Goldencents , winner of the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (gr. I), will make his next start in the $500,000 Cigar Mile (gr. I) at Aqueduct Racetrack Nov. 30, according to majority owner Glenn Sorgenstein.
"After the Breeders' Cup we looked at the race and thought (the Cigar mile) might come up little quick, but Doug (trainer O'Neill) and I decided to watch the horse and let him tell us," Sorgenstein said Nov. 7. "He bounced out of the race as if he hadn't run. Each day, his ears were pricked, he was alert and ready to go, and he was looking for his food. He showed no signs of stiffness and has been perfectly sound.
"Originally, I had told Doug that the Malibu Stakes (gr. I) makes sense, because we wouldn't have to ship, it was his home track (Santa Anita Park), and we'd be assured of good weather. But then I started thinking, 'What the heck; from the polls we've seen, he's second to Will Take Charge as leading 3-year-old, and sending him to New York would give the East Coast writers an opportunity to see him race. And Aqueduct is a good fast track where speed holds.'
"It took while, but we've finally figured out the jockey situation and we feel confident with Rafael (Bejarano). We feel he'll (Goldencents) do great in New York and we owed it to him to get him out there. He's far more relaxed now, and has never had a hiccup along the way."
Sorgenstein, who said Goldencents definitely will race as a 4-year-old, has bought out partners Dave Kenney and Rick Pitino, and now owns 100% of the horse with Josh Kaplan.
"We finalized it yesterday (Nov. 6) and they were both very happy with the return they got in their investment," Sorgenstein said. "It's a win-win situation for everyone."
Goldencents, a son Into Mischief —Golden Works, by Banker's Gold, is coming off a wire-to-wire victory in the BC Dirt Mile. He set testing fractions of :22.12, :44.75, and 1:08.64 on his way to a comfortable 2 3/4-length victory in 1:35.12.
Earlier in the year he captured the Santa Anita Derby (gr. I) and Sham Stakes (gr. III), and came back following the Triple Crown as a top-class sprinter, finishing second in the grade I Bing Crosby Stakes and Santa Anita Sprint Championship and grade II Pat O'Brien Stakes.
Bred in Kentucky by Rosecrest Farm and Karyn Pirrello, Goldencents has earned just under $2 million in his career.