Cigar Mile, Derby and Oaks Preps Headline Busy Weekend of Horse Racing
A packed weekend of horse racing features the Grade 1 Cigar Mile at Aqueduct, alongside several key preps for next year’s Kentucky Derby and kentucky Oaks, and international competition across Japan and Hong Kong.
At Tampa Bay Downs, Saturday’s $125,000 Sandpiper, a 6-furlong sprint, is expected to be highly competitive. Morning line odds suggest a close race wiht 6-5 favorite, followed by Himka at 5-2 and Consequent at 3-1. Doug O’Neill will saddle Cosmic heat and Cashed, while Peter Miller enters Jewiz. Baffert fillies have won the Sandpiper the last eight years and 11 times in total.
Aqueduct also hosts the $250,000 Grade III elite Power Stakes on Saturday. Allowance-level horses will compete for black type and a substantial purse, facing challenges from Full Moon Madness and possibly Subrogate, both with experience at higher levels.
Sunday’s $150,000 Garland of Roses at Aqueduct features nine entries, with several horses looking to advance from state-bred success in what is anticipated to be a less competitive field.
Internationally, the Grade 1 Champions Cup, formerly the Japan Cup Dirt, takes place Sunday at Chukyo Racecourse. The field includes veteran competitors like Meisho Hario, 8, who finished second in his last start, and Wilson Tesoro, 6, a two-time runner-up in the race. Promising 3-year-olds Luxor Café, a Kentucky Derby contestant; W Heart Bond, with six wins in seven starts; and Narukami, victor in five of six races, will also compete.
In Hong Kong, a highly anticipated jockey competition at Happy Valley Racecourse on wednesday draws notable attention. Ryan moore returns to action after recovering from a broken leg and is booked to ride for trainer Aidan O’Brien in the Longines Hong Kong international Races on Dec. 14. The competition includes James McDonald, recently named Longines World’s Best Jockey for 2025, and past winners Mickael Barzalona, Vincent Ho, Zac Purton, Joao Moreira, Hugh Bowman, and Christophe Lemaire, alongside william Buick, Hollie Doyle, Rachel King and Umberto Rispoli.