Twenty horses were nominated for Saturday's $300,000 Cigar Mile. But only a handful will show up to challenge the impressive winner of this year's Breeders' Cup Sprint.
Midnight Lute, who roared from far off the pace in the Sprint on a sloppy Monmouth Park surface Oct. 27 to catch Idiot Proof en route to a 4 ¾-length victory, is tackling eight furlongs for the first time.
The son of 1998 Kentucky Derby-Preakness champ Real Quiet scored three of his five wins at seven furlongs. His pedigree indicates he shouldn't have any trouble going a mile. His granddad Quiet American won this race when it was known as the New York Racing Association Mile in '90.
At Santa Anita Park this month, Midnight Light posted a pair of bullet works, including a sizzling 1:10 3/5 at six furlongs on Sunday. He has two routes under his belt, both in Santa Anita stakes last winter, finishing second a nose back at 1 1/16 miles after leading at the mile marker.
Since those races, however, the colt has performed extremely well after undergoing surgery to correct a breathing problem. On Sept. 1, he captured Saratoga's Forego at seven furlongs while registering a 124 Brisnet speed figure.
Midnight Lute has been training well, trainer Bob Baffert said. "The Cigar Mile is something he should be able to handle.”
In fact, Baffert plans to send his trainee longer in the foreseeable future, possibly in the $6 million Dubai World Cup at 1 ¼ miles on March 29, because "he's getting better and better.”Daaher, who skipped the Breeders' Cup after winning the Jerome Handicap at Belmont on Oct. 7, goes for his third consecutive triumph since blinkers were added.
Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin felt 19 days between the Jerome and the BC Dirt Mile wasn't long enough to allow the 3-year-old colt to be ready for another strong effort. On Sunday at Belmont, Daaher breezed four furlongs in 48 3/5.
McLaughlin also is hoping the son of Awesome Again is good enough to run in the Dubai World Cup. "We'll go Cigar Mile, then hopefully Dubai by way of something,” mentioning the Donn Handicap at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 2 as a possibly.
Tasteyville, who is the horse for the course, boasts a 4-4-2 record in a dozen starts at Aqueduct. The 4-year-old son of With Approval beat three other rivals in the slop in the Big A's Sports Page Handicap on Oct. 27.
Other contenders that might go in the 19th running of the stakes honoring Cigar, who won it in '94 during his 16-race winning streak equaling Citation's record set nearly half a century ago, are:
Istan, sensational winner of the Ack Ack by 8 ¾ lengths a Churchill Downs on Nov. 3 for his fourth victory at a mile. The 5-year-old son of Gone West has won three of his last four starts.
Chatain, 4-year-old son Forest Wildcat that had the perfect prep in the six-furlong William Livingston Stakes at the Meadowlands on Nov. 3, said trainer Angel Penna Jr. The colt has two victories and a second in three outings at a mile, including a win in the Hal's Hope at Gulfstream.
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