Cigar Mile players continue to emerge
 

Private Zone
Laugh Track
Secret Circle
Goldencents
Groupie Doll
Forty Tales
Capo Bastone
Verrazano
Clearly Now
Saratoga Snacks
Flat Out
Alpha**

Laugh Track should have a good shot but it's hard to make Private Zone. He's nominated to the Fall Highweight (which is now $300k!). Should go there instead.

Also - might have missed this somewhere but Clearly Now is a good possibility to come up too. After the Bold Ruler they had said he was probably done for the year.

Laugh Track was incredibly lucky to get second in the BC Sprint, the race fell apart and he got a great ride, no thanks.

Hopefully Private Zone runs Goldencents into the ground though that one can rate a bit.

I will be looking for a solid mid pack horse in this race.

Fantastic. Let's get a field of 12.

Maybe but at least he wants a mile and there should be a decent pace. That was his first dirt start around one turn.

Private Zone will have to keep up with Goldencents before he runs him into the ground. Have you seen Goldencents run live? I saw him win 2012 Delta Jackpot with Kevin Krigger aboard. Now, he has professional jockey, Bejarano, Goldencents is very dangerous horse.

I suggested to my OTB friends after his dismal Kentucky Derby that bold move would be for Goldencents to skip Preakness and go to Met Mile. Didn't happen. Doug O'Neill is no Woody Stephens.

On November 30, we will get our answer. Good luck with whomever you back. I'm Goldencents man one more time!

Private Zone doesn't win very often (*in the big races anyway, I realize he won a G1 at Belmont and an ungraded stakes at Del Mar) for such a highly regarded horse. I'm with Goldencents too.

If Goldencents is in front of Private Zone after the half mile without gate mishap in the Cigar I will be shocked, one has sprinter speed and one has very fast router speed.

He has a chance to get the Eclipse if he wins the Cigar. That's a huge factor.

I'll wait for a firm decision once entries are drawn, but despite how impressive Goldencents looked in the BC Mile, shouldn't any self-respecting handicapper should be looking to beat him off that bias aided win?

Every year I'm baffled as to why the Cigar Mile is potentially a determining factor in the Sprint Eclipse. While I understand that at Aqueduct it is a 1 turn race it still isnt contested at a sprint distance.

I expect Goldencents to rate off of Private Zone and come flying 5 wide on the turn to win by 5+ lengths geared down at the wire. I think he still has his best ready to fire for this one and then get an extended 3 month layoff.

I think it is used as the final opportunity in years where no one distinguished themselves. The sprint division this year is pretty much the definition of that, with Points Offthebench the only 2 time Grade I winner.

No one can really be happy about Secret Circle winning the Eclipse off of that slow, ugly BC Sprint win over the unstoppable Laugh Track.

I'm not saying it's right, but its status as a potential definitive race in this division was cemented when Kodiak Kowboy used it to win the Eclipse in 2009.

Has a horse ever won the sprint eclipse without winning a graded race at 6f that year?

Aldebaran?

Rubiano, if I recall correctly.

Plugged Nickle

Forego for sure....and I bet Dr. Fager.

Fun race to handicap. Hope NYRA can produce a great Pick 4 sequence. These one turn miles with the combo of speed sprinters and route speed horses are always fun to watch and bet. I'm a big fan of the pace projector from Timeform and am looking forward to seeing their analysis..

All four listed won the Eclipse without winning a graded 6f race.

Secret Circle & Gentleman's Bet now included on Stakes Coordinator Andrew Byrne's list of probables/possibles bringing field to 12..

Goldencents, Groupie Doll, Secret Circle... Three different BC race winners assembled in a race before? You had Royal Delta/Beholder this year in the Distaff... Azeri/Pleasantly Perfect in '04 Classic... Unbridled/Fly So Free in '91 Classic... Orientate was in the '01 Classic field with Tiznow/Macho Uno, but hadn't won the Sprint yet.

2012 BC Distaff had Royal Delta, My Miss Aurelia and Awesome Feather

:tro:

Better Talk Now, Red Rocks, and Curlin in 2008? Man o' War

Flat Out may well be running as well.

I'm a Flat Out fan but he sure is a different horse outside of Belmont.

Flat Out now a go; Alpha less likely..

Private Zone
Laugh Track
Goldencents
Groupie Doll
Forty Tales
Capo Bastone
Verrazano
Clearly Now
Saratoga Snacks
Flat Out
Secret Circle
Gentleman's Bet

Alpha**

I know it's fashionable right now to dump on the DRF, but here's a trio of terrific pieces combining the NYRA Mile, the Jockey Strike/Billy Fox and Cigar.

MCGEE (Billy Fox): http://www.drf.com/news/fox-has-no-r...ural-nyra-mile

HEGARTY (Jockey Strike): http://www.drf.com/news/jockey-strikes-are-thing-past

COHEN (Cigar): http://www.drf.com/news/no-butts-abo...two-year-reign

Sciacca catches the deepest field in years

Went ahead and entered Snacks in $150k Swatara at PEN Wednesday and will continue to consider Cigar..

Odds of Cigar run? 50%

Less with decision to enter at PEN. Rosario is taking another call in Cigar and Snacks is not the easiest mount, so that's an issue. Another contributing factor is fact they won't have Cigar draw in time to see if Snacks gets an outside draw which Gary feels is imperative for him to have any chance. Reality is that Snacks could run career best in Cigar and be 5th. Meanwhile, Swatara is $150k and a winnable spot.

Parcells doesn't need the money...Go for the glory.

If he wins Cigar which is a huge if he gets a nice shot at being a stallion.. I would run at Penn but I am a *****

Probable starters for the Cigar Mile include reigning female sprint champion Groupie Doll, Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner Goldencents and his stablemate, Private Zone, who won the Grade 1 Vosburgh Invitational on September 28 at Belmont Park; Grade 1 Foxwoods King's Bishop hero Capo Bastone, dual Grade 1 winner Verrazano, and graded stakes winner Forty Tales, all from trainer Todd Pletcher; Grade 1 Woodward winner Alpha; Grade 3 Bold Ruler Handicap victor Clearly Now; and Flat Out, winner of the Grade 2 Suburban Handicap. Saratoga Snacks, winner of the Empire Classic, is possible.

Supporting the Cigar Mile will be the Grade 3, $400,000 Comely for 3-year-old fillies and a pair of prestigious stakes for juveniles: the Grade 2, $400,000 Remsen and the Grade 2, $400,000 Demoiselle for fillies.

Likely for the Comely are graded stakes winner Fiftyshadesofhay, runner-up in the Grade 1 Alabama at Saratoga in her lone New York appearance; Flash Forward, winner of the restricted My Flag stakes in August; Galloping Giraffe, who took the restricted Punkin Pie stakes last time out; My Happy Face, most recently fourth in the Grade 1 Cotillion; Sheer Drama, second in the Belle Cherie overnight stakes; Grade 3 Dogwood winner Ski Girl; Teen Pauline, returning to dirt after three turf starts; Toasting, winner of the Dream Rush overnight stakes, and Wedding Toast, winner of three in a row, including the Belle Cherie. Ol Donyo and Street Girl are possible.

The 1 1/8-mile Remsen is expected to attract Grade 2 Nashua winner Cairo Prince; maiden winners Dobra Historia, Mental Iceberg and Noble Moon; Honor Code, runner up in the Grade 1 Foxwoods Champagne last time out, and Intense Holiday, fourth in the Nashua. Matterhorn and Wicked Strong are possible.

Among the anticipated starters for the Demoiselle are recent maiden winners America and Penwith along with Grade 3 Tempted winner Stopchargingmaria.

The featured race on Black Friday is the Grade 2, $300,000 Go for Wand Handicap, which is expected to feature Centring, Executiveprivelege, Fantasy of Flight, My Pal Chrissy, Royal Lahaina, and Willet. Street Girl is possible.