What we learned: True Timber bests suspect Cigar Mile field

Finally, True Timber won the Cigar Mile (G1) at Aqueduct for trainer Jack Sisterson after failing in his previous two attempts. The win marks a career highlight for this 6-year-old horse. In 28 previous starts, he had never won a Grade 1 race before.

With that said, True Timber did enjoy a nice trip against suspect horses.

To start off, True Timber settled into a nice outside stalking position in third, right behind the two dueling leaders, Mr. Buff and King Guillermo.

Watch True Timber travel in the clear in between the front and middle.

Mr. Buff led narrowly through fractions of 22.89 and 45.82.

On paper, Mr. Buff’s graded stakes record was horrendous, without a single top-four finish in five tries. It made sense to expect a fade from him. As for King Guillermo, he brought overall fitness questions into the race off the long layoff (yet, he was admittedly the blog's top selection, ahead of Performer and True Timber).

True Timber only had to pass an outclassed New York-bred and a horse with either soundness or fitness issues, and he ran up alongside those two on the turn and took the lead. At the top of the stretch, True Timber found himself alone up front in the Cigar Mile.

Where was Performer? He had shown promise in his six career starts with five wins and one third, but never attempted a Grade 1 before. As Mr. Buff continually shows, sometimes horses sense when they step up to a higher level of competition.  

Performer made a move under Joel Rosario to tip outside on the turn. But once in the clear and properly set up for a final punch, he could not even pass Snapper Sinclair. The turn of foot went missing.

True Timber had one more gear to show in the stretch anyway, and he powered home to a 5 1/2-length win over Snapper Sinclair in second, with Performer crossing the wire a disappointing third.  

Another 5 3/4 lengths behind Performer, a short King Guillermo hung around long enough to pass Mr. Buff and finish ahead of him by 2 1/4 lengths for fourth. Bon Raison was 4 3/4 lengths behind Mr. Buff and a well-beaten last. Overall, 19 1/4 lengths separated the winner True Timber and Bon Raison, which is decent for a short-sized field. 

But who exactly did True Timber beat?

Performer, King Guillermo and Mr. Buff all brought questions into the race, and all three of them backed up those doubts. Given his age, it is more likely that True Timber hit the peak of his career against moderate Grade 1 competition rather than setting the table for a huge 2021 season.

True Timber earned a 123 TimeformUS Speed Figure for the win, which is also moderate at this level or even slow, considering the prestige of the Cigar Mile.

Snapper Sinclair is a nice horse to follow at the Grade 2 or 3 level. In Grade 1 races, he is not necessarily out of place as another runner who can pick up a check, but he is a step below what it takes to win.

Performer deserves another shot at the Grade 1 level. Although connections always use this excuse when their horse loses, perhaps he did not handle the track well.

King Guillermo performed like a horse in need of more races. He gets pace credit for running with Mr. Buff early on, but ultimately the lack of conditioning hurt.

Brooklyn Strong upsets Ten for Ten in Remsen Stakes

Is it possible that next year’s Kentucky Derby also features a major New York-bred contender? Brooklyn Strong threw his hat onto the Kentucky Derby trail with a win in the Remsen Stakes (G2), starting his journey on a long and demanding road.  

Brooklyn Strong took the race in impressive fashion by mowing down the unexpected favorite Ten for Ten, who started the race at 6-5.  

The race began with Ten for Ten securing the lead. Pickin’ Time ran along in second, while morning line favorite Known Agenda took the pocket position in third.

Brooklyn Strong was right outside of Erawan and Known Agenda in fourth.

After an opening quarter in 23.67 and half-mile in 47.86, Ten for Ten tried to widen his lead on the turn and put about three lengths on the field at one point. However, Brooklyn Strong started to move as well and went to the attack at the top of the stretch.

Jockey Jose Ortiz made a good move in shifting Ten for Ten to the right in order to meet Brooklyn Strong in the eye. But after a brief fight between the two horses, it did not matter as Brooklyn Strong took a narrow advantage toward the wire and won by a neck over Ten for Ten.

With that said, Ten for Ten separated himself by 8 3/4 lengths from the third-place Known Agenda. Between Known Agenda and Pickin’ Time was another 8 1/4 lengths.

Brooklyn Strong and Ten for Ten both ran fast, with the former earning a 113 TimeformUS Speed Figure and the latter a 114 figure because of the pace credit.

On wet dirt at least, these are two talented 2-year-olds to watch. Before trusting in them completely, though, see if they can perform in a similar fashion on fast dirt.

Malathaat overcomes adversity in slow Demoiselle Stakes

Brooklyn Strong took the Remsen in 1:50.60, which is a good nine-furlong time for a developing 2-year-old colt. In contrast, Malathaat went on to capture the Demoiselle Stakes (G2) later in the card for 2-year-old fillies in a slow 1:52.36.

Nevertheless, Malathaat is one to watch in this division after overcoming traffic and surface-handling issues to capture the major filly race on the card.

Here is a recap of Malathaat’s troubled trip.

Malathaat takes up the pocket position on the first turn behind her stablemate Traffic Lane and lightly bumps the presser Millefeuille.

As they straighten out on the far side, Malathaat starts to run awkwardly and loses some ground. Watch how Malibu Curl passes for third, while Malathaat is urged by jockey John Velazquez.

On the second turn, Traffic Lane fades on the inside, creating a lack of room for a struggling Malathaat. If Malathaat possesses any run at this point, she needs to wait longer before making that move.

At the top of the stretch, Malathaat tips out, but Millefeuille already held a three-length advantage after putting away Traffic Lane and separating herself from the field.

With no mud in her face, Malathaat makes up the difference quickly and mows down Millefeuille for the victory to win by 3/4 of a length.

Malathaat earned a 98 TimeformUS Speed Figure, while Millefeuille picked up a 99 on TimeformUS because of pace credit.

As for the slow time and speed figures, those are mild concerns for now. Malathaat looks capable of a 100+ TimeformUS figure, but the traffic and wet dirt hampered her effort. Expect Malathaat to improve with this experience, as well as Millefeuille.