Eager to run, Whitmore joins cast for Cigar Mile

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The Grade 1 winner Whitmore has joined what is becoming a crowded field for the Grade 1, $750,000 Cigar Mile, to be run here Dec. 7.

Whitmore, winner of the Grade 1 Forego at Saratoga in 2018, is coming off a third-place finish behind winner Mitole in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint on Nov. 2 at Santa Anita.

Trainer Ron Moquett said Whitmore came out of the Breeders’ Cup too well to give him his customary year-end break before heading to Oaklawn Park for the winter.

“We had a horse that was showing us he wants to run,” Moquett said. “This race is optimum timing-wise.”

Whitmore has not run beyond a mile since he finished 19th in the 2016 Kentucky Derby.

“I’m curious about the distance,” Moquett said. “I know he’s a graded stakes horse at seven furlongs.”

Joel Rosario will ride Whitmore in the Cigar Mile, which could have a field of 11 when entries are taken next week. Those under consideration for the race include Bal Harbour, Forewarned, Gray Magician, Looking at Bikinis, Maximum Security, Network Effect, Pat On the Back, Spun to Run, Tale of Silence, True Timber, and Whitmore.