Happy Cigar Mile Day!

And a Nod to the Fall Highweight

This is the last big card of the year in New York with six stakes headlined by the Cigar Mile. The Remsen and the Demoiselle for two year colts and fillies respectively lead the undercard. While it’s a great card today we should acknowledge the loss of the Fall Highweight from the New York stakes calendar. The Highweight was a Grade III until 2023 and was contested as an ungraded event in 2024. Sadly, it was not on the stakes schedule this Fall.

For a long time, the Highweight was the feature race on Aqueduct’s Thanksgiving Day card as horse players would slip away every thirty-two minutes as the turkey and fixings cooked. The Highweight was contested at six furlongs and nominated horses were assigned unusually high weights (hence the name of the race) with top weights commonly in excess of 135 lbs.

The Fall Highweight had over one hundred renewals since1914 when as a two year old the filly Comely defeated older males. The winners of this race were often hard knocking veterans like Stallwalkin’ Dude (20 wins from 65 career starts) and Caixa Electronica (23 wins from 69 career starts). Honorable Miss is probably the best known winner as she beat the boys twice, and Hall of Famer Ta Wee was also a duel winner.

The Highweight wasn’t the most important event of the year but decoding a race where horses carry up to 140lbs and sometimes gave twenty pounds to competitors presented a unique handicapping challenge. Granted, the idea of a “highweight” harkens to a past era where handicaps were widespread, but it was a personal favorite. Unfortunately, the racing calendar was a little less interesting with the loss of this historic race. Let’s hope it returns next year!

Trivia question: Which trainer won the most Fall Highweights?

Race 9 The Remsen – Grade II

One Mile and a Furlong on the Dirt for Two Year Olds

1. Day One Starter: Broke his maiden with a wire to wire job while sprinting (82 Beyer) and then took on winners in the Nashua Stakes where he was in position behind the leaders but was badly out finished (61 Beyer). Does he want nine furlongs? Passing.
2. Paladin: $1.9 million son of Gun Runner and is out of a Tapit mare. Broke his maiden via DQ as he was caught late by Renegade (87 Beyer). The stewards then took Renegade down as he bore out into Paladin. Prat stays aboard for the Chad Brown trainee. Should he able to hold his position and save ground as he draws best of the contenders. Nine furlongs suits. The Pick.
3. I Did I Did: Broke his maiden over a sloppy Churchill Downs surface in September (69 Beyer) and then tried winners in the Street Sense where ran fine but he was four and then three wide and didn’t quite fire – finishing fourth (74 Beyer). But it was a decent performance given a tough ground losing trip. Possible small piece.
4. Grittiness: Maiden takes a tough large field. In his third career start he was decent going the flat mile to get the place money (71 Beyer) but he faces he Courting again who defeated him that day. Blinkers go ON. Prat moves to Paladin. Needs to be faster.
5. Chambersville: Ken McPeek ships in this colt off a maiden breaking effort at Keeneland going nine furlongs on the turf (59 Beyer). Interesting choice to move to dirt although Twirling Candy is a versatile sire. Irad moves to Renegade – that’s a signal. Pass.
6. Courting: $5 million Curlin offspring broke his maiden second time out for Pletcher going the flat mile as he took them the whole way as the 1/9 favorite versus three foes (75 Beyer). Faces much tougher today. Full brother to Clairiere. Physically impressive colt. Underlay.
7. Igniter: Broke his maiden over this track going the flat mile in his second career start – now faces winners. In that win Manny Franco kept him the clear and he was game all the way to the wire to get top prize (80 Beyer). Has had a freshening since that last effort. Piece of the pie.
8. Concarneau: Broke his maiden in a MSW at Parx going a mile leading the whole way (59 Beyer) and then went to Laurel where he gave in at the three-eighths pole and finished way up the track. Hard to see how that performance tells you to try open stakes company next. Passing.
9. Renegade: First under the wire last out as he ran down Paladin going the flat mile (87 Beyer) but was taken down due to interference in deep stretch as he bore out. Johnny V moves to Courting so Irad takes over. Two week gap between two most recent workouts. Using.
10. Balboa: Easily handled the field sprinting in the Grade III James Lewis Stakes at Laurel last month as he pressed the pace and drew off on a muddy sealed track (78 Beyer). That was a cut back after contesting the Grade I American Pharoah at Santa Anita. Does he want nine furlongs?
11. Talkin: Won his first start as he ran down the leader after a pocket trip (82 Beyer). Then was good in the Champagne Stakes as he made a sustained run to get up for second although he was no threat to the winner (84 Beyer). More ground should suit. Will need to work out a trip from the eleven hole. Exotics.
12. Probably Dreaming: Won his first three career starts including the listed Rocky Run Stakes at Delaware Park where he won like a 1/10 should (69 Beyer) as he inhaled the field. Last out in the Nashua Stakes he tracked the leader and got clear run but couldn’t catch My World who had the advantage of the first move (73 Beyer). Tough post.

Picks 2-9-7-6

Race 10 The Cigar Mile Handicap – Grade II

One Mile on the Dirt For Three Year Olds and Upward

1. Doc Sullivan: Four of the six career wins for this New York bred are on wet tracks including his last effort in a NYS Stallion Stakes (96 Beyer). Use if it’s sloppy … toss on a fast track.
2. Mika: Three year old was racing on the turf but then won an off the turf race then and came back in a N1X dirt race where he dominated (95 Beyer). In both of those wins he went to the front and never looked back. Today he won’t have it his own way as he’ll face pressure from the inside and the outside. Back in the Maker barn. Gets the acid test today against elders. Using.
3. Pentathlon: Has been competing in allowance company after breaking his maiden last year. Didn’t show much two back in a turf experiment that didn’t pan out. But he the handled optional claimers going the flat mile as he was best in the lane (92 Beyer) – blinkers came off that day and stay off today. Not convinced.
4. Crazy Mason: Almost got there in the Vosburgh but had too much to do and couldn’t run down the winner after a sustained drive on the rail (83 Beyer). Similar performance in the Forego two back (90 Beyer). Best career performance was in the Carter where he came from the clouds (98 Beyer). Stretches out to a mile. Should get a strong pace to run into. Hits the board.
5. Brazenly: No wins from thirteen starts this year while running vs. optional claimers. Has hit the board in ten of those starts. Hasn’t shown the ability to finish off a race. Last race was on the Breeders’ Cup undercard where he sat off a hot early pace, made a sustained move but was flat finishing third (87 Beyer). Not fast enough.
6. Phileas Fogg: In the Woodward he tried to take the three horse the whole way and looked the winner but Locked re-rallied in the final furlong to get the W (96 Beyer). Two back he was DQed in the Jockey Club Gold Cup for interference at the start but he still ran well but got leg weary and finished third (105 Beyer). Turn back should suit but will need to deal with Mika on the front end – the outside draw helps. Has run well first off the bench before. Rosario takes over for Kendrick. Blinkers go ON. The Pick.
7. Bishops Bay: Has won five times this year with the Forego being his lone defeat. Undefeated in three one mile races. Mostly recently he was best in the Forty Niner as he pressed the pace and got clear late (93 Beyer). Best career performance was in the Westchester Stakes as he pressed the pace, took the lead and then held off closers (103 Beyer). This is the first start for new owners KAS stables, who paid $1.3 million, but he stays in the Brad Cox barn with Prat in the irons. Not fully convinced.

Picks 6-4-7-2

Trivia Answer: The late great D. Wayne Lukas won the most Fall Highweights – five (1985, 1990, 1992, 1994, 2001).