Xchanger Looking to Smoke Cigar Mile

The $300,000 Cigar Mile (gr. 1) is being held at Aqueduct this Saturday, Nov. 24.  (AI Wire Image)

On the card will be Xchanger, Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner Midnight Lute and Tasteyville, a notably improving horse.

Xchanger had originally been considered for the $100,000 Discovery Handicap (gr. 3) which is also being held this Saturday at Aqueduct. The horse had already won two Grade 3 races this year, however trainer Mark Shuman decided to make the switch to the Grade 1 race. "I figured to win another Grade 3 won't do anything for the value of the horse." he said.

In the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, Xchanger’s last race, he finished sixth, 34 lengths behind the race winner, Corinthian. This was mostly attributed to the extremely sloppy track and the amount of mud being kicked up in his face. 

"We had the outside (post) there and we had to duck over to the rail, and he was climbing all over the place as soon as that mud pelted him in the face," said Shuman. "He didn't try very much. He was very tough to cool out after the race; he was very full of himself. It was just bad luck that day the way the racetrack came up.''

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