Alas, the Breeders’ Cup has come and gone, but there are still a few meaningful Stakes races left to run in 2019.
With that in mind, here are four races you won’t want to miss finishing off the calendar year:
The Clark (G1): November 29th. 1 1/8 miles, for 3-years old and up at Churchill Downs.
One of the two races where MAXIMUM SECURITY might run next, The Clark isn’t known for pushing its Winners to year-end awards. But it has jump-started a number of great campaigns the following season.
Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) November 30th. 1 1/16 miles, for 2-years old at Churchill Downs.
Recent winners of the Kentucky Jockey Club include McCRAKEN, TAPITURE, and GEMOLOGIST. All three are currently standing at stud, so consider this race a big steppingstone to next year’s Kentucky Derby.
The Remsen (G2) December 7th. 1 1/8 miles, for 2-years old at Aqueduct Park.
Since the advent of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile the best freshman colts and geldings have opted to run a shorter distance for a bigger prize, rather than show up at Aqueduct in early December.
This has had a profound negative effect on The Remsen in recent years. Between 1959 and 1994, five eventual Kentucky Derby Winners ended their freshman seasons Winning this route. The most recent being; PLEASANT COLONY, GO FOR GIN, and THUNDER GULCH. But this years contest should feature some notable talent that missed out on the Breeders’ Cup.
The Cigar Mile (G2) December 7th. 1 mile, for 3-years old and up at Aqueduct Park.
The Cigar Mile is another possible landing spot for MAXIMUM SECURITY. Not only is it a shorter spot than The Clark, but it runs around one turn.
The Cigar Mile shows a list of recent Winners fit for this configuration. Some are sprinters stretching out a bit, and others routers shortening up for one of the year’s final top races.
Last year’s Cigar Mile runner-up, TRUE TIMBER, and the Todd Pletcher-trained Graded Winner PRINCE LUCKY are among the other possible runners here.
