Tale of Ekati, off since winning the Hill 'N' Dale Cigar Mile (gr. I) by disqualification last November, will make his return to the racetrack in the $150,000 Richter Scale Sprint (gr. II) Feb. 14 at Gulfstream.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
The Cigar Mile cast a dark shadow on the racing world with the tragic death of Wanderin Boy, who shattered the sesamoids in his left-front leg shortly after turning into the stretch.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Stone Farm's Wanderin Boy tops the 20th running of the grade I, $300,000 Hill 'n' Dale Cigar Mile at Aqueduct Nov. 29 as Hall of Fame trainer Nick Zito attempts a rare double: winning graded stakes with 7-year-olds on consecutive days.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Visionaire, winner of the Aug. 23 NetJets King's Bishop Stakes (gr. I), won't be pointed for the Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita Park in October because none of the races offers him the opportunity to do "what he does best," according to a recent article on Team Valor International's Web site.
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
The New York Racing Association announced March 19 that Hill 'n' Dale Farms will continue to sponsor the Hill 'n' Dale Cigar Mile Handicap (gr. I) through 2010.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
In his last start, Denise Walsh's Sir Greeley finished well back in the Nov. 24 Hill 'n' Dale Cigar Mile (gr. I). Now trainer Jimmy Jerkens is dropping the son of Mr. Greeley down in class and shooting for a third stakes win in the $100,000-added Toboggan Handicap (gr. III) at Aqueduct March 8.
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin was relieved to find that grade I winner Daaher, who finished a well-beaten third as the 2-5 favorite in the March 1 Stymie Handicap at Aqueduct, was not suffering from any ailments the morning after the race.
Sunday, March 02, 2008
Shadwell Stable's Daaher upset Midnight Lute, the TVG Breeders' Cup Sprint (gr. I) winner, by 2 1/2 lengths in the $294,000 Hill 'n' Dale Cigar Mile Handicap (gr. I) at Aqueduct on Nov. 24. Midnight Lute, the 1-2 favorite in the five-horse field, finished second.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
When you have a horse at the top of his game, seize the moment and have some fun, says trainer Bob Baffert. With an Eclipse Award as top sprinter all but a certainty, Midnight Lute looks to add to his laurels in the $300,000 Hill 'n' Dale Cigar Mile (gr.I) at Aqueduct Nov. 24.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Mike Pegram's Midnight Lute, winner of the TVG Breeders' Cup Sprint (gr. I), is expected for the Nov. 24 Hill 'n' Dale Cigar Mile (gr. I), which highlights Aqueduct's HolidayFest.
Friday, November 16, 2007
Discreet Cat will be making only his third start this year when he attempts to return to his glory days in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Godolphin Stable's undefeated Discreet Cat equaled the one-mile track record at Aqueduct Saturday while turning away a stubborn Silver Train leaving the eighth pole to win the $294,000 Hill 'n' Dale Cigar Mile.
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Three weeks after the Breeders' Cup World Championships, a horse that many people feel may be the best to step foot on a racetrack this year faces his most difficult assignment yet in Saturday's $300,000 Hill 'n' Dale Cigar Mile (gr. I).
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Unbeaten Discreet Cat, headed to Saturday's Hill 'N' Dale Cigar Mile (gr. I) at Aqueduct, breezed a bullet five furlongs over Belmont Park's fast main track Sunday morning in :59 -- the fastest of 34 workouts at the distance.
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Godolphin Racing's Discreet Cat, expected to run in the $300,000 Hill `n' Dale Cigar Mile (gr. I) on Nov. 25 at Aqueduct, breezed six furlongs in a bullet 1:13 2/5 on Belmont Park's fast main track this morning.
Saturday, November 11, 2006
There's no denying Todd Pletcher these days, no matter the odds. A day after setting the North American record for earnings by a trainer and winning the rich Clark Handicap (gr. II) with Magna Graduate, Pletcher hit again with 25-1 shot Purge in the $350,000 Hill 'n' Dale Cigar Mile (gr. I) at Aqueduct Saturday.
Saturday, November 26, 2005
Trainer Todd Pletcher, who entered this week with earnings of $18,831,602, just by just $315,527 behind Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel's single season record of $19,147,129, has a three-pronged attack in Saturday's $350,000 Hill `n' Dale Cigar Mile (gr. I) at Aqueduct.
Thursday, November 24, 2005
Tim Ritchey still has designs on making a run at the Breeders' Cup Classic - Powered by Dodge (gr. I) with his dual classic winner Afleet Alex, and he plans on working the 3-year-old colt after the break Friday morning at Belmont Park.
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
So often a disappointment when on the verge of stardom, Lion Tamer jumped up and surprised in the 16th running of the $350,000 Hill 'n' Dale Cigar Mile (gr. I) at Aqueduct on Saturday.
Sunday, November 28, 2004
Pico Central and Kela, the two best sprinters based in California, have traveled across the country to meet at Aqueduct in New York's final grade I race of 2004, Saturday's $350,000 Cigar Mile. The Cigar Mile will be the featured event on a 10-race card that includes a pair of grade II juvenile stakes, the Remsen and Demoiselle.
Thursday, November 25, 2004
Kela, runner-up in the Breeders' Cup Sprint (gr. I) Saturday, would probably make his next start at Aqueduct in the $350,000 Cigar Mile (gr. I) Nov. 27, trainer Mike Mitchell said Thursday.
Thursday, November 04, 2004
Aqueduct Racetrack will offer 31 graded stakes worth $3.675 million during its 43-day fall meet, which begins Oct. 27 and runs through Dec. 31.
Wednesday, October 20, 2004
Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey will wrap up his year in New York on Saturday with a trio of stakes mounts. One behind Mike Smith's record of 68 stakes victories in a year, Bailey will be aboard likely favorites Congaree in the Cigar Mile, Read the Footnotes in the Remsen and Ashado in the Demoiselle.
Thursday, November 27, 2003
Trainer Peter Vestal has elected to keep Charles Cella's Crafty Shaw at home for Friday's $500,000-added Clark Handicap (gr. II) at Churchill Downs.
Sunday, November 23, 2003
Crafty Shaw's connections are weighing their options after the horse's recent Schaefer Mile win...Take Charge Lady could make her final start in the Nov. 27 Falls City.
Wednesday, November 19, 2003
Fans at Aqueduct for opening day Wednesday of the Big A's 44-day fall meeting will notice that New York City's track is undergoing changes. But while these changes are being made, the racing will continue, capped by HolidayFest (Nov. 27-30) and the $350,000 Cigar Mile (gr. I) on Nov. 29.
Friday, October 24, 2003
Fans making their way to Aqueduct for the Oct. 29 opening day of the fall meeting will see some changes at the racetrack. Construction has changed access and the entrances to some areas, but live racing will continue through Dec. 31.
Wednesday, October 08, 2003
Kentucky Derby (gr. I) and Preakness (gr. I) winner Funny Cide showed he's ready for whatever trainer Barclay Tagg has in store for him, breezing five furlongs in :59 2/5 at Belmont Tuesday.
Tuesday, September 30, 2003
Stonerside Stables' Congaree, smashing 5 ½-length winner of the Cigar Mile (gr. I) at Aqueduct on Nov. 30, faces a daunting task as the 121-pound high weight when he takes on 10 seasoned stakes campaigners in Saturday's $150,000 San Pasqual Handicap (Gr. II) for older horses at 1 1/16 miles at Santa Anita.
Thursday, January 02, 2003
Congaree puts in an "awesome" performance in winning the Cigar Mile.
Saturday, November 30, 2002
Saturday is the best day of racing at Aqueduct's fall meet. The grade I, $350,000 Cigar Mile features the best milers in the country, while the grade II, $200,000 Remsen is an important stop on the road to next year's Kentucky Derby, as 2-year-olds will go nine furlongs around two turns.
Friday, November 29, 2002
Former New Yorker trainer Howard Zucker could have a sweet homecoming when he brings Carl Grether's Crafty C. T. from California for the Nov. 30 Cigar Mile (gr. I).
Wednesday, November 20, 2002
Thomas Kelly's Evening Attire turned in his first workout Saturday since finishing fourth in the Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I) two weeks ago.
Saturday, November 09, 2002
Thomas Kelly's Evening Attire turned in his first workout Saturday since finishing fourth in the Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I) two weeks ago.
Saturday, November 09, 2002
New York has seen one of the mildest autumns on record, with temperatures often swelling into the 60s and even 70s. How mild was it on Nov. 24? It was so mild that the strongest wind was provided by Michael Tabor's Left Bank, who blew away his opponents to win the $350,000 Cigar Mile (gr. I) in a spectacular 1:33.35. On a day when horses basically were plodding home in slow times, Left Bank flew home as if caught up in some sudden squall.
Wednesday, November 28, 2001
Michael Tabor's Left Bank is the 5-2 favorite in the nine-horse field that will contest Saturday's Cigar Mile (gr. I), the last grade I race of the year in New York.
Friday, November 23, 2001
A dozen of the game's top sprinters and middle distance runners have one more dance penciled in on their 2001 calendar - Saturday's $350,000 Cigar Mile, the last grade I race in New York this year.
Tuesday, November 20, 2001
Aqueduct's HolidayFest stakes extravaganza, a four-day event that features five graded stake races, gets under way on on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 22nd with the running of the Fall Highweight Handicap. The highlight of the HolidayFest is the $350,000 Cigar Mile on Nov. 24, the last Grade I race of the year in New York.
Thursday, November 15, 2001
Bob Baffert-trained El Corredor overcomes a quarter crack to win Aqueduct's Cigar Mile. El Corredor's victory capped off a sensational year for the 3-year-olds, who defeated their elders in the Cigar Mile, Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I), Jockey Club Gold Cup, Goodwood Handicap (gr. II), Kentucky Cup Classic (gr. II), and Del Mar Breeders' Cup (gr. II). They also were one-two in the Cigar Mile and Goodwood, and one-two-three-four in the Breeders' Cup Classic.
Thursday, November 30, 2000
Defending champion Affirmed Success and 3-year-old El Corredor drew posts 10 and 11, respectively, for the $350,000 Cigar Mile Handicap (gr. I), Saturday at Aqueduct. Affirmed Success, who won last year's renewal of the race and finished second in the 1998 running, will go to post under highweight of 120 pounds.
Thursday, November 23, 2000
Six stakes races, with purses totaling more than $1 million, will be featured during Aqueduct's annual Holidayfest Weekend, which runs from Thanksgiving Day, Thursday through Sunday. The weekend is the highlight of the Aqueduct fall meeting. Among the highlights will be Saturday's Cigar Mile and the Fall Highweight Handicap on Thanksgiving Day.
Wednesday, November 22, 2000
Peter Callahan's Bevo worked five furlongs around "dogs" at Belmont Park Thursday morning in 1:00 2/5, the fastest work of the day at the distance. The 3-year-old is entered in both the $100,000 Fall Highweight Handicap (gr. II, Aqueduct, Nov. 23) and the $350,000 Cigar Mile Handicap (gr. I, Aqueduct, Nov. 25), but trainer Bill Badgett said the Prospector's Gamble colt is more likely for the Cigar Mile.
Thursday, November 16, 2000
Millionaire and grade I winner More Than Ready, who is scheduled to enter stud in 2001 at Vinery near Lexington, will close out his career in the Nov. 25 Cigar Mile Handicap (gr. I) at Aqueduct.
Thursday, November 16, 2000
The connections of Breeders' Cup Sprint (gr. I) fifth-place finisher More Than Ready and Golden Missile, who finished last in the Classic (gr. I), have indicated their horses will be pointed to the $350,000 Cigar Mile (gr. I) at Aqueduct later this month. Breeders' Cup Mile (gr. IT) fourth-place finisher Affirmed Success, who won the 1999 Cigar Mile after having finished second in the 1998 renewal, will also contest the Nov. 25 race.
Sunday, November 05, 2000
