Dylan Davis recovering after Friday spill
- Dylan Davis recovering after Friday spill
- Phileas Fogg on point for G2 Cigar Mile Handicap
- Crazy Mason works for G2 Cigar Mile
- Balboa possible for G2 Remsen
Jockey Dylan Davis will be out of action for an indefinite period of time following an accident in Race 7 on Friday at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Davis was aboard Tarpaulin when Heavyweight Champs fell near the three-eighths pole unseating jockey Ricardo Santana, Jr. Tarpaulin made contact with Santana, Jr. and unseated Davis, who was placed on a backboard and immediately transported to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center.
Despite the immediate veterinary response, Heavyweight Champs sustained a catastrophic injury to the left front and was humanely euthanized. Tarpaulin was collared by the outrider after completing the course and walked off under his own power.
Ricardo Santana, Jr. visited onsite first aid under his own power and was removed from his remaining mount. Santana, Jr. is back on his mounts Saturday at the Big A.
Mike Migliore, Davis’s agent, reported that the veteran rider sustained a broken right collarbone, multiple fractured ribs and a partially collapsed lung.
Once stabilized, Davis was then transported to the ICU at North Shore University Hospital late Friday evening for additional testing and to begin his recuperation. Davis, who turns 31 today, is a native of Manhassett, N.Y. where North Shore is located.
“More than anything, I just want him to be healthy,” Migliore said. “He'll get to go home to his family one day soon and be OK. It could have been a lot worse. Thank God, the Lord was looking over him and we have good people looking out for him and he's going to get good care. We would also like to thank Bob Rosenthal, who provided important guidance with the transfer to North Shore.
"Dylan has received additional scans and X-rays to track the progress of his left lung. He's still uncomfortable, but all vitals are healthy,” Migliore added. “Dylan really appreciates all the well-wishes and now he just needs to rest and continue to heal."
Davis put together an extraordinary campaign in 2024 as the leading rider on The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) circuit with 209 wins. He posted career bests in 2024 in earnings [$16.4M] and wins [213], including a Grade 1 score in the Saratoga Derby Invitational with Carson’s Run. Along the way, he topped the tables at the Aqueduct Racetrack winter meet and Belmont at the Big A fall meets, to go along with his 2022 Aqueduct winter meet title and a 2022 Year-End title at NYRA.
Davis has won 144 races this campaign for purse earnings in excess of $13 million, including Grade 1 scores with La Cara [Ashland, Acorn] and Dynamic Pricing [Just a Game].
Additionally, jockey Sahin Civaci, who was injured on Thursday here after being unseated from Despo’s Dream, sustained hairline fractures to two vertebrae per agent Mike Sellitto. Civaci will follow up with an orthopedic specialist this week.
Hall of Fame jockey Joel Rosario and Jose Gomez were injured in a November 7 race at the Big A and both are named to ride on Thursday here.
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Phileas Fogg on point for G2 Cigar Mile Handicap
Trainer Gustavo Rodriguez confirmed Saturday that Jupiter Stable’s Grade 2 Suburban presented by Subourbon-winner Phileas Fogg is on target for the Grade 2, $500,000 Cigar Mile Handicap on December 6 at Aqueduct Racetrack.
“If everything goes well, we’ll run in the Cigar Mile,” Rodriguez said. “We are happy that we didn’t go to California [for the Breeders’ Cup] – that was going to be very tough.”
Phileas Fogg was last seen finishing a three-quarter-length second to last year’s Cigar-winner Locked in the nine-furlong Grade 2 Woodward on September 27, where he set the pace in the three-horse field and was collared late by the dual Grade 1-winner. That effort saw him earn a 97 Beyer Speed Figure compared to a career-high 105 he was awarded one start prior in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup in August at Saratoga Race Course when crossing the wire third before being disqualified and unplaced.
“I’m note sure [about the Woodward] – he ran good and does every time you put in him in the gate, but they didn’t get a good Beyer,” Rodriguez said. “On the [Ragozin] sheets though, he got a big number, so I don’t know what to think of it, but he did run good.”
Phileas Fogg will cut back to a one-turn mile for the first time since a local 3 3/4-length optional claiming victory last September, and Rodriguez said he is confident the 5-year-old son of Astern will be just fine with the turnback.
“I think he’s going to be OK – he won before going one mile over Aqueduct,” Rodriguez said. “Now we just get him ready and work him again Monday. He hasn’t done anything crazy, and now we start tightening the screws.”
There will be no title defense attempt for Locked as he retired to stud at Gainesway in late October, but this year’s Cigar Mile field probables currently include Grade 2-winner Crazy Mason [Gregg Sacco] and last-out Discovery-winner Rated by Merit [Chad Brown]. Nominations for the Cigar Mile close on November 22.
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Crazy Mason works for G2 Cigar Mile
Donna Wright and Reeves Thoroughbred Racing’s Crazy Mason breezed a solo half-mile in 47.60 seconds on Saturday over the Belmont Park dirt training track and trainer Gregg Sacco confirmed he is targeting the Grade 2, $500,000 Cigar Mile Handicap on December 6, at Aqueduct Racetrack.
The 4-year-old Coal Front gray made his last two efforts at seven furlongs, including a 1 3/4-length third to Book’em Danno in the Grade 1 Forego in August at Saratoga Race Course ahead of a last-out 1 1/2-length second to Patriot Spirit in the Grade 3 Vosburgh presented by Army Mule on September 27 at Belmont at the Big A.
“Starting to tighten the screws a little bit on him,” said Sacco of the bullet work. “He had a couple of maintenance works. We gave him a breather after the Vosburgh and pointed to the Cigar Mile. We skipped the Forty Niner because we wanted him as fresh as possible going into this race to end his 4-year-old campaign. We’ve been targeting this since mid-summer.”
Crazy Mason, utilizing his typical deep-closing tactics, captured the seven-furlong Grade 2 Carter presented by NYRA Bets in April at Aqueduct Racetrack to cap a local three-race win streak, all in sprints. He exited to run a four-length third to Book’em Danno in the Grade 3 True North at the Spa, ahead of a sixth in the six-furlong Grade 1 Bing Crosby at Del Mar and his aforementioned graded placings.
Crazy Mason has made six efforts at one mile or beyond among his 17-5-3-4 record, including distant thirds in the one-mile Rocky Run as a juvenile at Delaware Park and in last year’s one-mile and 70-yard Long Branch at Monmouth Park.
“I don’t think this distance is going to be a problem for him,” Sacco said. “I think it is well within his wheelhouse. It is a little different strategically run race, but he’s so talented and so honest, whether it's a paceless race or not, he still finishes. Even in the Bing Crosby, he was rolling on a very hard track to close on at Del Mar.”
Also on the tab for Sacco was Donna Wright’s Just Beat the Odds, who covered a half-mile in 48.75. The 5-year-old Munnings gelding is possible for the Grade 3, $250,000 Elite Power, a six-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds and up on the Cigar Mile Day card.
“He may run in the sprint stakes, he worked super this morning,” said Sacco. “He’s coming off a layoff. Bruce Jackson [at Fair Hill] did a great job with him in his time off. He sent him back to us with a lot of foundation into him. Two works to go, everything has to go perfectly, but if everything goes perfectly, we’re going to run in the sprint stakes on the same day [as Cigar Mile].”
Just Beat the Odds was a last-out neck second to Surveillance sprinting six furlongs over sloppy and sealed footing on April 12 here. He previously dominated a local 6 1/2-furlong optional claimer in March and earned a career-best 103 Beyer Speed Figure. The dark bay has made one stakes attempt among 12 outings, a close second over the Elite Power course and distance in the off-the-turf 2023 Carle Place.
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Balboa possible for G2 Remsen
Balboa, recent winner of the James F. Lewis, III on November 8 at Laurel Park, could book his next bout in the Grade 2, $250,000 Remsen on December 6 at Aqueduct Racetrack. The nine-furlong route for juveniles offers 10-5-3-2-1 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top-five finishers.
Trained by Brittany Russell for SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Dianne Bashor, Determined Stables, Golconda Stable, Waves Edge Capital, and Catherine Donovan, Balboa utilized a prominent approach in the six-furlong James F. Lewis, III to post a 5 1/4-length victory over muddy and sealed footing.
The Not This Time colt made his first four starts in California for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, graduating at second asking in August at Del Mar in a 6 1/2-furlong sprint. He followed with a pair of rocky efforts in Grade 1 company when fifth in both the seven-furlong Del Mar Futurity in September and 1 1/16-mile American Pharoah in October at Santa Anita Park.
Tom Ryan of SF Racing said a change of scenery allowed Balboa to show more punch.
“He won the stakes last out at Laurel quite commandingly and he did it within himself. He's a big, powerful, strong colt that probably benefits from the faster East Coast tracks,” Ryan said. “Bob was always confident he had the ability but he struggled on the surfaces in California. His advice was to send him to Brittany and see how he'd handle faster tracks with potentially a little more moisture in them.”
The $875,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase is out of the winning War Front mare Tap of War – a full-sister to Halladay, who captured the 2020 Grade 1 Fourstardave Handicap. His second dam is dual Grade 3-winner Hightap.
“He's a beautiful colt and Not This Time has no ceiling to what they can become - they can be sprinters, milers or two turns; they can be turf or dirt,” Ryan said. “He's one of those unique stallions that seems to have all the right tools to produce good racehorses.
“We feel like he should be able to stretch out,” Ryan added. “He clearly has to step up but I'm not sure why we wouldn't give him a chance to prove himself.”
Ryan noted that while the SF Racing co-owned Imagination, recent runner-up in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint, and Privman, last out winner of the Tokyo City at Santa Anita, are nominated to the Grade 2 Cigar Mile on December 6 here, both colts are likely to point elsewhere.
“Imagination is likely to focus on next year. He's come out of the Sprint in great shape and Privman may be looking at the Pegasus,” noted Ryan of the $3 million Pegasus World Cup, a nine-furlong route on January 25 at Gulfstream Park. “We'll have to see how they train over the next couple of weeks. Privman is definitely stepping into that class of character - the distance doesn't seem to be his enemy.”
Imagination, a $1,050,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, has banked $943,700 via a 14-3-6-2 ledger. The 4-year-old Into Mischief bay, out of the Empire Maker mare Magical Feeling, cut back to six furlongs for his most recent two outings – winning the Grade 2 Santa Anita Sprint Championship in September ahead of a closing second to Bentornato in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint on November 1.
“We were probably trying to run him a little bit too far and he might be more of a seven-furlong to a mile on the outside type,” Ryan said. “He got the six [furlongs] in the Breeders' Cup prep and I thought he ran a very good race in the Breeders' Cup also.
“We always felt he had an extra gear, but we were trying to drag it out of him at a distance that probably wasn't ideal for him,” Ryan added. “You live and learn with these horses and his pedigree - Into Mischief out of an Empire Maker mare - this horse should be able to get further, but this horse doesn't really want to go past seven furlongs and his mom didn't either.”
Both colts are trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert and although they are unlikely to make the journey to New York at this time, Ryan did not want to rule out the Cigar Mile completely for Imagination.
“Options are open but it's not a likely outcome at this point. If the horse comes back into his own and shows over the next 10 days that he's feeling great, then options are always open. I never close the door on potential races because Bob is the master of calling an audible,” Ryan said.