The Cigar Mile Handicap is a
Grade I
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
American
thoroughbred horse race
Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...
for horses aged three-years-old and older held in late November or early December at
Aqueduct Racetrack in
Queens
Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
,
New York. Typically New York's final
Grade I
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
thoroughbred stakes race of the year,
the Cigar Mile is run over a distance of one mile and carries a purse of $750,000.
History
The inaugural running of the event, then known as the NYRA Mile Handicap or simply the NYRA Mile, was won in 1988 by three-year-old
Forty Niner, who would later become an influential
sire.
[ The race was eligible for graded stakes classification in 1990 and was awarded Grade I status by the ]American Graded Stakes Committee {{short description, Organization for Thoroughbred racehorse owners and breeders
The American Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) based in Lexington, Kentucky is a trade organization for Thoroughbred racehorse owners and breeder ...
.[ The event was renamed in 1997 following Cigar's retirement to the Cigar Mile Handicap.]Discreet Cat
Discreet Cat is a thoroughbred race horse. As a foal of 2003 (May 1), the bay colt won the UAE Derby in March 2006. He was then shipped to the United States, but did not race in the Kentucky Derby or any other Triple Crown races.
Connections ...
(named one of the year's champion three-year-olds in the World's Best Racehorse Rankings
The Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings (LWBRR), known as World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings (WTRR) before 2012, are horseracing's equivalent to World Rankings by other major sporting organizations such as ATP Tennis Rankings, World Golf R ...
), 2009 winner Kodiak Kowboy
Kodiak Kowboy (foaled April 16, 2005 in Kentucky) is a retired American Thoroughbred racehorse owned by Vinery Stables and Fox Hill Farms and trained by Steve Asmussen. He was also trained by Larry Jones for part of his career. In 2007 he won a ...
(winner of that year's Eclipse Award
The Eclipse Award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th-century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse.
An Eclipse Award Trophy is presented to the winner in each division that is made by a few small selected American ...
for Champion Sprinter), and 2019 victor Maximum Security Maximum Security may refer to:
* Supermax, "control-unit" prisons, or units within prisons
* Maximum Security (comics), a comic book miniseries published by Marvel Comics
* ''Maximum Security'' (Tony MacAlpine album), 1987
* ''Maximum Security'' ...
(that year's Eclipse winner for Best Three-Year-Old Male).
Records
Speed record:
* 1:32.46 – Discreet Cat
Discreet Cat is a thoroughbred race horse. As a foal of 2003 (May 1), the bay colt won the UAE Derby in March 2006. He was then shipped to the United States, but did not race in the Kentucky Derby or any other Triple Crown races.
Connections ...
(2006)
Margins:
* 7 lengths – Cigar (1994)
Most wins:
* 2 – Congaree (2002, 2003)
Most wins by a jockey:
* 5 – Jerry Bailey
Jerry D. Bailey (born August 29, 1957 in Dallas, Texas) is an NBC Sports thoroughbred racing analyst and a retired American Hall of Fame jockey.
Early years
Bailey was born in Dallas but raised in El Paso. He had a pony as a child and became ...
(1994, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003)
Most wins by a trainer:
* 6 – Todd A. Pletcher (2001, 2004, 2005, 2012, 2021, 2022)
Most wins by an owner:
* 2 – Michael B. Tabor
Michael Barry Tabor (born 28 October 1941) is a British businessman, bookmaker, gambler and owner of thoroughbred racehorses.
Tabor regularly appears on the '' Sunday Times Rich List'' of the richest people in Britain. In 2012 his fortune ...
(2001, 2004)
* 2 – Stonerside Stable Stonerside Stable is an American Thoroughbred horse breeding farm and horse racing operation near Paris, Kentucky. Until September 2008 it was owned by Robert and Janice McNair, who also own the National Football League team, the Houston Texans. ...
(2002, 2003)
*2 – Charles E. Fipke (2008, 2010)
Winners
''Notes:''
† In the 2006 running of the event Harlem Rocker was first past the post in a photo finish by a nose margin but was disqualified for interference in the straight and was placed second. Tale of Ekati was declared the official winner of the event.
See also
*List of American and Canadian Graded races
The List of American and Canadian Graded races is a list of Thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada that meet the graded stakes standards maintained by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders ...
External sites
Ten Things You Should Know About the Cigar Mile at Hello Race Fans!
References
{{Reflist, 2
Grade 1 stakes races in the United States
Horse races in New York City
Open mile category horse races
Recurring sporting events established in 1988
Aqueduct Racetrack
1988 establishments in New York City