The Cigar Mile Handicap (Grade 1)- $750.000 Purse
AQU- For Three Year Olds and Upward
One Mile on the Dirt
December 3, 2022
There is a lot of excitement at the Big A on Saturday, as the Grade 1 Cigar Mile Handicap will be taking place. The starting gate will be full for the race that offers the largest purse that we will see anywhere during the month of December. The race would debut on the calendar in 2004, and was won by Omni, one of the first great horses that we would see in our virtual world. Since then, other great names have visited the winner’s circle, including Columbia River as well as Splash Mountain, the latter of which won the race twice. On the trainer side of things, Grimley had a great run 2014 until 2016, winning the stake each time. Boardwalk was the winner last year, doing so for Nakamura Stables. The now five year old gelding has had a quiet year, but remains active. Let’s take a look at those seeking to be the next name added to the list of this great race!
#1- Elemental (Fractious, ridden by Ru Silvera)- It’s been a little more than two weeks since Elemental changed hands, for $250.000, in private sales and now Fractious will get a chance to send him to the starting gate. The last time we saw him, it was right here at the Big A, where he barely missed in a $90.000 open allowance. His performances at the stake level do leave something to be desired, but perhaps Fractious will be able to get something a little more out of him. If he’s in this race, you have to think the trainer is confident that he will.
#2- Ghost Of Scotland (Serenity Stables, ridden by D E Centeno)- This one used to be in the Fractious barn, but he was sold from there in the September auction for $54.230. Since then, Ghost Of Scotland is a perfect two-for-two, first winning an optional claimer at PID before stepping up and winning the Grade 2 Autumn Stakes at WO at the beginning of November. Those races represented the first times that he ran on the dirt since his debut race in August 2019! Amazing what the difference there has made, and it’s very interesting to see how Ghost Of Scotland fares here.
#3- East Of Creep (Fractious, ridden by D Moran)- The second of the two entries by the trainer, and this one has been in the barn since May, when he was a $40.000 claim from Barcelona Farms. Prior to that, East Of Creep did prove that he could win at the graded level, and now he is trying to show that he still has that ability in him. The jury might still be out on that, as his four races since then have been good but not necessarily great. He has quite a bit of experience running seven furlongs, but has never actually run a mile.
#4- Twilight Flame (Mb Stables, ridden by S X Bridgmohan)- The Grandeur gelding made his last start right here in the Grade 2 Kelso Handicap, and in the race he jumped out to the early lead before settling for a third place finish. This has become his typical running style, but I would not be surprised if he’s not on the lead here early. You’ll see plenty of top graded stakes in his past performances, but he is still looking for his first graded win. His only stake win of any type came in December 2020, almost two years to the day, against ON-breds for $100.000.
#5- Sunderland Til I Die (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by M Franco)- While I have learned through the years to never count out a horse from this trainer if its form isn’t good before the race, it is hard to get excited about Sunderland Til I Die here. His last race, the Grade 3 Ack Ack Handicap wasn’t too bad, running fourth at a mile at CD while starting from the 11 post. The problem is, his two races before that, each Grade 1’s were quite poor. The version of him that appeared in the Ack Ack must show here, and if it does, then maybe he can get a piece of this. Though I would not put virtual money on it.
#6- Figured The Storm (Arindel, ridden by E Jaramillo)- Here is the first of three horses in the race that were in the BC Dirt Mile last month at KEE. Figured The Storm finished in the fifth position, three lengths behind the winning Gran Z. Just a week before that, this gelding would win the Grade 2 Fayette at KEE so it is safe to say that he kept himself busy during that period of time. Sometimes, the concerning race after two in close succession is the one that comes right after, but since it is has been a month, I would not be too worried about that. It might be something to keep in the back of your mind, though. In 2022, Figured The Storm has impressively won six of twelve.
#7- Stolen (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by P Lopez)- In late October, Stolen took part in the $250.000 Empire Classic for NY breds, and had a strong second place finish in the race. Overall, it has been a solid 2022 for him, but he has only won once this year, which was the Grade 2 Brooklyn at BEL in June. You may remember Stolen from being in the Cigar Mile last year, where he finished as the runner up to Boardwalk. It’s reasonable to think that he has a shot at this, but there will be others that appeal to me more.
#8- Tempestuous (Mb Stables, ridden by L Saez)- It is advisable to never, ever count out a horse from Mb Stables in a race, but I am not really excited about Tempestuous here. Ever since he won the Grade 2 Alysheba in May, is has been a real struggle for him. His last race was the BC Classic, and not stepping there can be forgiven, but clearly he got there based on form from the beginning of the year and not in the races leading up to it. When you still have two other horses in the field, you can keep giving him the shot, but I will look elsewhere.
#9- Ronaldo Chop (Night Rider Stables, ridden by J J Castellano)- This Stars And Bars gelding was at this best at the end of 2021 and at the beginning of this year, winning four times (of six overall) in a stretch of seven races. His most recent win did come in September, in the Grade 3 International Turf Cup, against just four others. His last start showed him to be more competitive, but still he was only fifth in the Fayette. Looking at his last two starts, you see a tactic of coming from behind being employed when possibly, his finishes were better with a more forward placing instruction.
#10- Sexy Back (Night Rider Stables, ridden by F Geroux)- The trainer gets to have each of his two entries starting next to one another. If you wanted to go for one of his horses here, Sexy Back seems to be the much better alternative. He was one of the horses that ran in the BC Dirt Mile, and in the race, he ran sixth. To get there, he narrowly missed out in the Grade 1 Awesome Again (placing second in a photo), and was third in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic. His last win was in March, in the GP Mile, but his speed figures have been consistent through the year. This makes him one of the better options in the field.
#11- When Your Strange (Maxmillion Farm, ridden by A Cedillo)- For most of his career, When Your Strange has been a sprinter, but every now and then he has gone long. That includes last year in the Cigar Mile, when he finished fourth. Since then, he has one win in seven starts. The $160.000 St. Matthews at CD in May is where he was victorious, and other than that, When Your Stange has been a horse that has been competitive and only being a length or so behind the winner at the end. If things set up for him, it’s not a stretch that he wins, but I am looking elsewhere.
#12- Quality Art (Mb Stables, ridden by R M Hernandez)- Speed figure wise, Quality Art is on the best run of his career, with three straight triple digit SRF’s. Most recently, he was seen in the Grade 1 Awesome Again at the start of October where he was part of a very tight finish at the wire and ended up third. He was also very close in the Pacific Classic, running second and missing by half a length. With a couple of months to rest and regroup, he is ready to return to the winner’s circle for the first time since May, when he won the $160.000 Knicks Go at CD. He’s an appealing option in here given his overall consistency.
#13- White Sunshine (Smokey Stover, ridden by J R Velazquez)- This is the third horse in the field that also ran in the BC Dirt Mile last month. White Sunshine had the best finish of the group, placing fourth and getting a little something in the earnings column from the race. His win in the Ack Ack Handicap right before that is what allowed him to get into that race. The Cigar Mile will be the third time in four races that White Sunshine has started from a double digit post, but that didn’t bother him at all in the Ack Ack.
#14- Pier Pressure (Maxmillion Farm, ridden by Ru Gonzalez)- In May of this year, Pier Pressure was picked up by Maxmillion from Gdp Inc for $135.000 in private sales. Before he could get himself situated in his stall after the sale, Pier Pressure would be gelded. That would work out, as he went on to win a $134.000 allowance a month later. He’s been in two ungraded stakes since then, placing second in one and running poorly in the other. He has some stake experience with Gdp Inc as well, and most of those did not end well. Hopefully the pressure doesn’t get to Pier Pressure.
Prediction: 6-12-10-2
— NS
Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES
