The $300,000 Hill N Dale Cigar Mile (G1) is the last major stakes race on the New York circuit. Just 4,712 fans were on hand at Aqueduct for this 1 mile main track event for older horses. After 2 scratched out, just 5 horses were left in the field including Breeders' Cup Sprint and Forego Stakes winner Midnight Lute, sent off as the heavy 1-2 favorite. Jerome Handicap winner Daaher was the 2-1 second choice, a Canadian-bred 3-year-old making his first start against older company. Xchanger, a distant sixth in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile last out, was the 9-1 third choice.
Daaher opened up a 2 length lead on Xchanger down the backstretch through fractions of 23.10 and 46.32 while Midnight Lute sat in fourth early. At the 1/4 pole, jockey Mike Luzzi asked Daaher open up and he did, opening up a 2 1/2 length advantage at the 1/8 pole. When asked by Garrett Gomez, Midnight Lute circled the field three-wide on the turn but was left with too much ground to make up, as Daaher cruised under the line 2 1/2 lengths clear in a time of 1:33.79 over the fast track. It was a long 4 1/4 lengths back to Naughty New Yorker in third.
Results chart
Also on the card were the Remsen and Demoiselle Stakes for the 2-year-olds.
