Locked Vaults to Victory in Cigar Mile at the Big A

All options are open after Locked barreled down the stretch for a 1 ½-length victory in the $500,000 Cigar Mile (G2) at Aqueduct on Saturday.

The 3-year-old colt trained by Todd Pletcher sustained a ligament injury and missed the Triple Crown races after a promising 2-year-old campaign. But he returned in October, won an optional claimer by 7 ½ lengths, and now should be a force to reckon with in 2025.

Pletcher's Locked Scores in the Cigar Mile

Locked, ridden by John Velazquez, defeated a field that consisted of three Grade 1 winners in a field of 10. No doubt for horseplayers, though, as Locked went off as the 2-1 favorite and returned $6.30 on a $2 win bet.

Earlier, Posted ($11.60) won the $250,000 Remsen Stakes (G2), Muhimma ($2.80) won the $250,000 Demoiselle Stakes (G2), and Tizzy in the Sky ($8.20) won the $200,000 Go for Wand Stakes (G3).

With the win, Locked improved to 6-4-0-2 and boosted his earnings to over $900,000.

Post Time ran third, followed by Coastal Mission, Book’em Danno, Pipeline, Repo Rocks, Nelson Avenue, Senor Buscador, and Vinsanity. Law Professor was scratched.

“Even his allowance win here, six weeks ago, was brilliant; he ran fast, and now, to win a race like the Cigar as a 3-year-old, it just puts an exclamation point on what has been, unfortunately, a brief but brilliant career,” owner Aron Wellman said. “It is also unfortunate that the Cigar is not a Grade 1. I think we’d all agree that in prestige, this is a Grade 1 race, and this was a Grade 1 field today, without question.”

Velazquez Secures Fifth Cigar Mile Win with a Perfectly Timed Ride

Velazquez, who won the race for the fifth time, said: “Perfect trip. We knew it was going to be pretty speedy, and he got a good post on the outside. He didn’t break as well, so I wanted to hustle him from there and then give him a little chance in the first part of the race and in the turn. I got busy on him when I saw Prat’s horse [Mullikin] before me. I know he was quick, and I didn’t want him to open up too far, so I couldn’t catch up with him. So, I got him busy around the three-eighths pole and was right on top of him at the quarter-pole, and said, ‘Now I think I got him.’”

A bright future awaits: the Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) in January, the Saudi Cup (G1) in February, the Dubai World Cup (G1) in March, a run at Saratoga, and perhaps the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) at Del Mar.

“I’ll talk to Aron and the guys. That’s one of the things we talked about,’’ Pletcher, now a seven-time Cigar Mile winner, said of the Pegasus World Cup. “Of course, you’ve got Saudi a month after that, so we’ve got some options.’’

US Racing Team

The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.