Cigar Mile

TRACK BANDIT PREVIEWS

The undefeated DISCREET CAT (Forestry) has been pegged as the 3-5 morning
line favorite for Saturday’s Cigar Mile H. (G1), the marquee event during
Aqueduct’s HolidayFest. Although we normally prefer to shop for value in our top
selection, we don’t want to find ourselves on the wrong side of this budding
superstar.

Not only is the Godolphin colorbearer unbeaten in five lifetime starts, he’s been unchallenged as well, drawing off by open lengths under wraps. In the U.A.E. Derby (UAE-G2), he crushed a few accomplished South American-breds, with
eventual Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) hero and leading Horse of the Year candidate
Invasor (Arg) (Candy Stripes) among them. Last time out in the Jerome Breeders’
Cup H. (G2), he simply strolled away from his overmatched opponents and crossed
the wire 10 1/4 lengths in front, racking up a lofty 112 BRIS Speed rating. Most
of the pre-Cigar talk has rightly focused on the fact that he’ll be lining up
against a few seriously talented rivals in this one-turn event, but Discreet Cat
appears to be something truly extraordinary. Despite his low odds, and his top
impost of 124 pounds, we’ll stick with this exceptionally talented sophomore and
relish the spectacle. Regular rider Garrett Gomez will be aboard.

The other three-year-old in the field, SHARP HUMOR (Distorted Humor), is
eminently qualified to round out the exacta at an enticing 12-1 on the morning
line. The Dale Romans trainee showed distinct promise earlier this year,
capturing the Swale S. (G2) and making Barbaro work hard in the Florida Derby
(G1) before settling for runner-up honors, beaten just a half-length. He ran
well below his best when 19th in the Kentucky Derby (G1), but he exited the Run
for the Roses with an injury that required surgery. In his comeback, Sharp Humor
displayed his customary speed and gameness in the Hudson H. for New York-breds
and was just caught late by a multiple stakes-winning, race-fit opponent. He’s
posted a bullet work since then, and we expect the bay to move forward off that
effort. Cornelio Velasquez picks up the mount on Sharp Humor, who gets in with
the lightest weight of 115 pounds.

BADGE OF SILVER (Silver Deputy) finished second in the 2004 Cigar Mile, and
the Bobby Frankel trainee could go one spot better this time around. Like
Discreet Cat, the multiple Grade 2 winner boasts a lifetime best Speed figure of
112, earned in the 2005 Hal’s Hope H. (G3). The sparingly campaigned
six-year-old recently returned from a 10-month layoff to run a terrific third in
the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1), just losing second late. Considering that Frankel
wins at a 22 percent clip when employing the “turf to dirt” angle, Badge of
Silver has a legitimate chance at the upset at 6-1. Javier Castellano will ride
for the first time.

SILVER TRAIN (Old Trieste) can claim the best resume entering the Cigar Mile,
with tallies in the 2005 Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) and 2006 Metropolitan Mile
(G1) to his credit. Our concerns, however, are twofold: first, he doesn’t look
like the same horse when he’s away from Belmont; and second, he’s coming off an
inexplicably dull last-of-five finish in the Vosburgh S. (G1) over his preferred
track. Granted, Silver Train has been training sharply for Richard Dutrow in
advance of this target, but there’s too much uncertainty hovering around him,
especially in view of his skimpy 2-1 morning line price.

California invader DIXIE MEISTER (Holzmeister) has chosen a difficult spot
for his first outing in five months. Still, the Californian S. (G2) winner has
been working well at Santa Anita for Julio Canani, and as the lone deep closer
in a race brimming with speed, he’s very much worth using in the exotics at
15-1.