December 5, 2024
TORONTO — By Matthew Lomon
Get Some Popcorn Ready
Simply calling the $500,000 Cigar Mile (G2) ‘stacked’ is a grave, and borderline blasphemous understatement.
Set to feature a tantalizing field of 11 hopefuls, headlined by five millionaires and four Grade/Group 1 titleholders, the highly anticipated 1-mile dirt contest has all the makings of an instant classic.
Among the all-star cast of competitors are million-dollar earners Post Time (7-2), Coastal Mission (12-1), and Law Professor (15-1).
Joining the trio are Grade/Group 1 winners Mullikin (2024 Forego) (3-1 opening line choice) and Locked (2024 Breeders’ Futurity) (9-2).
Before any comments about the math not adding up, Senor Buscador (2024 Saudi Cup) (6-1) and Book’em Danno (2024 Woody Stephens) (4-1) carry dual memberships.
The Cigar Mile is one of four top-notch tilts lined up on Aqueduct’s sizzling Saturday card.
When there’s Smoke…
Before the big dogs dig in for the Cigar Mile, seven rookies will have their moment to shine in race 7, the $250,000 Remsen (G2).
If this year’s edition of the 1 1/8-mile affair is anything similar to last year’s running, which saw eventual Belmont (G1) champion Dornoch edge 2024 Breeders’ Cup victor Sierra Leone by a nose, then Aqueduct’s Saturday crowd is in for another treat.
Keewaydin, a lightly raced youngster (2: 1-0-1), will try to mimic the superstar duo by using the Remsen as a launchpad.
The Dylan Davis mount is on the right path, at least in the early goings, opening as the clear 6-5 favorite.
Litmus Test
Following a dominant first two starts that saw her win by a combined margin of 13-lengths, Muhimma faces her stiffest challenge to date in Saturday’s $250,000 Demoiselle (G2) at Aqueduct.
It will be a day of firsts for the Brad Cox charge, who will be making her debut at the graded level while also stretching out to 1 1/8-miles after competing at 6 ½ and 7 furlongs, respectively.
Muhimma (4-5 choice) will be joined by a familiar face in Liam in the Dust (10-1), the runner-up in September’s Pocahontas (G3) at Churchill Downs.
The pair first met in a claiming event on Nov. 1 where Muhimma cleared the Rodolphe Brisset trainee by 5 ½ lengths.
Keep on Motoring
Finding a comparison to the early 1940s Detroit Red Wings took some extra digging, but that’s all in a days’ work for your pals at Railbirds.
For those in need of a refresher, those mid-20th century Red Wings went to three consecutive Stanley Cup Finals, winning the 1942-43 trophy after dropping the previous two.
Collective Force, a 5-year-old gelding trained by Rachel Halden, finds himself in a similar position with the $135,000 Valedictory (G3) at Woodbine.
The dogged competitor will make his third career appearance in the 1 ½-mile contest this Saturday after previously recording finishes of second (2023) and fifth (2021).
While the odds are against Collective Force at 15-1 on the opening line, the Ryan Munger mount is a pinch of puck luck away from emulating The Original Six Wings.
Lord of the Rebound
A tough finish to the 2023 campaign spilled over into The Grey Wizard’s (IRE) first bout of 2024, but one wave of the wand steered the 5-year-old gelding back on the right path ahead of Saturday’s $115,000 H. Allen Jerkens Handicap.
Sporting a strong 3-1-1 line in five starts since finishing ninth in April’s Elkhorn (G3T), The Grey Wizard’s timely turnaround has culminated in a career year for the Graham Motion trainee.
The past four races have been particularly impressive for the resilient runner, who claimed three stakes, including his first graded trophy in June’s Belmont Gold Cup (G2T).
Oddsmakers are bullish on The Grey Wizard’s prospects at Gulfstream, tabbing the Javier Castellano mount as the 2-1 opening line favorite.