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Seven entered for Cigar Mile, Rated by Merit not among them
Seven horses were entered Sunday for Saturday’s Grade 2, $500,000 Cigar Mile at Aqueduct, but expected race favorite Rated by Merit wasn’t among them.
David GreningNov 30, 2025
Seven horses were entered Sunday for Saturday’s Grade 2, $500,000 Cigar Mile at Aqueduct, but expected race favorite Rated by Merit wasn’t among them.
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They’re old pals, the 6-year-old gelding Unconquerable Keen and jockey Umberto Rispoli.
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Unrivaled Time went from a win in a maiden race for California-breds at Santa Anita in October to a victory in Sunday’s Grade 3 Cecil B. DeMille Stakes for 2-year-olds at a mile on turf at Del Mar.
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Chad Brown won a record fifth running of the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby at Del Mar on Saturday with the lightly raced Salamis. All of Brown’s Hollywood Derby wins have been at Del Mar, beginning with Annals of Time in 2016. Del Mar began running the Hollywood Derby in 2014 after Hollywood Park closed in 2013.
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Brendan Walsh went into last week’s racing already having won a greater number of races and a greater amount of purse money than during any full season of a training career that started, for all intents and purposes, in 2012. Walsh also came into it with six more graded-stakes wins, 15, than in any previous year, and he came out of it with two more after Lush Lips won the Grade 2 Mrs. Revere on Friday and Bella Ballerina the Grade 2 Golden Rod on Saturday.
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The final eight races of Aqueduct’s Sunday card were canceled when the jockeys refused to ride, citing myriad differences with management of the New York Racing Association.
On Sunday, Calandagan became the first foreign-based horse to win the Grade 1 Japan Cup at Tokyo Racecourse in Japan in 20 years with a thrilling victory over the domestic star Masquerade Ball.
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Returning to top form in emphatic fashion, Hong Lok Golf continued Harry Bentley’s bountiful string of lucrative wins this season with success in the HK$3.12 million Class 2 Handicap (1600m) at Sha Tin on Sunday (30 November).
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The season for giving thanks is upon us. With more than 50 years observing and interacting with people in the Standardbred sport, 2025 has been a blessing of sorts as the ranks of the elite driving colony have shifted, with some of the old guard moving on and a youth movement, showing no fear, having emerged. The shift is a welcome addition for anyone looking for increased competition. It’s also an indicator that no matter how much we’d like to settle for a sure thing, change is inevitable.
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Winter weather conditions forced the cancellation of the closing night card after five races on Saturday (Nov. 29) at Harrah's Hoosier Park, but not before Trace Tetrick and Tyler George made their annual trek to the winner's circle to be honored as the leading driver and trainer, respectively, once again in 2025.