Tag: Cigar Mile

Due to construction of tunnels to Belmont Park's infield, the Belmont Park Fall Meet moves to Aqueduct Racetrack this fall. (Image: NYRA)

NYRA Moves Belmont Fall Meet to Aqueduct as ‘Belmont at the Big A’

- 3 min read

Belmont at the Big A sounds like a mash-up of two tracks, which – thanks to construction – this year’s Belmont Fall Meet became. The New York Racing Associations announced Thursday that this year’s Belmont Fall Meet will run at Aqueduct Racetrack. The reason for the switch is ongoing tunnel […]

Americanrevolution dissected this Albany Stakes field by five lengths. Can he duplicate that effort in Grade 1 competition in Saturday's Cigar Mile? (Image: Sarah Andrew)

This Cigar Mile Comes Wrapped in Questions, Questions, Questions

- 4 min read

The questions for Saturday’s Grade 1 Cigar Mile Handicap at Aqueduct make the final Grade 1 race of the year in New York one of the saltiest fields on Aqueduct’s stakes schedule. Before we pose them for horseplayers, a history lesson is in order. Named after the 1994 champion of […]

Following Sea's dominant victory in the Grade 2 Vosburgh sets him up as a Cigar Mile contender. The Grade 1 race is Saturday at Aqueduct. (Image: Susie Raisher/NYRA)

Following Sea Seeks Validation, Breakout Win in Cigar Mile

- 3 min read

Following Sea spent much of his 3-year-old season as a colt seeking a breakout victory that would vault him into the front rank of his class. His last chance to garner that as a sophomore comes in Saturday’s Grade 1 Cigar Mile at Aqueduct. The Cigar Mile is the signature […]

Aqueduct Racetrack spent much of 2021 as a New York State COVID vaccination center. It reverts to its regular racetrack duties starting Thursday. (Image: NYRA/Aqueduct)

Aqueduct Racetrack’s Shots Now Come on the Track, Not Off of It

- 3 min read

After serving time as a New York State COVID vaccination center, Aqueduct Racetrack reverts back to its traditional duties as the state’s winter home for racing on Thursday. The track opens to fans on Veteran’s Day for its 18-day fall meet. That meet runs through Sunday, Dec. 5 with a […]

True Timber and Kendrick Carmouche won last year's Cigar Mile. Aqueduct's featured race during its Fall Meet is the lone Grade 1 race among its 26 stakes events. (Image: Susie Raisher/NYRA)

Cigar Mile Once Again Headlines Aqueduct’s Fall Stakes Schedule

- 2 min read

The New York Racing Association took time out from prepping for Thursday’s Saratoga Meet opener to announce Aqueduct’s stakes schedule for its fall meet. Aqueduct’s 18-day fall meet offers 26 stakes races – 10 of those graded – along with $4.9 million in purses. That meet begins Friday, Nov. 5 […]

Kendrick Carmouche still hasn't come down from his first Grade 1 win, piloting True Timber to the Cigar Mile winner's circle last Saturday. Carmouche won his first NYRA riding title during Aqueduct's fall meet. (Image: Eclipse Sportswire)

Carmouche Breaks Into Big Time with First NYRA Riding Crown

- 3 min read

Between 2008 and 2011, Kendrick Carmouche won seven riding titles at Parx, outside Philadelphia, staking his claim as that track’s dominant jockey and earning a spot in its Hall of Fame. But that was at Parx; a nice track, but a track out in the riding provinces. Now, Carmouche is […]

Performer is 5-for-6 lifetime, including his lone graded stakes victory last year in the Discovery Stakes at Aqueduct. He is the 7/5 morning line favorite to win the Grade 1 Cigar Mile. (Image: Coglianese Photo)

Performer, King Guillermo, Firenze Fire Make for a Smooth Cigar Mile

- 4 min read

King Guillermo is back for the Cigar Mile, seven months after he last entered a starting gate. You’ve also got sprinting standout Firenze Fire stretching out to a mile. And your Cigar Mile favorite – Performer – makes only his second start in 11-½ months. When it comes to betting […]

Firenze Fire, seen here winning the True North Stakes at Belmont Park, owns two victories at Aqueduct. He's a strong contender for Saturday's Cigar Mile at the Big A. (Image: Chelsea Durand/NYRA)

Have a Grade 1 Cigar as You Handicap This Weekend’s Graded Stakes

- 3 min read

New York’s final Grade 1 race of 2020 headlines this weekend’s bicoastal slate of graded stakes races, coming to you from Aqueduct and Southern California’s Los Alamitos. The Cigar Mile is that Grade 1 farewell from New York. The $250,000 race for 3-year-olds and up is Aqueduct’s flagship winter race. […]

Knicks Go broke the track record in the Breeders' Cup Dirt mile earlier this month. He could run the Cigar Mile at Aqueduct Dec. 5. (Image: Coady Photography/Keeneland)

Don’t Take a Holiday on These Late-Season Races

- 3 min read

The Breeders’ Cup is in the rear-view mirror, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any prime late-season races on the horizon. The end of the year may seem like a racing lull before the calendar flips, but don’t let the last two months of the horse racing season go by […]

Maximum Security won 10 of his 14 races, including six in a row at one point. He retires with more than $12.4 million in career earnings and a wild career of ups and downs. (Image: Matthew Stockman/Getty)

Maximum Security Retires: Closes Book On Wild, Accomplished Career

- 3 min read

Three days after finishing off the board for only the second time in his career, Maximum Security retired from racing. The Eclipse Award 3-year-old Champion of 2019 heads to Coolmore America’s Ashford Stud, where he’ll begin his stud career in 2021 standing for $20,000. The move comes after Maximum Security […]

Aqueduct's fall 2020 season offers only one Grade 1 race -- the Cigar Mile. but it provides candid views of some of the most promising 2-year-olds in the country. (Image: ZUMA Photography)

Aqueduct’s Fall Slate Light on Grade 1s, Heavy on Juvenile Prospects

- 2 min read

The New York Racing Association published its Aqueduct fall meet on Thursday, announcing an 18-day meet featuring 29 stakes races worth $3.41 million in purse money. Even with a reduced schedule, a byproduct of the COVID-19 pandemic, Aqueduct’s stakes calendar offers bettors 11 graded stakes among those 29 stakes. Headlining […]