Cigar Mile

Week In Review: Cox Unveils a Pair of 'TDN Rising Stars' on Same Day; Will They Live Up to the Hype?

When the TDN staff decided to make Patch Adams (Into Mischief) and Chasten (Into Mischief) 'TDN Rising Stars' after their maiden wins Saturday at Churchill Downs history was made by trainer Brad Cox. Never before has a trainer had two Rising Stars on the same day. Both were obvious choices. Patch Adams ran away from his competition to win by 10 lengths. Chasten, a winner by 1 ½ lengths, wasn't quite as impressive, but that she is half-sister to 2023 Older Filly & Mare Champion Idiomatic (Curlin) obviously swayed the...

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Senor Buscador To Have Two More Starts Before Being Retired

Senor Buscador (Mineshaft), whose career was highlighted by a win in this year's $20-million G1 Saudi Cup, will join the stallion ranks in 2025, but, first the owners plan to race him twice more before he heads to stud. He is slated to run in the Dec. 7 GII Cigar Mile H. at Aqueduct and then the Jan. 25 GI Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream before beginning his stallion career. The story was first reported by Horse Racing Nation. "The horse is training really well," breeder and majority owner Joey...

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Locked Romps in Much-Anticipated Big A Return, Could Target Cigar Mile

Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Walmac Farm's 'TDN Rising Star' Locked (Gun Runner), an impressive winner of last fall's GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland and most recently third as the favorite in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita Nov. 3, returned to the races in style with a runaway victory in the opener at the Big A Saturday. Favored at 2-5 and racing with first-time Lasix, he was ridden by John Velazquez to keep pace in second, set his sights on Gun It (Tapit) approaching the quarter pole...

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Hoist The Gold Tops Mineshaft 1-2 In the Cigar Mile

It may not have been a Grade I race this year, but the GII Cigar Mile H. came down to a horse with top-level class as Hoist the Gold (Mineshaft) sped gate-to-wire to hoist the trophy ahead of a talented, full field. One of a pair of horses in the field coming back from last month's GI Breeders' Cup Sprint, Hoist the Gold took the GII Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix S. two starts back with a career-best 101 Beyer Speed Figure Oct. 6. Consistently raced throughout his career, the 4-year-old...

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Cigar Mile Winner Americanrevolution to Rockridge Stud

CHC Inc. and WinStar Farm LLC's Americanrevolution (Constitution--Polly Freeze, by Super Saver) has been retired from racing and will stand in 2024 at Rockridge Stud in Hudson, NY, his connections announced in a release late Thursday afternoon. The Todd Pletcher trainee was a four-time stakes winner at three, culminating in the $750,000 GI Cigar Mile H. as he registered a Beyer Speed Figure of 105. "This is the best horse to retire in New York in a very long time," said Rockridge Stud's Lere Visagie. "We all know we need...

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Cigar Mile Anchors Aqueduct Fall Meet

Aqueduct Racetrack's 31-day fall meet will feature 33 stakes--10 of them graded--worth $6.385 million. The stakes scheduled is once again headlined by the $500,000 GII Cigar Mile, which will be held Dec. 2. The Cigar Mile card also includes the $250,000 GII Remsen S. and $250,000 GII Demoiselle S., as well as the $200,000 GIII Go For Wand S. Graded stakes action during the meet also includes the $200,000 GIII Pebbles S.--previously run at Belmont's fall meet--and the $300,000 GII Red Smith S. on Nov. 11 and the $300,000 GIII...

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Turkish Expatriate El Corredor Dead at 26

GI Cigar Mile H. winner and former Hill 'n' Dale sire El Corredor (Mr. Greeley--Silvery Swan, by Silver Deputy) has died at the age of 26 in Turkey, according to Turkish news source Yaris Dergisi. El Corredor has stood since 2015 at the Turkey Jockey Club's Silivri Stallion Complex until reportedly passing away Tuesday, June 20. A $110,000 Keeneland September yearling from the first crop of Mr. Greeley, El Corredor was purchased by Bob Baffert and raced in the colors of Hal J. Earnhardt III. The dark bay won the...

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Mind Control Stays Put at Rockridge Stud

Red Oak Stable (Stephen P. Brunetti) and Madaket Stable's (Sol Kumin) Mind Control (Stay Thirsty--Feel That Fire, by Lightnin N Thunder) winner of the GI $750,000 Cigar Mile at Aqueduct on Dec. 3 in the final start of his career, will stand at Rockridge Stud in New York under the management of Irish Hill Farm, Dutchess Views Stallions, Hidden Lake Farm and Rockridge Stud. The five-year-old is out of a stakes-winning mare and is priced at $8,500 LFSN. Mind Control won the GI Hopeful S. as a 2-year-old and the...

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Woodward, Cigar Mile Among Races Downgraded

The American Graded Stakes Committee released its list of graded stakes for 2023 Friday and it includes five races that were downgraded from Grade I status to Grade II races, including two of NYRA's more prestigious races for older dirt horses, the Woodward and the Cigar Mile H. Also dropping down from the Grade I to the Grade II level were the Clark S. at Churchill Downs, the Starlet S. at Los Alamitos and the Rodeo Drive S. at Santa Anita. The Woodward was, perhaps, the most surprising inclusion on...

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Lynn Cash Joins the TDN Writers' Room Podcast

Don't tell owner-trainer Norman (Lynn) Cash that horses need eight weeks between races and can only run four or five times a year. Cash, who has been training only since April, 2021, has found success running his horses as often as possible. Led by the remarkable Beverly Park (Munnings), who, on Monday at Mahoning Valley, will make his 29th start of the year, Cash's stable has earned $3,816,293 on the year. He says it has been profitable in 17 of the 18 months it has been in business. Brought in...

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Mind Control Goes Out In Style In Cigar Mile

Red Oak Stable and Madaket Stable's Mind Control (Stay Thirsty), who has competed in 27 stakes since his debut in 2018, closed out his career in style Saturday, scoring his 11th black-type victory and third at the highest level in Aqueduct's GI Cigar Mile. With GI Pennsylvania Derby runner-up Zandon (Upstart) bet down to 3-5, Mind Control was dispatched as the 3-1 second choice, a gift to his faithful fans in his career finale. Away quickest of all, the bay was outrun by 58-1 shot Outlier (Not This Time) and...

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Style and Substance to Light Up Cigar

Strictly, it's the very reverse of what he's doing—which is actually to revert from two turns to one. In a sense, however, the return of Zandon (Upstart) to Aqueduct on Saturday will bring things full circle.

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