Sharp Azteca Seeks Elusive Grade I In Loaded Cigar Mile

For as dominant as Sharp Azteca (Freud) has been in his five stakes wins, it seems hard to believe that he's still seeking his first Grade I tally. With three runner-up finishes at the top level since last December, however, that is indeed the case, and he has his work cut out for him looking to break through in a stacked GI Cigar Mile H. Saturday at Aqueduct.

Bursting onto the scene with a 13-1 upset of the GIII Pat Day Mile last May at Churchill, the $220,000 OBS April pickup was just run down late when finishing second in the GI Malibu S. later in the year. After starting his 2017 campaign with a dominant score in the GII Gulfstream Park H., he was a good third in the G2 Godolphin Mile before running second in the GI Mohegan Sun Metropolitan H. Cruising in both the GIII Monmouth Cup and GII Kelso H. after that, he once again was narrowly denied in the Nov. 3. GI Las Vegas Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, running a half-length second.

The first, third and fourth finishers from the GIII Bold Ruler H. Oct. 28 at Belmont re-engage. G M B Racing's Tom's Ready (More Than Ready), a distant third behind Sharp Azteca in the Kelso, jumped forward with a last-to-first score in the Bold Ruler, running down subsequent GIII Fall Highweight H. victor Stallwalkin' Dude (City Place).

Beasley (Shackleford) is an improving sort for Lee Lewis and Mark Grier. The $340,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga grad was laid up for five months after a fifth-place run in the GII Tampa Bay Derby, but bounced back with allowance wins Aug. 17 at Saratoga and Sept. 30 at Belmont prior to his run at 22-1 in the Bold Ruler.

Seymourdini (Bernardini) is the most intriguing of the three. The $900,000 OBS April buy earned a field-best 113 Beyer when wiring the restricted State Dinner S. July 3 at Belmont, but ran a strange race in the Bold Ruler, showing little interest for six furlongs and appearing close to being eased at the top of the stretch before flying home in the final eighth to complete the superfecta.

Mind Your Biscuits (Posse) will look to recapture some lost cachet in just his second try beyond seven furlongs. Taking down Sharp Azteca in the aforementioned Malibu, the chestnut appeared well on his way to champion sprinter honors this term after powerful victories in the G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen and GII Belmont Sprint Championship. He was a dull sixth in the GI Forego S. Aug. 26 at Saratoga, however, and finished third after a slow start in the GI TwinSpires Breeders' Cup Sprint last out.

Klaravich Stables and Bill Lawrence's Practical Joke (Into Mischief) makes the final start of his career before joining Coolmore's Ashford Stud roster in 2018. The bay is undefeated in five starts around one turn, capturing the GI H. Allen Jerkens S. and GIII Dwyer S. this term. He failed to factor last out in the two-turn Dirt Mile, finishing fourth.