted last year’s Cigar Mile Handicap winner, Hoist the Gold, had exited the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. Scanning the Race Lens past performances, I noted the only horse in this year’s Cigar Mile field to have run in that race was Mullikin, who had won four races in a row prior to the Sprint, including a career-best effort in the John A. Nerud Stakes, here at Aqueduct in July, earning a 110 Equibase Speed Figure. He earned that win, as well as his previous win one month earlier, while stalking the pace in second for the opening half-mile under Flavien Prat. Prat rides Mullikin in the Cigar and, prior to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, had a perfect 3-for-3 record riding this colt. In the Sprint, Mullikin found himself in the unusual position of seventh (among 11) after a quarter-mile, which per the chart callers superb comments caused the colt to “climb,” which is when a horse appears to be climbing stairs and its stride is not nearly as efficient as when running parallel to the ground. After dropping back to eighth following a half-mile, Mullikin settled down and started to rally, passing horses very willingly and ending up third at the finish line. Now back at Aqueduct where he won his only race on this track, and very likely to be second behind “need-the-lead” type Pipeline after a half mile, a repeat of his effort in the Nerud or in the Forego appears likely, which makes Mullikin the one to beat in this year’s Cigar.
Senor Buscador finished second in the 2023 Cigar Mile following a seventh-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. This year Senor Buscador enters the race off a fifth-place finish in the Classic and is on a pattern for another top effort in this race. Last year’s Cigar Mile pacesetter Hoist the Gold ran the opening half-mile in a lively :44.88 and six furlongs in 1:09.04, and that is what is expected here because Pipeline was the horse that pressed that hot pace a head from the lead through the opening quarter-mile and just a half-length behind after a half-mile. With that kind of hot pace in front once again, Senor Buscador figures to be coming on very strongly, similar to when missing by a neck in the Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes Presented by Baccarat in January when he earned a then-career-best 113 Equibase Speed Figure. One month later, Senor Buscador bettered that with a 114 figure when winning the Saudi Cup with a visually impressive rally. Joel Rosario got familiar with Senor Buscador when riding for the first time in the Breeders’ Cup Classic and the cut back from 1 ¼ miles to one mile should sharpen the horse’s late kick, so he could run as well or better than one year ago in this race.
Post Time can rally from midpack or from nearly last, similar to Senor Buscador, and he has been exceptionally consistent this year winning four of eight races and finishing second or third in the other four. The most recent of those strong efforts was when rallying from last of 13 to get second in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, earning a 109 speed figure, which is the best among the group of three exiting Breeders’ Cup races. Like the other two win contenders, Post Time has run well at Aqueduct previously. He won the Carter Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets in April, one race before finishing fast for second in the Westchester Stakes with a 115 figure, which, if repeated, is good enough to win this race.
The rest of the field (with best Equibase Speed Figure): Book ‘em Danno (108), Coastal Mission (114), Law Professor (109), Locked (100), Nelson Avenue (109), Pipeline (105), Repo Rocks (117), and Vinsanity (94).
Win Contenders, in preference order:
Mullikin
Senor Buscador
Post Time
Superfecta
7-5-11-10
7-5-11-10
$20
Trifecta
7-5-11
7-5-11
$16
Grand Slam
2/5/7/9-1/2/3-1/2/10-6/7
2/5/7/9-1/2/3-1/2/10-6/7
$48
Superfecta
7-5-11-10
7-5-11-10
$20
Trifecta
7-5-11
7-5-11
$16
Grand Slam
2/5/7/9-1/2/3-1/2/10-6/7
2/5/7/9-1/2/3-1/2/10-6/7
$48
