West Virginia-bred Coastal Mission ventures to New York for the first time and brings a six-race win streak into next Saturday's $500,000 Cigar Mile Handicap (G2) at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Trained by Jeff Runco, who bred and campaigns the gray/roan gelding with his wife, Susan, in the name of Coleswood Farm Inc., the 4-year-old Great Notion gelding has won 11 of 16 career starts, including a trio of stakes wins at his Charles Town base, led by an open-company score two starts back in the two-turn seven-furlong Russell Road on Aug. 25 and the state-bred Sam Huff West Virginia Breeders' Classic going 1 1/8 miles last time out on Oct. 14.
Coastal Mission stalked and pounced to victory in the Russell Road, scoring by 2 3/4-lengths over graded stakes-placed Mish with graded stakes-placed Sir Alfred James in third and stakes-placed Payne in fourth.
“He's doing great and ready to go. He ran against some pretty good horses in the Russell Road and done well. He brings his game whenever he comes over,” Runco said.
Coastal Mission's current win streak has been accomplished exclusively at Charles Town and dates back to an open-company allowance win in April and includes a state-bred score in the Confucius Say. The win-friendly gray, who has won at distances ranging from 4 1/2 furlongs to 1 1/8 miles, shipped to Laurel Park in February 2022 to win an optional-claiming sprint.
Runco said the versatile Coastal Mission should appreciate the one-turn mile configuration at Aqueduct.
“I think a mile will be great for him. He just ran a mile and an eighth for the first time last out. But he runs seven-eighths really good and I think a mile out of the chute over there will be a good distance for him,” Runco said. “He ran a 98 Beyer in the Russell Road and he got a 95 Beyer last time and he did that easily – they were pulling him up in that race. His numbers are getting better and that's why we're giving him a shot at this race.”
Coastal Mission will mark Runco's ninth starter at the Big A having previously found success in the 2008 Queens County with the graded stakes-winning millionaire Researcher, also a West Virginia-bred .
“That horse won stakes everywhere. He won all over the Mid-Atlantic and made over a million,” Runco said.
Coastal Mission, a full brother to multiple graded stakes-placed Lewisfield, is out of the Crowd Pleaser mare Smart Crowd, who is a half-sister to multiple graded stakes winner Duckhorn. He has banked $566,653 through a record of 16-11-3-1.
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