Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey saddled eventual Kentucky Derby winner
Orb to a maiden victory on the 2012 Cigar Mile undercard at Aqueduct, and is
certainly hoping the future is equally as bright for the similarly blue-blooded
colt Honor Code, who will start as the favorite in Saturday’s Grade 2, $400,000
Remsen on
Cigar Mile Day at the Big A.
The Remsen, at 1 1/8 miles, features a cast of nine two-year-olds, but much
of the pre-race buzz will be on Honor Code and the undefeated Cairo Prince.
Honor Code, a son of A.P. Indy and a descendant of the Hall of Fame filly
Serena’s Song, turned in a remarkable debut performance at Saratoga on August
31. Down 22 lengths with a quarter-mile remaining in the seven-furlong test, the
colt skimmed the rail through the stretch and not only eliminated his margin of
deficit but drew off to win by 4 1/2 lengths.
His slow-starting tendencies were not as helpful in the October 5 Champagne,
for which he was made the 9-5 favorite. Aided by a fast pace and conceding only
11 lengths at most in the one-mile heat, Honor Code was not able to overcome all
of the early ground lost when falling a neck shy of Havana, who went on to run
second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.
Much more likely to be within striking range in the Remsen is the Kiaran
McLaughlin-trained Cairo Prince. On or near the pace throughout when taking a
six-furlong Belmont maiden on October 6, the gray Pioneerof the Nile colt
returned earlier this month in Nashua over a mile. Though saddled with post 12
in the one-turn event, Cairo Prince settled into a nice, three-wide stalking
position, spurted clear around the far turn and won easily by 2 1/2 lengths
after being as much as five lengths ahead in the stretch.
Noble Moon is another potential pacesetter. An upset 25-1 debut winner in
wire-to-wire fashion September 14, the Malibu Moon colt was bumped into last
place early in the Nashua before turning in a sustained stretch rally to finish
third, three lengths behind Cairo Prince.
Trainer Todd Pletcher will be represented in the Remsen by Nashua also-rans
Intense Holiday and Master Lightning. Fifth in the Champagne in his previous
start, Intense Holiday wound up fourth in the Nashua while stablemate Master
Lightning was a nondescript ninth in his first attempt against winners.
Stepping up after a solid two-length maiden win for trainer Jimmy Jerkens is
Wicked Strong, who graduated going a mile at Belmont a month ago. Longshots to
make the Remsen frame are Mental Iceberg, a debut winner on turf against New
York-breds; Parx graduate and allowance runner-up Afleet Accompli; and the Bill
Mott-trained Kentucky invader Matuszak.
Todd Pletcher will be seeking his third win in a row in the $400,000
Demoiselle,
and has given himself an excellent shot of doing so by saddling half of the six
two-year-old fillies in the 1 1/8-mile fixture.
Stopchargingmaria, who followed up a second in the Spinaway and a third in
the Frizette with a 10 3/4-length demolition of her rivals in the November 3
Tempted, is the only Demoiselle entrant with stakes experience. Undoubtedly a
prohibitive favorite hero, Stopchargingmaria leads a Pletcher brigade that
includes last-out maiden winner Lexi Morgan and the one-start maiden Got Lucky.
The latter fell one length short in her October 27 debut to Penwith, who goes
here for Darley Stable and Kiaran McLaughlin. The juvenile is a daughter of
multiple Grade 1 winner Composure and a three-quarter sister to the multiple
Grade 1-placed Centring, who was scheduled to run in Friday’s Go for Wand
Handicap at Aqueduct.
Two other last-out graduates complete the Demoiselle lineup. America
prevailed by 2 3/4 lengths at Belmont on October 9 for owner Bobby Flay and
trainer Bill Mott, and will add Lasix for Saturday’s race. Mlle. Minuit,
meanwhile, takes a sharp rise in class after winning a slowly-run maiden for New
York-breds last month in her third career start.
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