Cigar Mile tops 26 fall stakes at Aqueduct

The Grade 2, $500,000 Cigar Mile on Dec. 7 tops an Aqueduct fall stakes program that will offer 26 stakes worth $5.33 million, the New York Racing Association announced Friday.

The Aqueduct fall meet runs from Nov. 7 through Dec. 29.

The Cigar Mile tops a card that also includes the Grade 2, $250,000 Remsen and Grade 2, $250,000 Demoiselle for 2-year-old males and 2-year-old fillies, respectively, as well as the Grade 3, $200,000 Go for Wand Handicap for fillies and mares 3-years-old-and up.

There will be nine turf stakes offered at the meet, seven the first weekend. The Grade 3 Pebbles, which incurred a $25,000 cut to $175,000, and the $150,000 Autumn Days are scheduled for Nov. 8. The Grade 2, $300,000 Red Smith, the Grade 3, $200,000 Hill Prince, and the $150,000 Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship are scheduled for Nov. 9. The Hill Prince, downgraded from a Grade 2, had its purse cut by $50,000.

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The Grade 3, $300,000 Long Island and the $135,000 Forever Together are scheduled for Nov. 10. The $150,000 Central Park (Nov. 16) and the $135,000 Tepin (Nov. 17) close out the turf stakes season in New York.

The Fall Highweight Handicap (Nov. 29) took a $50,000 purse cut to $150,000. The Grade 3, $200,000 Comely for 3-year-old fillies (Nov. 30) is the other graded event held at the meet.

The NYRA will once again host a pair of $500,000 New York Stallion Stakes races for 2-year-old progeny of New York-based stallions. The Great White Way division for males and the Fifth Avenue division for fillies are scheduled for Dec. 14.

Following an a 11-day holiday break from Dec. 16-26, the fall meet concludes with the $100,000 Bay Ridge (Dec. 27), the $100,000 Alex M. Robb and $100,000 Gravesend (Dec. 28) and the $100,000 Queens County (Dec. 29).

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