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Weekend Lineup: Cigar Mile Featured At Aqueduct

The 32nd running of the Grade 1 Cigar Mile is the headliner of Saturday's card at Aqueduct which includes a pair of Grade 2, $150,000 nine-furlong events for juveniles in the Remsen and its filly counterpart, the Demoiselle which will offer 10-4-2-1 qualifying points to the top-four finishers towards the 2021 Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks, respectively.

Live coverage of Cigar Mile Day will be available with America's Day at the Races on FS2 from 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. ET.

Saturday, Dec. 5

1:00 p.m.—$150,000 Grade 2 Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct on TVG

Already a winner at the nine-furlong distance, Known Agenda will attempt to give trainer Todd Pletcher a third Remsen triumph when heads up the five-horse field. Owned and bred by Vincent Viola's St. Elias Stable, Known Agenda rose to the occasion at second asking, breaking his maiden on Nov. 8 at Aqueduct over a fast main track. The chestnut son of Curlin and second offspring out of Grade 1-winner Byrama finished second to eventual stakes-winner Highly Motivated in his career debut on Sept. 27, going 6 ½ furlongs at Belmont Park.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/AQU120520USA4-EQB.html

2:07 p.m.—$100,000 Grade 3 Go for Wand Handicap at Aqueduct on TVG

Teresa Viola Racing Stables and St. Elias Stable's Nonna Madeline cuts back to one mile for the Go for Wand Handicap. Trained by Todd Pletcher, Nonna Madeline boasts a consistent record of 13-4-3-2 with purse earnings of $275,128. The 4-year-old Candy Ride (ARG) bay, bred in Kentucky by WinStar Farm, broke through in stakes company this summer when capturing the restricted Summer Colony at nine furlongs on the Saratoga Race Course main track.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/AQU120520USA6-EQB.html

3:44 p.m.—$150,000 Grade 2 Demoiselle Stakes at Aqueduct on FS2

Shadwell Stable's Malathaat, undefeated in two starts for trainer Todd Pletcher, will look to make the grade in Saturday's Demoiselle. Out of the Pletcher-trained Dreaming of Julia, who captured the 2012 Grade 1 Frizette at Belmont Park, Malathaat boasts a golden pedigree that saw the filly purchased for $1.05 million at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale. The precocious bay drew off to a 1 3/4-length score when sprinting seven furlongs in her Oct. 9 debut at Belmont Park and followed last out with a 7 3/4-length win in the Tempted at one mile.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/AQU120520USA9-EQB.html

4:13 p.m.—$250,000 Grade 1 Cigar Mile Handicap at Aqueduct on FS2

Performer has checked a lot of boxes while forging a five-race winning streak. Owned by Phipps Stable and Claiborne Farm, the 4-year-old son of Speightstown will face Grade 1 competition for the first time as part of a competitive nine-horse field in the Cigar Mile Handicap. Performer went 4-for-4 as a sophomore in 2019, including a victory in the Grade 3 Discovery going 1 1/8 miles last November at Aqueduct. Off an 11-month layoff, Performer picked up where he left off, registering a 1 3/4-length win over optional claimers in a one-turn mile on Oct. 17 at Belmont Park.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/AQU120520USA10-EQB.html

5:28 p.m.—$300,000 Grade 1 Starlet Stakes at Los Alamitos on TVG

Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella will seek his first win in the $300,000 Starlet Stakes at Los Alamitos when he sends out the undefeated Astute in the final Grade 1 of 2020 for 2-year-old fillies. Owned by LNJ Foxwoods, Astute, a daughter of Speightstown and the Langfuhr mare Discerning, went gate-to-wire in her Oct. 12 debut on turf, then moved to dirt and stretched out an extra eighth of a mile to win the 6 ½ furlong Desi Arnaz Stakes by 7 ½ lengths Nov. 14 at Del Mar.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/LRC120520USA5-EQB.html

Sunday, Dec. 6

5:30 p.m.—$100,000 Grade 3 Bayakoa Stakes at Los Alamitos on TVG

Having finished in a dead-heat for the win in the Tranquility Lake Stakes on August 28, Proud Emma and Message meet again in the Bayakoa Stakes going 1 1/16-miles. Trained by Bob Baffert, Message will be making her first start since that dead-heat triumph while Proud Emma enters off a seventh-place run in the Kathryn Crosby Stakes at Del Mar on Oct. 31.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/LRC120620USA5-EQB.html

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America’s Day At The Races Wraps Up 2020 Coverage With Cigar Mile Broadcast

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) announced Friday that America's Day at the Races will broadcast its final edition of 2020 with coverage and analysis of Saturday's Grade 1, $250,000 Cigar Mile at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Presented by America's Best Racing and Claiborne Farm, America's Day at the Races will air Saturday from 3-4:30 p.m., ET on MSG+ and 3:30-4:30 p.m., ET on FS2. The Cigar Mile is slated as the finale of Saturday's 10-race program, with an approximate post time of 4:13 p.m.

Expanded coverage of America's Day at the Races and Saratoga Live, both of which are produced by NYRA, provided nearly 800 hours of live racing broadcast on FOX Sports in 2020, more than double the 385 hours that aired in 2019. The expansion was most dramatic on FS1, which showed 206 hours of horse racing in 2020, compared to one hour in 2019.

“Despite the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, we regularly presented our viewers with the best racing and analysis in the country,” said Eric Donovan, NYRA Director of Broadcast Operations. “Our sincere thanks go to our viewers, sponsors, the NYRA TV production team, talent, and racing stakeholders for their extraordinary dedication, and to FOX Sports and MSG for their continued partnership and commitment to airing more thoroughbred racing than ever before.”

Following the suspension of live racing in New York on March 19, America's Day at the Races continued to feature racing from tracks around the country and provided horseplayers unable to attend the races with the opportunity to watch and wager from home.

Live racing in New York resumed at Belmont Park on June 3 with Opening Day of the spring/summer meet generating all-sources handle of $10,972,254, breaking the previous Opening Day record of $10.7 million set in 2010 – while marking the welcome return of professional sports in New York.

During a racing season conducted without spectators, fans turned to Saratoga Live, NYRA's highly-acclaimed and award-winning television program, in greater numbers than ever before. Average viewership of Saratoga Live on FS1 totaled approximately 120,000, while just under 1.3 million viewers watched the Runhappy Travers on FOX. Overall time spent viewing Saratoga Live increased by 300 percent, with more than 210 hours of live programming broadcast on FOX Sports throughout the meet.

For the second consecutive year, the Grade 1, $1 million Runhappy Travers was televised live on the FOX broadcast network as part of an expanded Runhappy Travers Day edition of Saratoga Live. For the first time at Saratoga, the broadcast included the introduction of the “WinStar Cam” which provided viewers with in-race aerial coverage throughout the day.

Strong viewership continued through the 27-day Belmont Park fall meet and was instrumental in helping to generate a 33.6-percent increase in average daily handle from last year. As at Saratoga and this fall at Aqueduct, the Belmont fall meet was conducted without spectators and with only a limited number of essential personnel, horsemen and owners on-site due to the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

America's Day at the Races was also broadcast throughout the year on NYRA's YouTube channel, which boasts more than 61,000 subscribers. NYRA's YouTube channel host race replays, special features, America's Day at the Races replays and more.

NYRA Bets is the official online wagering platform of Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course. Available to horseplayers nationwide, NYRA Bets is currently offering a $200 new member bonus in addition to a host of special weekly offers. The NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

The 2020 fall meet at Aqueduct Racetrack continues through Sunday, Dec. 6. The 56-day winter meet kicks off on Thursday, December 10 and will continue through Sunday, March 21.

For additional information, visit NYRA.com.

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Malathaat Looms Large in Demoiselle

Undefeated ‘TDN Rising Star’ Malathaat (Curlin) looks to remain perfect as she steps up to graded company in Saturday’s GII Demoiselle S. at Aqueduct. A decisive debut winner going seven panels at Belmont Oct. 9, the $1.05-million KEESEP buy romped by 7 3/4 lengths in the one-mile Tempted S. at this oval Nov. 6.

“You would think with her pedigree and the way she won going a mile that a stretch out should not be an issue,” trainer Todd Pletcher told the NYRA notes team. “She’s always trained like a quality filly that wants two turns, so we’re excited about stretching her out. This filly has been a star from day one basically.”

Bill Mott saddles a promising daughter of Curlin in Juddmonte homebred Millefeuille. Runner-up in her one-mile Belmont unveiling Sept. 26, the bay graduated by four lengths over that track and trip Oct. 23.

“It definitely was a nice debut,” said Juddmonte Farms general manager Garrett O’Rourke. “You always want these horses to have ability, but it’s nice to see them know where the line is and have some try in them. She ran hard to the line. Todd’s filly looks like she’s got some possible superstar potential and so we’ll probably have to run a little harder this time around.”

Tom Albertrani also sends out a Curlin filly who graduated at second asking in Malibu Curl. Making a mild late bid to be sixth in her career bow at Saratoga Aug. 2, the chestnut earned her diploma next out in a seven-furlong test at the Spa Sept. 6.

Allen Stable’s Cafe Society (Empire Maker) donned cap and gown on debut at Belmont Oct. 18 and was third last time in the Tempted.

“I was disappointed in her last race, but she’s come back and trained well,” said Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey. “She had a really good breeze and galloped out well, so hopefully we’ll see a little better performance than we did the last time. I couldn’t have asked for any more.”

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Performer Seeks Grade I Glory in Cigar Mile

Phipps Stable and Claiborne Farm’s Performer (Speightstown) looks to continue his hot streak as he takes his first crack at the highest level Saturday in Aqueduct’s GI Cigar Mile. Graduating at second asking at Belmont in June 2019, the chestnut captured a 6 1/2-panel allowance at Saratoga that August and a 1 1/16-mile optional claimer at Belmont last September. Closing out his sophomore season with a victory in this venue’s GIII Discovery S. just over a year ago, Performer was subsequently shelved and resurfaced with an optional claimer score in the mud at Belmont Oct. 17.

“He’s training well. It has been a while since he ran, but he’ll be fit enough,” trainer Shug McGaughey told the NYRA notes team. “He’s been over that track before. He seems to be doing as well now as he’s ever done.”

Grade I winner Firenze Fire (Poseidon’s Warrior) poses one of the biggest threats to likely favorite Performer here. Transferred from Jason Servis to Kelly Breen following the former’s federal indictment, the bay was fourth in the GI Carter H. June 6 and scored his first win for his new barn in Belmont’s GII True North S. June 27. Fourth in Saratoga’s GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. July 25, he was a disappointing 11th in a sloppy renewal of that venue’s GI Forego S. Aug. 29. Capturing the GII Vosburgh Invitational S. back at Belmont Sept. 26, Firenze Fire rallied from well back to by third in the GI Breeders’ Cup Sprint S. at Keeneland Nov. 7.

“He’s doing well but right now the main concern is the weather,” admitted Breen. “If the track is sloppy, I don’t think we’re going to run. There are a couple of other options for him. But if the rain misses us, we’re running. He’s ready to go.”

Talented sophomore King Guillermo (Uncle Mo) takes on his elders in this return to action. Graduating in dominant fashion on turf in his second start at Gulfstream West last November, the bay was third in the grassy Pulpit S. in Hallandale Nov. 30. Switched back to the main track, he blew up the tote with a decisive score at 49-1 in the GII Tampa Bay Derby Mar. 7 and ran second to Nadal (Blame) in their division of the GI Arkansas Derby May 2. King Guillermo was a late defection from the Sept. 5 GI Kentucky Derby after spiking a fever just days before the race and displays a series of speedy drills at Gulfstream in the interim.

“He’s good. He’s ready,” conditioner Juan Avila said. “He’s getting ready to face that challenge. The mile will be good for him because he’s had seven months without a race.”

Mind Control (Stay Thirsty) could make some noise at a price here. The MGISW has not been at his best since racing resumed in June, but he is four-for-five at Aqueduct, including wins in the GIII Toboggan S. and GIII Tom Fool H. earlier this year.

“He’s been right on cue and has been full of himself and he really loves training at Belmont,” said trainer Greg Sacco. “His energy level was high. We were happy with everything coming into this race.”

Earlier this season, the 4-year-old produced sub-par performance in sloppy renewals of the GI Carter H. at Belmont and Saratoga’s GI Forego S., and according to Sacco, if Saturday’s stormy forecast comes to fruition, the bay would likely bypass Aqueduct’s feature race.

“It’s unfortunate because he’s training as good as ever and came out of the last race well,” Sacco said. “We were just hoping for a fast track and a little wetness on the track isn’t the end of the world, but if the forecast holds true, it doesn’t look like we’ll be running [Saturday].”

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