It may not have been a Grade I race this year, but the GII Cigar Mile H. came down to a horse with top-level class as Hoist the Gold (Mineshaft) sped gate-to-wire to hoist the trophy ahead of a talented, full field.
One of a pair of horses in the field coming back from last month's GI Breeders' Cup Sprint, Hoist the Gold took the GII Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix S. two starts back with a career-best 101 Beyer Speed Figure Oct. 6. Consistently raced throughout his career, the 4-year-old entered the gate Saturday for the 26th time with eight of his nine starts this year in graded-stakes races.
Slightly chilly on the board at 8-1, the Dream Team homebred broke from the outside but possessed all the early speed and quickly moved down to race between Pipeline (Speightstown) and the lightly-raced Cascais (Into Mischief). But as the field of 12 came out of the Aqueduct chute and onto the main track, Hoist the Gold was left alone on the lead under Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez. Allowed to run free on the lead with only Pipeline keeping in touch, the colt zipped through fractions of :22.41 and :44.88 as the rest of the field struggled to keep the leader in their sights. Velazquez stayed motionless on his mount into the lane, not even drawing his stick until the furlong marker as Hoist the Gold drew away in hand with only a late-closing Senor Buscador (Mineshaft) cutting into the winning margin late to make it a Mineshaft-sired exacta.
“What a race,” said winning trainer Dallas Stewart. “Johnny [Velazquez] picked the right race for us. He told us at Breeders' Cup, the horse doesn't like dirt in his face. He said, 'just let me ride him the way I want–run him a mile at Aqueduct and he won't get beat.' He was 100 percent right. At the eighth pole, he kicked in another gear and got in front of them some more. He made that separation and that's the sign of a good horse. I just hate that they took the Grade I away, but he showed he's a good horse and we'll take the $500,000 and head down the road.”
Pedigree Note:
One of 61 stakes winner for the Lane's End stallion, Hoist the Gold is one of three winners from three runners out of the winning Tapit mare Tacit Approval, herself a $320,000 2-year-old. Her other two winners were both fillies sired by Hill 'n' Dale's Mucho Macho Man. She foaled a Vekoma filly last year and reported another foal by Mucho Macho Man, this time a colt, earlier this year.
Son of @LanesEndFarms stallion Mineshaft, HOIST THE GOLD, wins the Cigar Mile pres. by @NYRABets (G2) impressively with @ljlmvel up for @DallasStewart3! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/yxCD66K6rH
— NYRA (🗽) (@TheNYRA) December 2, 2023
Saturday, Aqueduct
CIGAR MILE H.-GII, $500,000, Aqueduct, 12-2, 3yo/up, 1m, 1:34.28, my.
1–HOIST THE GOLD, 121, c, 4, by Mineshaft
1st Dam: Tacit Approval, by Tapit
2nd Dam: Punch Appeal, by Successful Appeal
3rd Dam: Okanagan Dawn, by Two Punch
($47,000 RNA Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-Dream Team One Racing Stable; B-Dream Team Racing (KY); T-Dallas Stewart; J-John R. Velazquez. $275,000. Lifetime Record: MGISP, 26-5-6-3, $1,119,547. Werk Nick Rating: F. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Senor Buscador, 123, h, 5, Mineshaft–Rose's Desert, by Desert God. O-Joe R. Peacock, Jr.; B-Joe R Peacock Sr. & Joe R Peacock Jr. (KY); T-Todd W. Fincher. $100,000.
3–Castle Chaos, 116, g, 5, Palace Malice–Queen Victoria, by Flatter. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. O-Sanford Goldfarb, Nice Guys Stables and Beast Mode Racing LLC; B-Dragon Slayer Stable (KY); T-Robert N. Falcone, Jr.. $60,000.
Margins: 4HF, 4 1/4, NO. Odds: 8.70, 3.80, 32.50.
Also Ran: Three Technique, Coastal Mission, Offaly Cool, Dr Ardito, High Oak, Pipeline, Accretive, Everso Mischievous, Cascais.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
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