Photo:

Walter Wlodarczyk / NYRA

The Grade 2, $500,000 Cigar Mile at Aqueduct on Saturday, the final graded-stakes race of the year on the New York Racing Association circuit, drew a field of 11. The one-turn mile brings together horses who typically run in sprints at a mile or less and others that run more often in longer races around two turns.

The assembled field includes five horses with more than $1 million in career earnings, including Señor Buscador, whose $12.9 million ranks 10th all-time among Thoroughbreds. There are eight graded-stakes winners, and four of them have a Grade 1 victory.

Here is a full-field analysis with the official track morning-line odds for the Cigar Mile. It is set as race 9 on a 10-race card with post time scheduled for 3:35 p.m. EST.

1. Book’em Danno, 4-1. Bucchero – Derek Ryan / Irad Ortiz Jr. – 10: 6-3-1 – $1,018,125. Book’em Danno never has run worse than third with six victories and has a Grade 1 win in the Woody Stephens at Saratoga in June. He was second twice going the mile distance in the Saudi Derby (G3) by a head and the Nashua at Aqueduct as a 2-year-old. A fast pace is projected for the Cigar Mile, which works well with the New Jersey-bred’s late-running style as he faces older horses for the first time. Win contender.

2. Nelson Avenue, 30-1. Into Mischief – Wayne Potts / Dylan Davis – 14: 5-2-1 – $251,405. Nelson Avenue, who was named for the street that borders the track in Saratoga, was claimed there in August for $40,000. Since then, he won twice moving up a claiming notch and then in a second-level allowance. Last month, he set the pace in the Forty Niner (G3) and finished second in a field of eight. Toss.

3. Repo Rocks, 30-1. Tapiture – Jamie Ness / Ruben Silvera – 43: 10-9-7 – $978,046. The 6-year-old Repo Rocks is a Grade 3 winner who is just $22,000 short of joining the $1 million earnings club. His most recent win was in an allowance in August at Colonial Downs that was restricted to Virginia-breds. Repo Rocks last was seen when he finished fourth in the Forty Niner. Toss.

4. Vinsanity, 50-1. Tapiture – Antonio Arriaga / Francisco Martinez – 20: 2-2-2 – $74,718. Vinsanity will make his first start in a graded-stakes race in the Cigar Mile. His only victory against winners came in October at Aqueduct in a $25,000 claimer with a N2L condition. Toss.

5. Mullikin, 3-1. Violence – Rodolphe Brisset / Flavien Prat – 10: 5-3-1 – $853,612. Mullikin will stretch out to a mile for the first time on the heels of a third in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint in which he was the 3-1 favorite and got farther behind than usual after climbing from kickback. Before that he won four races in a row, with a pair of seven-furlong victories in the Forego (G1) and the Nerud (G2). Win contender.

6. Law Professor, 15-1. Constitution – Rob Atras / Kendrick Carmouche – 24: 9-2-3 – $1,070,296. Law Professor won three allowances in his last four starts, and the most recent victory came after a five-month layoff. The 6-year-old gelding was a Grade 2 winner of the Mathis Mile at Santa Anita in 2021 and was third in the 2023 Woodward (G3). Toss.

7. Locked, 9-2. Gun Runner – Todd Pletcher / John Velazquez – 5: 3-0-2 – $660,650. Locked won a seven-furlong allowance in his 2024 debut, which came after an 11-month layoff and was the first where he faced older horses. He was highly regarded as a 2-year-old of 2023 when he won the Breeders’ Futurity (G1) and then was third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile behind Fierceness and Muth. Trainer Todd Pletcher is a six-time winner of the Cigar Mile from 2001 to 2022 with horses such as Mind Control and Stay Thirsty. Win contender.

8. Pipeline, 20-1. Speightstown – Cherie DeVaux / Junior Alvarado – 19: 4-2-2 – $503,913. Pipeline has not raced since a front-end allowance victory at Churchill Downs because he was scratched out of the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. This 6-year-old is another one who will try to be part of a contentious early pace. Pipeline was ninth in the Cigar Mile last year. In 2022, he was third in the Forego and second in the Monmouth Cup (G3). Toss.

9. Señor Buscador, 6-1. Mineshaft – Todd Fincher / Joel Rosario – 22: 7-2-3 – $12,941,427. Señor Buscador was second in the Cigar Mile last year after getting far behind in a field of 12. He went from Aqueduct to finish second in the Pegasus World Cup (G1) beaten by only a neck. In the Middle East he won the rich Saudi Cup (G1) and was third in the Dubai World Cup (G1). Since returning to America, he faced tough competition in California with fifth-place finishes in the California Crown (G1) and the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Win contender.

10. Coastal Mission, 12-1. Great Notion – Jeff Runco / Arnaldo Bocachica – 25: 14-5-1 – $1,091,653. Coastal Mission was fifth last year in the Cigar Mile and comes into this year’s race with two stakes wins in a row in the Parx Dirt Mile and the Forty Niner. That gives him a pair of victories with late rallies. The race at Parx was around two turns, and at Aqueduct it was a one-turn mile. Live long shot.

11. Post Time, 7-2. Frosted – Brittany Russell / Sheldon Russell – 14: 9-3-2 – $1,167,910. Post Time was 8-for-9 to begin his career, including a win in the Carter (G2) at Aqueduct in April. His 2024 campaign was loaded with Grade 1 and 2 races, with a second in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, a third in the Whitney (G1) and a second in the Met Mile (G1). He is another one who will benefit from a fast pace. Top choice.

Summary: A fast pace is anticipated, which should favor the late runners on an Aqueduct track that has been playing fairly for most days. Book’em Danno, Locked, Señor Buscador, Coastal Mission and Post Time are among several quality runners who should get the right pace scenario for a closing move. Those five contenders for the top spot are Grade 1 winners and-or have $1 million in career earnings.

A strong case can be made for all of them. Coastal Mission gets the designation as a live long shot in this deep field based on impressive victories in his last two starts and his 12-1 morning-line odds. With a second-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup and his ultra-consistent record, Post Time gets an advantageous outside post position and will be the top choice.