Racing Roundtable: Cigar Mile, Remsen, and Demoiselle takeaways

This week, the Racing Roundtable examines the Cigar Mile (G2), plus the Remsen (G2) and Demoiselle (G2) — Kentucky Derby (G1) and Oaks (G1) prep races, respectively, held at Aqueduct on Saturday.

Will Cigar Mile winner Locked be a major player in the older horse division in 2025?

James Scully: Locked appears ready to be a major player in the older male dirt division in 2025, recording an outstanding 1 1/2-length win in the Cigar Mile (G2) at Aqueduct. Sierra Leone and Fierceness are more proven, finishing 1-2 most recently in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1), but Locked showed his class winning the second start back from a lengthy layoff over a strong field and owns so much potential entering his four-year-old campaign.

The Cigar Mile proved very formful. Forego (G1) winner Mullikin, who overcame a less-than-favorable trip to be a fine third in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1), surged to a clear lead off the far turn and dug in gamely when challenged in deep stretch before ultimately proving no match for the winner. He wound up a length clear of Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) runner-up Post Time, who offered another bold late run before coming up a little short. Coastal Mission, who was exiting back-to-back stakes wins, was another couple of lengths back in fourth, a length better than Grade 1 winner Book’em Danno in fifth.

Ashley Anderson: Yes. Connections of Locked had hoped the son of Gun Runner would be a major player along the Triple Crown trail earlier in 2024, but a ligament injury sidelined the three-year-old until the latter half of the season. On Saturday, in his second start of the year, the Todd Pletcher pupil turned in a commanding victory in the Cigar Mile, rallying to prevail by 1 1/2 lengths over Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) third-place finisher Mullikin. Locked earned a 102 Brisnet Speed figure and a 122 Class Rating for his performance, and he'll point toward the Pegasus World Cup (G1) and potentially the Saudi Cup (G1) early next year.

The older dirt male division has been wide-open in 2024, and Locked has the chance to firmly plant himself at the top of the division next year if he can build upon his success at age three. The sophomore improved his career mark to 6-4-0-2 and earnings of $935,650 on Saturday, and he's bred to relish longer distances as a Gun Runner son out of a Malibu Moon mare. Pletcher will not only have a contender for 2025 older dirt male in Locked, but also Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) runner-up Fierceness and Belmont (G1) runner-up Mindframe.

As for Cigar Mile runner-up Mullikin, the Violence colt stretched out to a mile for the first time on Saturday, and trainer Rodolphe Brisset noted his horse should do well trying the distance again in the future, with a potential target of the Met Mile (G1) next spring.

What were your takeaways from the Remsen and Demoiselle?

James Scully: I’ll start with Demoiselle (G2) winner Muhimma, who completed 1 1/8 miles (1:49.84) more than a half-second faster than Remsen (G2) victor Poster (1:50.37) one race later. A romping maiden and entry-level allowance winner at 6 1/2 and seven furlongs, the Munnings filly dictated terms with her early speed and turned back a rally from runner-up Ballerina d’Oro to score by a length, registering a solid 94 Brisnet Speed rating. She’s bred to relish longer distances on the dam side, and Muhimma confirmed herself as a serious three-year-old filly prospect for Brad Cox, who already has stakes winner Immersive and Good Cheer in his deep stable.

Poster made a smooth transition from turf to dirt in the Remsen, launching a bold rally from off the pace to take a clear lead in upper stretch, and he gamely held Aviator Gui by a nose on the wire. The Munnings colt made his first two starts going long on turf, but trainer Eoin Harty always planned to try dirt given that Poster is out of the Tapit mare Pin Up, a daughter of Broodmare of the Year and Grade 1 dirt winner Cara Rafaela, the dam of the Preakness (G1) and Travers (G1) winner Bernardini, the champion three-year-old male of 2006.

Aviator Gui was trapped inside behind horses leaving the far turn and forced to angle four wide in the stretch, closing with a rush to just miss. I’m not sure about the quality of the Remsen field (odds-on favorite Keewaydin never fired stretching to two turns and well-backed pacesetter Tux gave way readily off a sprint debut win), but Poster and Aviator Gui gave a fine account of themselves in their first dirt stakes attempt.

Ashley Anderson: Muhimma confirmed herself as yet another Kentucky Oaks hopeful in Brad Cox's barn and excelled on the stretch-out to 1 1/8 miles after racing between 6 1/2 and seven furlongs in her previous two starts. The Shadwell Stable color bearer went gate to wire while breaking from the rail post and secured a career-best 94 Brisnet Speed figure in her one-length triumph over Chad Brown's Ballerina d'Oro. Muhimma covered 1 1/8 miles in 1:49.84, more than a half-second faster than the winning time of Poster in the Remsen (G2) later on the card.

Brown's runner also displayed potential as an Oaks contender with her runner-up effort and first try on the dirt. Last early on, she weaved her way through the field and put in a late rally but appeared green in the stretch. She earned a 105 Late Pace rating while finishing second, 6 3/4 lengths in front of third-place finisher Liam in the Dust.

As for the Remsen, Eoin Harty and Godolphin now have another Kentucky Derby (G1) contender in Poster, who successfully made the switch from turf to dirt similar to stablemate First Resort, who collected 10 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby a week earlier in the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) at Churchill Downs. The win by Poster gives Godolphin its fourth individual two-year-old stakes winner in the last two months. Breeders' Futurity (G1) winner East Avenue and Street Sense (G3) hero Sovereignty are the others.

Poster's graded stakes score was another for sire Munnings on Saturday's Aqueduct card, but the runner-up, once again for Brown, caught my attention as well. Aviator Gui, a two-year-old by Uncle Mo, endured a troubled trip while caught behind horses along the rail, then swung four wide and lugged in inside the eighth pole, but missed by a nose while posting a 101 Late Pace rating. He should improve with age and has the pedigree to succeed at classic distances as an Uncle Mo colt out of a Tapit mare.

What else caught your eye from the weekend?

James Scully: Donut God opened his career with a sharp frontrunning win over a sloppy track at Churchill Downs, drawing off to a 2 1/4-length decision as the 7-5 favorite, and the two-year-old Into Mischief colt came right back to capture Saturday’s six-furlong Inaugural S. at Tampa Bay Downs on 23 days rest, holding by a length at odds-on. Eventual Grade 1 winner Book’em Danno emerged at Tampa Bay Downs last winter, romping in the Pasco S., and Donut God has established himself as a promising sprint prospect for Brian Lynch.

After being well-beaten in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic (G1) and Kentucky Downs Turf Cup (G2), Get Smokin rebounded with a convincing score in Saturday’s 1 1/2-mile Valedictory (G3) at Woodbine, leading gate to wire over the Tapeta track. It marked the second stakes win of the season for seven-year-old gelding, who upset the United Nations (G2) in June and had recorded every previous career win on turf. After capturing the 2021 Seek Again S. early in his four-year-old season, Get Smokin lost 11 consecutive stakes attempts before upsetting the 2023 Kentucky Turf Cup at 19-1, and perseverance has paid off for the veteran speedster, as Get Smokin has bankrolled more than $1.65 million over the last two seasons, increasing his lifetime earnings to more than $2.1 million. Remarkably, Get Smokin has been favored only once from 28 career stakes attempts, finishing fourth in the Ellis Park Kentucky Downs Turf Cup Preview S. last year.

Ashley Anderson: With victories in the Go for Wand S. (G3) with Tizzy in the Sky and Poster in the Remsen (G2), Flavien Prat set a new single-season record for stakes wins, with 80, and tied Jerry Bailey's single-season record of graded stakes wins, with 55. Prat also placed second with Mullikin in the Cigar Mile and third in the Demoiselle with Liam in the Dust. The 32-year-old from France has enjoyed a stellar 2024 campaign, with victories in the Pegasus World Cup, Beholder Mile (G1), Diana (G1), Met Mile, Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1), and Breeders' Cup Classic (G1).

Also of note on Sunday, in the non-graded H. Allen Jerkens, a two-mile turf event at Gulfstream, trainer Joe Orseno notched his second mega-longshot winner of the week when 60-1 Lord Eddard Stark beat 4-5 Utah Beach by a head. The six-year-old gelding was a slightly shorter price than 68-1 Tell Me Some Lies, who got Orseno a win in a one-mile and 70-yard claimer on Gulfstream's Tapeta on Nov. 30.