Aqueduct: Jersey Town, Associate scratch from Cigar Mile, leaving a field of five

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Due to a temperature, Jersey Town has been scratched from Saturday’s Grade 1, $350,000 Cigar Mile - a race he won in 2010 - at Aqueduct and has been retired from racing, according to trainer Barclay Tagg.

Associate, a 20-1 longshot, was also scratched from the Cigar Mile by trainer Richard Dutrow Jr., who said his colt was suffering from an infection in a pastern.

Those scratches leave the Cigar Mile with a field of five topped by the filly Groupie Doll. Also entered are Stay Thirsty, Buffum, Hymn Book, and Coil.

Tagg said Jersey Town, a 6-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Speightstown, will stand stud at Darby Dan Farm in Lexington, Ky. in 2013.

:: Jersey Town's stud plans

Jersey Town, who won his career debut for a claiming tag of $25,000 in March 2009, won 6 races from 21 start s and earned $819,668 for owner/breeder Charles Fipke.

His biggest victory came in the 2010 Cigar Mile when he upset Haynesfield by a head at odds of 34-1.

His only other graded stakes victory came in this year’s Grade 2 Kelso, where he beat Shackleford by 3 1/2 lengths at Belmont Park.

Jersey Town made the final start of his career in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Santa Anita where he finished fifth, beaten five lengths by Tapizar.

“He’s been a lot of fun,” Tagg said.

Added Tagg’s assistant, Robin Smullen: “I can’t wait to see his babies.”

Demoiselle down to four

In addition to scratching Associate from the Cigar Mile, Dutrow scratched both Miss Patricia and Ruby Lips from the Grade 2, $250,000 Demoiselle.

Along with the scratch of Coconut Shrimp, who ran in Thursday’s Lie Low Stakes, the Demoiselle has been reduced to a field of four juvenile fillies: Emollient, Unlimited Budget, Flash Forward, and Giant Cats Eye.

Dutrow said that both of his fillies were coughing Friday and Saturday.

Dutrow said that Fantasy of Flight, last as the 3-5 favorite in Friday’s Grade 2 Go for Wand, “scoped terrible” after the race and was also coughing Friday morning, but not enough to warrant him scratching her from the race.

“No way anyone would have scratched her off of what we were seeing or hearing,” Dutrow said. “I remember dad running Religiosity in the [1986] Prioress at Aqueduct and she was coughing her head off and had a 102 [temperature] and she won by 11 lengths.”