2024 Cigar Mile Handicap Contenders at Aqueduct

Post Time Heads Field of Eleven in G2 Cigar Mile Handicap

Post Time, Hillwood Stable’s dual graded stakes-winning Maryland-bred millionaire, tops a loaded 11-horse field for the Grade 2, $500,000 Cigar Mile Handicap at Aqueduct Racetrack on Saturday, December 7.

The Cigar Mile is slated as Race 9 on Saturday’s 10-race card program which co-features the Grade 2, $250,000 Remsen Stakes, a 10-5-3-2-1 Kentucky Derby qualifier for 2-year-olds going nine furlongs in Race 7; as well as the nine-furlong Grade 2, $250,000 Demoiselle Stakes for juvenile fillies offering 10-5-3-2-1 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points in Race 8. Also slated for the card is the Grade 3, $200,000 Go for Wand for fillies and mares 3-years-old and upward traveling a one-turn mile over the main track in Race 4. First post is 11:40 a.m. Eastern.

Trained by Brittany Russell and to be piloted once again by her husband Sheldon Russell, the 4-year-old Frosted colt will face four Grade/Group 1-winners in the one-turn mile handicap for 3-year-olds and up, while entering from an impressive rallying effort to finish second in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile on November 2 at Del Mar.

There, Post Time was unhurried in last-of-13 as Full Serrano pressed the pace of T O Saint Denis through splits of 22.30 seconds, 45.47 and 1:09.69 over the fast main track. Full Serrano took command at the quarter-pole and stayed on strong to the wire as Post Time, who was seventh at the stretch call, rallied four-wide to miss by 1 1/2-lengths in a final time of 1:35.48. The game effort registered a 102 Beyer Speed Figure.

“That was a huge effort. We were delighted with the result. Sheldon gave him a great ride – good trip,” Brittany Russell said. “The winner ran huge that day and we just couldn’t get to him. Overall, we thought it was a huge race for Post Time, and it was good to see him run a big race like that and come out of it as good as he did.”

Post Time [post 11, Sheldon Russell, 124 pounds] won eight of his first nine starts that included making the grade in the seven-furlong Grade 3 General George in February at Laurel Park ahead of a neck victory over Castle Chaos in the seven-furlong Grade 2 Carter Handicap on April 6 at Aqueduct.

The versatile grey hit the board in each of his next three outings when a close second in the local one-mile Westchester in May; a 6 1/4-length second to National Treasure in the Grade 1 Hill ‘n’ Dale Metropolitan Handicap in June during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga; and third in the Spa’s nine-furlong Grade 1 Whitney on August 3. Post Time entered the Breeders’ Cup from an 11 1/2-length romp in the one-mile Polynesian on September 14 at his Laurel Park base.

Russell said Post Time is especially effective when there’s speed to chase with his impressive closing kick.

“He’s a smart horse and he likes to get his feet under him. He’s in no hurry early,” Russell said. “He probably has enough versatility that he could sit a little closer if he had to but looking at what he’s been doing recently, he likes to get his feet under him and make his run.”

Post Time has worked back three times at Fair Hill, including a half-mile effort over the synthetic Saturday in 48.60 seconds.

“He worked great and it’s all systems go,” Russell said. “He’s done everything right. He came home from California in great shape, and he’s breezed well. We’re marching forward to next weekend.”

Russell said she’s proud of the journey Post Time has provided her family and that of owner Ellen Charles, who was recognized with the Special Award of Merit during the Alibi Breakfast earlier this year at Pimlico Race Course.

“He’s a lot of fun and he’s taken us on a really fun ride. It’s been great that we can enjoy this experience with Ellen,” Russell said. “He’s a tough horse. That’s the thing about him. You know he’s going to show up – that’s just the kind of horse he is.”

Russell indicated that Post Time’s journey will continue into 2025.

“As long as he’s healthy, the plan is to race him,” Russell said. “We might give him a little pause here at some point. We’ll get through next weekend and then make a decision if he will race one more time or if he gets some time off. Obviously, the goal would be the latter part of next year as long as he doing good.”

Bred in Maryland by Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Bowman, Dr. Brooke Bowman and Milton P. Higgins, III, Post Time has banked in excess of $1.1 million through a 14-9-3-2 record.

Peacock Family Racing Stable’s Kentucky homebred Senor Buscador [post 9, Joel Rosario, 122 pounds], a Group 1-winner with more than $12.9 million in purse earnings, is one of five millionaires in the field.

Trained by Todd Fincher, the 6-year-old Mineshaft horse looks to return to winning form after a trio of off-the-board efforts since returning from a lucrative jaunt to the Middle East.

The talented bay hopes to avenge a second-place finish in this event last year when closing from last-of-12 to finish 4 1/2-lengths back of runaway pacesetter Hoist the Gold.

“I thought he ran excellent in the Cigar Mile last year,” Fincher said. “He got in a lot of traffic trouble and had to pass 11 horses. He ended up coming wide but finished great. He ran a great race.”

That effort kicked off a strong run of form as Senor Buscador exited the Cigar Mile to run a deep-closing second when a neck back of National Treasure in the nine-furlong Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational in January at Gulfstream Park.

“He had a better trip in the Pegasus and ran a great race. He ran into a really nice horse in National Treasure and battled to the wire,” Fincher said.

He then shipped for the nine-furlong Group 1, $20 million Saudi Cup in February at King Abdulaziz Racecourse to square off around one turn against a formidable field that included White Abarrio, National Treasure and Hoist the Gold.

With Junior Alvarado up, Senor Buscador produced a stirring stretch run to overtake the pacesetting Saudi Crown and fellow closer Ushba Tesoro to win by a neck. He would follow with another strong performance around two turns when third in the 10-furlong Group 1, $12 million Dubai World Cup in March at Meydan Racecourse.

“He ran two more great races out there,” Fincher said. “The one-turn really favored him [in the Saudi Cup] and the mile and an eighth was the perfect distance. Everything fell into place for him that day.”

Senor Buscador has made a trio of starts in California since returning to the U.S., landing fourth in the Grade 2 Pat O’Brien in August at Del Mar, fifth in the Grade 1 California Crown in September at Santa Anita Park and fifth last out under returning Hall of Fame rider Joel Rosario in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic when 6 1/2-lengths back of the victorious Sierra Leone on November 2 at Del Mar.

“The first race was better than it looked on paper. It was a speed-biased track, and they ran super-fast, but he finished good and galloped out good,” Fincher said. “Then, at Santa Anita, he ran a clunker. That was maybe his worst race ever.

“The Breeders’ Cup was a tough race,” Fincher continued. “He was stuck down on the rail which he’s not used to, and he [Rosario] had to use the horse to keep his position all the way around there. It took him out of his running style, but he ran a nice race that day. We were wanting to do better, but it was better than it looked. I think he’s rounding back into form.”

Senor Buscador boasts field-best purse earnings of $12,941,427 via a 22-7-2-3 record, including graded wins in the 2022 Grade 3 Ack Ack and last year’s Grade 2 San Diego Handicap.

Bred in Kentucky by Joe R. Peacock, Jr. and the late Joe Peacock, Sr., Fincher has enjoyed training all of the half-siblings produced thus far out of the multiple stakes-winning Desert Gold mare Rose’s Desert. The talented siblings include graded stakes-winner Runaway Ghost, multiple stakes-winner Sheriff Brown, and stakes-winner Our Iris Rose.

“I trained the mother years ago and all of her offspring have been really good to us – not as good as this one, but they’ve all been good horses. That’s what makes it so special,” said Fincher, who noted that Senor Buscador will race once more in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup on January 25 at Gulfstream Park before retiring to stud.

Owner-trainer Jeff Runco’s West Virginia-homebred Coastal Mission [post 10, Arnaldo Bocachica, 121 pounds] made the grade and secured millionaire status last out with a rallying one-length score here in the one-mile Grade 3 Forty Niner.

The 5-year-old Great Notion gelding settled in sixth-of-8 as returning rival Nelson Avenue showed the way through a half-mile in 45.70 over the fast main track. Coastal Mission advanced four-wide through the turn and closed strongly from the outside to take command approaching the sixteenth pole to score in a final time of 1:36.10.

Runco said the Forty Niner victory was a special moment.

“We bred and raised him. We’ve been there with him since birth, and you can’t have a more rewarding feeling than breeding one and winning a graded stake with him,” Runco said. “It’s the first time it’s happened in my career. I’d won a graded stakes before but never with my own homebred. He just guts it out. It’s a great thing to see a horse that digs in every time to give you their all.”

Coastal Mission entered the Forty Niner from a gritty half-length win over dual graded stakes-winner and returning rival Repo Rocks in the Listed Parx Dirt Mile around two turns on September 21 at its namesake track.

“He got a little pinched leaving the gate and got shuffled back in-between horses going through the first turn. He got a tremendous amount of dirt in his face,” Runco said. “But he dug in and laid in a little bit on that other horse [Repo Rocks] at the end and just got there. It was amazing.”

The win-friendly Coastal Mission has banked $1,091,653 through a 25-14-5-1 ledger that includes six stakes wins. He was fifth in this event last year after exiting post 1-of-12 to cap a campaign that saw him capture 8-of-10 starts.

But Runco said Coastal Mission, who entered last year’s Cigar Mile from a facile score in the West Virginia Breeders’ Classic, is better prepared for battle this time around.

“He wasn’t going into it last year like he is this year. He has tremendous experience and bottom and all the things you want to see going into this kind of race,” Runco said. “That’s why we’ve kept him in this type of company and didn’t run him in the Breeders’ Classic here and opted to go to the Forty Niner. You have to keep this horse in this kind of company if you want to run in this kind of company.”

Coastal Mission worked back a half-mile in 47 flat at his Charles Town base on November 21.

“It was a great workout. He went pretty quick and did it pretty much in hand,” Runco said. “I let him stretch his legs a little bit the last part of his training this morning [Saturday] – just a little wake up call for him and he’s ready to go next week.

“It’s a solid group or horses, but this horse loves New York,” Runco added. “He won the Forty Niner there and he’s doing as good as I could ask. This is the time to try these kinds of horses. He’s going to try hard. Will he win? We’ll see. But he’s going to give it his all – he always does.”

Coastal Mission, a full-brother to multiple graded stakes-placed Lewisfield, is out of the Crowd Pleaser mare Smart Crowd, who is a half-sister to dual graded stakes-winner Duckhorn.

Atlantic Six Racing’s Book’em Danno [post 1, Irad Ortiz, Jr., 120 pounds] made the grade in style besting fellow sophomores by a half-length in the seven-furlong Grade 1 Woody Stephens presented by Mohegan Sun in June during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga.

The Bucchero gelding was off slow under Irad Ortiz, Jr. and settled in fifth position as Barksdale and Frost Free zipped through a half-mile in a swift 43.08. Ortiz, Jr. asked Book’em Danno for more nearing the quarter-pole and tipped his charge four-wide for the stretch run to open up a four-length lead, staying on gamely to stave off the favored Prince of Monaco in a final time of 1:21.30.

The Woody Stephens effort garnered a 100 Beyer, the first of three straight triple-digit figures, including a win in the six-furlong Jersey Shore [101] in July at Monmouth Park and a third in the seven-furlong Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial [104] on August 24 at the Spa.

Book’em Danno enters from a closing second in the seven-furlong Grade 3 Perryville on October 19 at Keeneland when a neck back of Brunacini, who is listed at 7-2 on the morning line in today’s Cherokee Mile at Churchill Downs.

Book’em Danno was a game second in the Group 3 Saudi Derby in February at King Abdulaziz Racecourse when a head second to then undefeated Forever Young.

Ryan indicated he will utilize the Cigar Mile as a measuring stick to see if Book’em Danno is better suited for the six-furlong Group 2 Riyadh Dirt Sprint or the nine-furlong Group 1 Saudi Cup in February at King Abdulaziz Racecourse.

Bred by Gregory Kilka and Bright View Farm and out of the unraced Ghostzapper mare Adorabella, Book’em Danno is a half-sibling to multiple dirt stakes-winner Girl Trouble. He has banked $1,018,125 through a 10-6-3-1 ledger.

Siena Farm and WinStar Farm’s Grade 1-winner Mullikin [post 5, Flavien Prat, 124 pounds] would secure millionaire status should he win the Cigar Mile.

Trained by Rodolphe Brisset, the 4-year-old Violence colt has earned $853,612 via a 10-5-3-1 record topped by graded wins traveling seven furlongs in New York in the Grade 2 John A. Nerud in July at Belmont at the Big A and a frontrunning tour-de-force in the Grade 1 Forego in August at the Spa to run his sophomore campaign win streak to four.

Brisset trained Mullikin up to the Breeders’ Cup and decided on cutting the horse back to six furlongs for the Grade 1 Sprint rather than try two turns for the first time in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile.

“The mile was two turns, and, in our experience, you don’t try something new that you don’t know at the Breeders’ Cup,” Brisset said.

Mullikin, with returning rider Flavien Prat up, broke alertly in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint and tracked from eighth position, 4 3/4-lengths back of the pacesetting Federal Judge, who marked the half-mile in 44.12 seconds under pressure from Bentornato and the close-up Straight No Chaser. Mullikin made a four-wide move through the turn and closed to finish third, three lengths back of the victorious Straight No Chaser, who bested Bentornato by a half-length.

“We broke pretty sharp and Flavien thought he was in the right spot, and he stayed where he was,” Brisset said. “The race didn’t go as fast as we thought. We thought some of those horses in front could have gone a little faster based on the PPs. It was a fast race but not as fast as the way it looked on the PPs. They were all Grade 1 horses and when you are four lengths off of them and have to make up ground it’s not easy.”

While the chart notes that Mullikin was climbing down the backstretch, Brisset said he had no complaints with how his horse handled the surface.

“Flavien said he was traveling well – maybe with the kickback he was a little more off the bridle. All around, we didn’t feel like we had to use the track as an excuse,” Brisset said. “The six furlongs didn’t bother me at all, but the seven fits him much better. We knew that before the race, but he has enough speed that he can put himself in the right spot. It was just a bit unlucky the way the race set up and we ended up being a little further back than we wanted.”

Mullikin has worked back twice, including a six-furlong breeze in 1:13.80 Friday at Keeneland.

“I always thought if he came out of the race in good shape, we’d be looking at the Cigar Mile,” Brisset said. “I was very happy with the work, and it looks like he came out of the work very good, too. He’s won at seven furlongs and I’m hoping he can answer my question about the mile – if he does, that opens up some options for next year.”

Brisset said he will let Prat decide how to ride the versatile Mullikin on Saturday.

“I’ve been saying all year he doesn’t need to be on the lead to win,” Brisset said. “He won the Forego on the lead because he broke good that day and a couple horses maybe didn’t break as good as they were supposed to. We have stalked and sat right there and won on the lead, too. It will be up to the jockey and the horse on the day.”

A $500,000 purchase at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Mullikin is out of the graded stakes placed Congrats mare Tulira’s Star, who is a half-sister to graded stakes-winner Mountain General.

Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Walmac Farm’s Grade 1-winner Locked [post 7, John Velazquez, 119 pounds] returned victorious for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher from a nearly one-year layoff here on October 19 to best elders in a seven-furlong allowance optional-claiming sprint by 7 1/2-lengths. The winning effort registered a career-best 97 Beyer.

“The horse is coming into the race really well,” said Pletcher assistant Stu Hampson. “We are excited to get him back to the races. Obviously, he put in a really good performance going seven furlongs here. It was a fast time, the track may or may not have been a little fast that day, but he did it the right way and we are excited to stretch him out a little bit here.”

The Gun Runner sophomore was making his first start since finishing third in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile last November at Del Mar. The talented chestnut colt graduated last September at Saratoga before taking down the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity one month later at Keeneland.

A $425,000 purchase at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Locked is out of the winning Malibu Moon mare Luna Rosa, a half-sister to multiple graded stakes-winners Gabby’s Golden Gal and Always a Princess.

Rounding out a talented field are the aforementioned Jamie Ness-trainee Repo Rocks [post 3, Ruben Silvera, 120 pounds], who has banked $978,046 through 43 career starts; graded stakes-winning millionaire Law Professor [post 6, Kendrick Carmouche, 119 pounds] for trainer Rob Atras; multiple graded stakes-placed Pipeline [post 8, Junior Alvarado, 118 pounds] for trainer Cherie DeVaux; recent Forty Niner runner-up Nelson Avenue [post 2, Dylan Davis, 118 pounds] for trainer Wayne Potts; and two-time winner Vinsanity [post 4, Francisco Martinez, 112 pounds] for conditioner Antonio Arriaga.

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