Not since the days of the great Skip Away has a handicap horse boasted a lengthy streak of starts in big-money stakes from coast-to-coast like Congaree, the heavy favorite for today’s Grade 1, $350,000 Cigar Mile at the Big A. The Cigar is the highlight of the Thanksgiving weekend HolidayFest at Aqueduct that also features the Demoiselle and Remsen on the undercard.
Dating back more than 2½ years to the Wood Memorial, right here in April of ’01, Congaree has run in 19 straight graded stakes, including 11 Grade 1s and seven Grade 2s. The 5-year-old son of Arazi has won nine of them, none more impressive than his 51/2-length romp in last year’s Cigar Mile in 1:33, just three ticks off Easy Goer’s track record.
In fact, although Congaree is based in trainer Bob Baffert’s southern California barn, he’s a horse for the course at the Big A. His 3-for-3 slate here includes the Wood Memorial and the Carter Handicap last April.
“He’s pretty durable,” Baffert said, “and he’s a neat horse to be around. He loves humans.”
Congaree, who’s banked more than $3 million despite several physical setbacks, is coming off a courageous losing effort in the mile-and-a-quarter Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita, where he dueled with Medaglia d’Oro through blazing fractions and still held on for fourth.
“I didn’t want to see that scenario,” Baffert said. “You have to just sit on him, and you can’t try to move him early. He’s so tough at a mile [four starts, three wins]. When you talk about the best milers of all time, he’s got to be right up there.”
Congaree is reunited with jockey Jerry Bailey, who goes into today’s card with 67 stakes wins this year, one short of the single-season record set by Mike Smith in 1994. Bailey has ridden Congaree six times, winning four with a second and a third.
“I always have more confidence when Bailey is riding,” Baffert said.
Bailey could tie or surpass Smith’s mark before the Cigar, as he rides Ashado in the Demoiselle for 2-year-old fillies and Read the Footnotes in the Remsen for 2-year-old colts. Both Grade 2 races are run at a mile-and-an-eighth for a $200,000 purse.