The Cigar Mile Handicap (Grade 1)- $500.000 Purse
AQU- For Three Year Olds and Upward
One Mile on the Dirt
December 5, 2020
Splash Mountain returns to the Cigar Mile Handicap this year after winning the race last year. He has not won another race since, so can this great of the game rediscover his winning ways, or will one of the worthy rivals end up in the winners circle? That is the biggest question here for the 17th running of the Grade 1 Cigar Mile Handicap. If he does win, he will earn less money than he did last year, as the purse has been cut from its $750.000 level, although it did run for $500.000 a few times, and many of the early editions were for less than that. The field is full with twelve going to post, and that is after one had scratched out. Here are those who will be running in the race!
#1- Broken Tap (Arindel, ridden by P Lopez)- We have several in this race that ran in one of the BC races last month, and this race is still well situated on the schedule for horses to do that. For Broken Tap, it was an appearance in the BC Dirt Mile, where he was sixth. To get there, he placed second in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap at BEL over the summer, and won the small Grade 3 Ack Ack Handicap at CD in late September. He has had his moments, but still could do a little more to impress.
#2- Spirited Stride (Mb Stables, ridden by L Saez)- He is scheduled to run here in the Cigar Mile Handicap, but unless I am mistaken or thinking of someone else, he ends up scratched in races I cover often, so I just hope to see him go to the starting gate. Seemed to be a promising three year old, and showed that with a third place run in the BEL, but you would also be able to fairly ask, “ok, and then what?”, about him. The Greenwood Cup was a good run, but it has been a while since he last ran this “short” of a distance.
#3- For The Boys- Scratched
#4- Stark (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by N Juarez)- Participated in the BC Sprint last month, but that is about all there is to say about that one. In his last five races, Stark has own race to be excited about, and four that are highly disappointing. Likely a frustrating horse to own, and not one I could ever put money on at this level.
#5- Splash Mountain (John Henry, ridden by D E Centeno)- Last year, as we said in the opening, the 2018 BC Classic winner ended capturing the Cigar Mile. Problem is, he has not won another race since. That doesn’t mean he has been bad, not one bit. He was second in the Pegasus World Cup, second in the Suburban, and third in the Whitney. That is still a productive year even though the nomination fees add up with all of the races he was entered into. Comes out of the BC Dirt Mile, where he beat one rival.
#6- Tallmadge Star (Oquinn Farm, ridden by J R Leparoux)- Ran second last month in the BC Sprint, getting his photo taken with the winner with an impressive close in the stretch. In this race, the mile that he will be attempting is the first time that he has run it since March 2019. That creates the question with him, then, because he has been very consistent and reliable nearly every time he steps onto the track. Can he get it done at a mile? I think he could, but obviously, so can others.
#7- Burning Approval (Mb Stables, ridden by S X Bridgmohan)- Placed second in the BC Dirt Mile in 2019, but was unable to get back to racing’s biggest weekend this year. He’s won twice this year, but each were open allowances, and his stake performances do not stand out at you. He tried the grass in his last two starts without any luck.
#8- Range Of The Sun (John Henry, ridden by S R Bahen)– Picked up for $50.000 from Team 7 Illusions in June, and he will be a name that we recognize from his great 2018 season. Since the sale, he has been running well for John Henry. Not at the 2018 level yet, but with three runners ups, including the Grade 2 DMR Handicap leading to the Grade 3 Durham Cup win, this six year old gelding might not be done yet.
#9- So Profound (Asgar, ridden by J Lezcano)- We saw him last month in the BC Dirt Mile with a strong run, placing third in that race, one spot behind Ice Wall. The race that got him there was the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap, which he won in June. As great as those are, and he does not always seem to have a big race. He was a no show in the Whitney and the GP Mile, and missed a pay day in the Awesome Again. Could like only having to carry 118 pounds here. I like him, but don’t know if I can put him on top.
#10- Space Commander (Nakamura Stables, ridden by M Mena)- This one was in the biggest race of them all on BC weekend, the BC Classic. He didn’t just run there, either, he nearly pulled off the win, doing a great job of going to the lead and staying near the front throughout on his way to finishing second. He has shown he can run well regardless of being near the front or playing catch up in the stretch. Also, this is a consistent horse, with three wins in eight starts in 2020, and hitting the board in seven of them. Carries 120 pounds, four more than some other contenders.
#11- Scafati (Fractious, ridden by E Jaramillo)- Brought in the new year with a win on New Year’s Day in the Jerome. More wins would follow, right? Well, not exactly. He would be sold to Fractious for $500.000, and thus far the new trainer has spent a lot on nomination fees without a lot to show for it. But there was something: running second in the Travers at SAR. Other than that, he does not show up a lot. He’s had some time to rest, and is working well. But I can’t trust him.
#12- Jolly Rook (Angelos Stable, ridden by E Cancel)- Speaking of the Travers, that race, as well as the Haskell, were each won by this gelding. Those races got him to the BC Classic, where he finished near the back. They also got him to carry 123 pounds in this race, making him the high weight in the field. It’s a significant handicap, carrying three more than Space Commander, and 5-7 more pounds than most others. The double handicap is this post. I think that is too much to overcome.
#13- Ice Wall (RNP Stables, ridden by K Carmouche)- Gets in off the also eligible list with the scratch of For The Boys, and we should be grateful for that. The veteran five year old will make the 32nd start of his career, and it is a month after he ran second in the BC Dirt Mile last month. He has been good with finishing second, doing so in seven of eleven races this year, with just one win mixed in. Should be a contender based on that, with another runner up finish possible.
Prediction: 6-9-13-5
— NS
Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES
