THE $500,000 Cigar Mile is the last Grade 1 race of 2016 on the NYRA circuit. Anchor Down is the likely favourite and the five-year-old son of Tapit has done his best running around a mile. He will be looking to pick up where he last left off after winning the Grade 2 Kelso Handicap on October 8th at Belmont, in an impressive time, with todays’ rival Ocean Knight in third. His Kelso victory was flattered when second place finisher Tamarkuz went on to take the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. He also finished second to Frosted in the Met Mile.

Trainer Todd Pletcher skipped the Dirt Mile and pointed Anchor Down to the Cigar Mile, where Connect, a three-year-old son of Curlin is one of the two least experienced horses in the field with only six starts, five of which have come in the past six months. He is the leading earner in the field, his most recent victory coming in the million dollar Grade 2 Pennsylvania Derby in a good time. He was sixth to Arrogate in the Travers and missed the Breeders’ Cup for this.