Brien Bouyea

Come Saturday, the Big A will bid farewell as three of Aqueduct Racetrack’s celebrated fixtures are contested there for the last time. The Cigar Mile, Demoiselle, and Remsen — each presently Grade II — have long delivered signature memories, such as nail-biting photo finishes or breakout thoroughbred efforts.

After the new Belmont Park is completed, Aqueduct is slated to close, and these races will transfer to Belmont, ushering in a new era for New York racing. Even so, their Aqueduct chapters will remain in recollection and in the record books.

The program on Saturday lists six stakes with purses totaling about two and a quarter million dollars, led by Race 10: the Cigar Mile run as a handicap, a Grade II worth $500,000 for ages three and up.

Sharing top billing are the Grade II, $250,000 Remsen [Race 9] at nine furlongs for 2-year-olds and the Grade II, $250,000 Demoiselle [Race 3], also at nine furlongs, for juvenile fillies. The lineup additionally features the Grade III, $250,000 Elite Power [Race 5], a six-furlong dash for older horses that was previously offered as the Runhappy during the Belmont at the Big A spring meet. Completing the stacked slate, the New York Stallion Stakes Series stages two seven-furlong events for juveniles, each carrying a $500,000 purse: eligible New York-sired fillies compete in the NYSSS Fifth Avenue [Race 8] at seven furlongs, alongside the NYSSS Great White Way [Race 11]. First post for the 11-race card is 11:20 a.m. ET.

Cigar Mile

Launched in 1988 as the NYRA Mile Handicap, the inaugural was taken by Champion Forty Niner, a Claiborne Farm homebred trained by Hall of Famer Woody Stephens. Upgraded to Grade I in 1990, the sixth renewal in 1994 was captured by the mighty Cigar, who, with Jerry Bailey aboard for Bill Mott, defeated Devil His Due by seven lengths for connections that would later enter the Hall of Fame. Few foresaw that this NYRA Mile would become the second victory in an astonishing streak of sixteen; before then, Cigar had won only three of his first fourteen starts. After the Maryland-bred’s retirement, the NYRA Mile was renamed the Cigar Mile ahead of the 1997 running.

That NYRA Mile effort proved a turning point for Cigar and also elevated the race’s profile [the 1993 edition had been cancelled because of purse cuts]. Even so, it wasn’t wholly out of nowhere: one month earlier at Aqueduct, he romped by eight lengths in a one-mile allowance, though the NYRA Mile represented a sharp class rise with Grade I winners Bertrando, Devil His Due, Harlan, and Storm Tower in the lineup.

Future Hall of Famer Mike Smith had guided Cigar in that allowance but elected to ride the more accomplished Devil His Due in the NYRA Mile, a decision that launched Bailey’s productive partnership with Cigar. Bettors sent Cigar off at 8.90–1 as the sixth choice behind the favorite Devil His Due, himself a five-time Grade I winner; meanwhile, Bill Mott was away in Japan to saddle Paradise Creek, who finished second in the Japan Cup.

Breaking a shade slowly, Cigar was settled in fourth along the backstretch. Fractions of 22.75 and 45.98 were posted by reigning Champion Older Horse Bertrando, locked in battle up front with Swamp King and Storm Tower, and Cigar tracked within range.

That heated tempo softened the leaders and primed Cigar for a decisive move. Gliding past the tiring pacesetters around the far turn, he opened two lengths on Devil His Due at the top of the stretch and powered away to win by seven.

As Bailey told the New York Daily News, the horse absolutely dominated; he added that he had ridden Cigar once on turf and the colt felt flat then, whereas on dirt he looked like another animal entirely.

The superstar had arrived.

That NYRA Mile became win number two in a sixteen-race streak. The run included ten Grade I scores and the inaugural Dubai World Cup [not a group stakes race at the time]. He earned Horse of the Year honors in both 1995 and 1996 on his path to the Hall of Fame. Cigar retired with a record of 19-4-5 from 33 starts and then-record earnings of $9,999,815, just shy of ten million dollars.

Subsequent Cigar Mile standouts include Champion Left Bank [2001]; Congaree, who doubled up in consecutive years [2002, 2003]; Discreet Cat, who set the stakes mark of 1:32.46 in 2006; Champion Kodiak Kowboy [2009]; Flat Out [2013], also a multiple Jockey Club Gold Cup and Suburban Handicap winner on the NYRA circuit; Tonalist [2015], who added the Belmont Stakes and two Jockey Club Gold Cups; and Champion Maximum Security [2019]. Trainer Todd Pletcher holds the record with seven victories in the race, while Jerry Bailey and fellow Hall of Famer John Velazquez share the top jockey mark with five each.

Demoiselle

First contested at Empire City in 1908, the Demoiselle for 2-year-old fillies remained there through 1943, then moved to Jamaica before becoming an Aqueduct tradition in 1954. The race has been staged at seven different distances across its history, settling at nine furlongs starting in 1975.

A who’s who of winners adorns the roll: Hall of Famers Bed o’ Roses [1949], Chris Evert [1973], Genuine Risk [1979], Open Mind [1988], and Ashado [2003]. More recently, Champions Wonder Gadot [2017], Malathaat [2020], and Nest [2021] have prevailed.

Two generations of Whitneys excelled here, as Harry Payne Whitney and his son, Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney, combined for eight victories between 1919 and 1970. Among modern leaders, Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher has eight wins as a trainer, and Hall of Famer Angel Cordero, Jr. tops the jockeys with five.

Remsen

Since its first running at Jamaica in 1904, the Remsen has stood among America’s premier juvenile races. Two of the initial three winners — Dandelion [1904] and Frank Gill [1906] — came back to take the Travers the very next year, underscoring its status as a springboard for future stars. The race stayed at Jamaica until it was shifted to Aqueduct prior to the 1960 edition.

Named for Revolutionary War Col. Joremus Remsen, who led American forces at the 1776 Battle of Long Island, the race has been captured by Hall of Famers Grey Lag [1920], Johnstown [1938], Carry Back [1960], Northern Dancer [1963], and Damascus [1966]. In the 21st century, notable winners include Bluegrass Cat [2005], Nobiz Like Shobiz [2006], Court Vision [2007], Honor Code [2013], and Catholic Boy [2017]. Remsen winners Mo Donegal [2021] and Dornoch [2023] each went on to win the Belmont Stakes the following year.

Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey owns a record four Remsen victories. Among riders, Hall of Famers Eddie Maple and John Velazquez share the lead with four wins apiece.

As 2026 approaches, several other historic contests will likewise stage their final Aqueduct chapters, including January’s Jerome [inaugurated in 1866], one of the nation’s oldest with 13 Hall of Fame winners; April’s Carter Handicap [1895], which counts 11 Hall of Fame winners; and April’s Wood Memorial [1925], a pivotal Kentucky Derby prep with 14 Hall of Fame winners, among them Triple Crown heroes Gallant Fox [1930], Count Fleet [1943], Assault [1946], and Seattle Slew [1977]. For fans planning the race meet, these serve as classic waypoints on the spring trail.

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