Mary Eddy

Newly in the care of KAS Stables,Bishops Baywill try to stack another graded victory at Aqueduct Racetrack by tackling Saturday’s G2 Cigar Mile Handicap, a half‑million‑dollar test for 3‑year‑olds and older. Framed within the day’s racecard, this one‑turn mile serves as the showcase, for example drawing bettors who like a class dropper or a last‑out winner.

The Cigar Mile [Race 10] tops an eleven‑race program with six stakes; the slate also includes two G2 juvenile events worth $250,000 each — the Remsen (Race 9) and the Demoiselle for fillies (Race 3). In addition come the G3, $250,000 Elite Power (Race 5) and a pair of seven‑furlong New York Stallion Stakes Series races for eligible state‑sired 2‑year‑olds: the Great White Way [Race 11] and the Fifth Avenue for fillies [Race 8]. First post is set for 11:20 a.m. ET, a useful marker on the stakes schedule.

After being purchased for a sale‑topping $1.3 million on November 12 at the Keeneland November Horses of Racing Age Sale by his Saudi Arabian–based new owner, the Brad Cox–trained Bishops Bay is set for his first outing for KAS Stables. Only ten days before that transaction, the 5‑year‑old bay by Uncle Mo had already added a third G3 of the season, fending off Nelson Avenue by three‑quarters of a length in the Forty Niner at Saturday’s same course and distance.

“We had mapped out that spot from Saratoga onward, and the effort was exactly what we expected,” Cox said. “He trains the right way, so we anticipated a forward run — and he delivered. Since then, the focus has been this race; he’s a handsome, multiple graded winner, and we’re aiming to pad the résumé on Saturday.”

Arriving off more than eight weeks away, his Forty Niner win came after a sixth in the G1 Forego on August 23 at Saratoga Race Course, a try shorter than one mile for the first time since his debut, where a stumble at the break hurt his chance. In a dozen lifetime starts, that’s the only finish worse than second, and it followed consecutive G3 scores on wet footing — the local one‑mile Westchester in May and Monmouth Park’s Salvator Mile in June.

Cox reported that Bishops Bay has moved forward in morning drills at Belmont Park, with assistant Dustin Dugas supervising the daily routine, for example keeping gallops steady on cooler mornings.

“He thrives in New York,” Cox said. “He’s been based there essentially since spring and has posted strong works at Belmont. His races this year have been solid, and we’re excited to take our shot in the Cigar Mile. He’s been a reliable worker since he was 2, and right now he’s as sharp as I’ve seen him in this form cycle.”

As a sophomore, Bishops Bay burst out with wins in his first two starts, then finished second twice at the G3 level — a head shy of eventual Champion 3‑Year‑Old Colt Arcangelo in the Peter Pan at Belmont Park and behind Two Phil’s in the Ohio Derby at Thistledown. He was then away roughly seventeen months, returned with a victory last November at Horseshoe Indianapolis, and shipped to Oaklawn Park to kick off the current campaign.

Cox added that he is thankful to keep training Bishops Bay after the purchase, noting that Middle Eastern ambitions were part of the buyer’s plan.

“The owners committed real money and chose to leave him with us, which we appreciate,” Cox said. “We want to repay that trust, starting Saturday. If things go our way, the goal is the Middle East — Saudi in February — but we’ll take it one step at a time.”

Bred in Kentucky by WinStar Farm, Bishops Bay owns a bankroll of about $702,800 and a record of 12‑8‑3‑0. He brought $450,000 as a yearling and also landed a stakes this season in the restricted American Pharoah at Oaklawn.

Flavien Prat has the call from post 7 and will carry 125 pounds, matching the co‑top weight in the field.

Graded winnerCrazy Mason[post 4, Irad Ortiz, Jr., 124 pounds] returns to the site of his neck victory in April’s seven‑furlong G2 Carter presented by NYRA Bets for trainer Gregg Sacco.

Racing for Donna Wright and Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, the 4‑year‑old son of Coal Front uncorked his trademark late kick to run down Quint’s Brew in the lane for his first graded success. Since then, the consistent gray has finished in the money in three of four starts, including a third by roughly one and three‑quarters lengths to Book’em Danno in the G1 Forego.

Crazy Masonarrives from a flying‑finish second in the seven‑furlong G3 Vosburgh presented by Army Mule here on September 27, checking in one and one‑half lengths behind Patriot Spirit. He now stretches past sprint distance for the first time since a distant third in the one mile and seventy yards Long Branch around two turns last May at Monmouth Park, where the pace scenario did him few favors.

“It’s a compact, competitive group — a tough assignment, but we’re ready,” Sacco said. “He’s handled seven‑eighths and has tried two turns, which isn’t his game, yet a one‑turn mile should suit. His strong gallop‑outs at seven furlongs point that way.”

Sacco said the Cigar Mile has been the circled target since the Vosburgh.

“We skipped the Forty Niner to freshen him after the Vosburgh,” Sacco said. “The goal was to have him razor‑sharp for his final start of the season. Everything’s gone to plan — good appetite, high energy — and we’re looking forward to Saturday.”

Jupiter Stable’sPhileas Fogg[post 6, Joel Rosario, 125 pounds, blinkers ON] seeks a return to winning form after finishing three‑quarters of a length behind last year’s Cigar Mile winner Locked in the nine‑furlong G2 Woodward on September 27.

Trained by Gustavo Rodriguez, the 5‑year‑old Astern gelding set a controlled tempo in the three‑horse Woodward and was collared late by dual G1 winner Locked. He posted a 97 Beyer Speed Figure there, compared with the career‑best 105 he earned one start earlier in August’s G1 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Saratoga Race Course, where he crossed the line third before being disqualified and placed out of the money.

At the Big A, Phileas Fogg shows a 5‑3‑2‑0 record, including route stakes wins in the nine‑furlong Listed Queens County last December and the 10‑furlong Listed Excelsior in April. He then finished a three‑quarter‑length second to Awesome Aaron in the G3 Pimlico Special and, in his next try, gave Rodriguez a first graded triumph in July’s G2 Suburban presented by Subourbon at Saratoga Race Course, a notable moment within the handicap division.

All seven of Phileas Fogg’s most recent outings have been around two turns, and his latest attempt at this distance produced a 3 and 3/4‑length optional‑claiming win here last September. Since Rodriguez claimed him for $62,500 out of a turf optional claimer last July, he has hit the top three in eight of nine starts, the outlier being the Jockey Club Gold Cup mentioned above.

“He looks terrific, and I’ll breeze him once more,” Rodriguez said. “The cutback should be fine; while nine or ten furlongs are his sweet spot, you deal with the condition book as it comes. He’s won here at a mile — not a stakes, but a good effort — we backed off a touch, and now it’s showtime.”

Rounding out the field are multiple stakes‑winning New York‑bredDoc Sullivan[post 1, Ricardo Santana, Jr., 120 pounds], a last‑out winner of the local seven‑furlong NYSSS Thunder Rumble for trainer John Ortiz;Mika[post 2, Manny Franco, 114 pounds], who has captured his last two by a combined twenty‑three and one‑half lengths for trainer Mike Maker; recent allowance winnerPentathlon[post 3, Junior Alvarado, 118 pounds], making his stakes debut for Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey; andBrazenly[post 5, John Velazquez], a four‑time winner stepping into graded company for trainer Chris Englehart.

First staged in 1988 as the NYRA Mile Handicap, the race now known as the Cigar Mile honors its 1994 winner and future Hall of Famer and has long served as a prestigious year‑end target for elite 3‑year‑olds and up.

America’s Day at the Races will carry live coverage and analysis of the fall meet at Aqueduct Racetrack on FOX Sports platforms. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, consult the official TV schedule page.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Aqueduct Racetrack, offering a convenient way to bet every race of the fall meet. The NYRA Bets app is available nationwide on iOS and Android — check the website or your app store to download.