Bishops Bay's Cigar Mile win puts him on course for Saudi Cup
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Even though the distance of the $20 million Saudi Cup on Feb. 14 at King Abdulaziz Racetrack is 1 1/8 miles, trainer Brad Cox believes Bishops Bay - who is a top-class miler - fits in the world’s richest horse race.
“Because it’s one turn,” Cox said. “If it was a two-turn mile and an eighth, it might not be as exciting. That it’s one-turn could be something that favors him.”
Bishops Bay made it 3 for 3 in one-turn mile races at Aqueduct on Saturday by running down a loose-on-the-lead Mika to win the Grade 2, $500,000 Cigar Mile by a neck. His final time of 1:34.62 was solid for the day and resulted in a career-best 107 Beyer Speed Figure.
The last time Bishops Bay contested a one-turn, 1 1/8-mile race was in 2023, when he narrowly lost the Grade 3 Peter Pan at Belmont Park by a neck to Arcangelo, who would go on to win the Belmont Stakes and Travers and be crowned 3-year-old champion.
“He was pretty much in front that day until they hit the wire and then right after the wire,” Cox said. “He was still a young horse at that point in his career, he was still learning. Not knocking the other horse, but [Bishops Bay] didn’t know enough to get away from him. He’s obviously learned how to win since then.”
Bishops Bay has nine wins and three seconds from 13 starts. He will soon depart for Payson Park, a training center in South Florida where Cox also has Disco Time, an undefeated 3-year-old who may be on the bubble of getting into the Saudi Cup based on international ratings, Cox said.
Meanwhile, Mika, who was making his graded stakes debut in the Cigar Mile, will be considered for the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 24, trainer Mike Maker said.
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