The Cigar Mile and an Ave Maria - A Review

B"H

THE RACE

The Cigar Mile Hcp
d. 8 furlongs (1 mile)
s. Dirt
q. Horses aged 3+
p. $670,000
Aqueduct Racetrack, NYC

Ran since 1988 as the NYRA Mile, renamed in '97.

THE HORSE

Cigar
s. Palace Music
d. Solar Slew
s. Stallion
f. 1990
r. 33: 19 - 4 - 5
e. $9, 999, 815

Not actually named after the tobacco product we do-so adore. Cigar's damshire was Seattle Slew. (Unrelated tid-bits.)

THE CIGAR

Ave Maria Reconquista
7 x 54 Belicoso
w. Brazilian Habano Oscuro

b. Nicaragua Habano Ligero
f. Esteli Habano/Condega Habano/Jalapa Habano

Tabacalera Fernandez, Nicaragua

“This is a cigar you could easily pay $8 apiece for.” - Nestor Plasencia

"I see what you did there." Me

THE CIGAR(s) RETROSPECTIVE

Connect hits by a head over Divining Rod, I clip the cap off maybe my favorite AJ Fernandez blend. I had Connect, I did. No big whoop, he went off as the 3/2 favorite in a field of ponies none of which had yet to garner their first GrI win. Cold pull is straight zetz, but less spice, per se, and more just flavor. Waxy green vegetal/bell pepper, espresso, cocoa, a sharp oak, sweet and warm spice rack, leather, and prune. Draw resistance is an in-my-wheelhouse medium+. Cold finish is quite vegetal on my palate.

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"I was concerned because he hadn't had a recent race under his belt, but I know how much heart this horse has and how competitive he is, and he really showed a lot of heart today," said trainer Chad Brown. "It's very rewarding to see a horse that shows you so much promise since they're an unraced 2-year-old really turn out to be what you thought they could be. A 3-year-old beating olders in a race like this is a very high mark on his resume."

Toasting the foot is a woodsy and leathery aroma'd affair. Backed closely by peppery spices. First hot pull showcases those spices, in an interesting manner: black pepper, sure. But the driving force is green pepper. What I just mentioned is the heightened middling. Up-top is espresso and cocoa. Underneath, and also high, is a quite interesting earthy note. Second hottie is a retro-hale of warm and sweet spice rack and pepper-play. Once it falls to the palate, there is a healthy dose on oak and plum-to-prune. Leather mingles with earth and is sorta a barnyard replete with saddle. Third hottie is on a bit less draw resistance, I'll say medium. Delivered is a reinforcement of flavors and a tick more cream.

What made Mr. Brown point Connect thisaway was two-fold: he felt the boy needed his rest after a rough Pennsylvania Derby, and was wry of the similarly scheduled Clark Handicap's two turns. Flavor-wise, oak is a complex note -- at once seasoned and green, as in alive. Perhaps it's a loaned vibe from the green pepper. No new flavors to mention, but some new occurrences within. At times, the flavors, such as oak, are nearly too complex, and take a moment to sit with. A bit of a puzzle, really. The plum-to-prune too has a bit of raisin which gets to the oak and voila!: wine cask. There are paler fruit vibes, as well. Black pepper is interesting, as it is never a solo act, instead a duo with green peppers and perhaps a dash of red. Red and black are finely ground and green is fresh produce -- it takes a bit to cue in yer palate here.

A new fruit-based sweetness hits the cream. It does so after I place the stick to burn in my $0.99 Walmart tray for a good two minutes and it remains ready with a smooth pull. Great construction/combustion: check. Espresso gets a tick of caramelized sugar and somewhat mimics Cuban coffee. Cocoa is a semi-sweet thing with a bit of new and toasted cream. Red pepper dalliance subdues. Retro-hale is a must here. Oak is on full display there. Down the backstretch, Connect, son of Curlin, settled toward forward mid-pack as Threefiveindia and Anchor Down went out-front. A bit behind were Realm and Divining Rod.

Connect and the newly blinker'd Diving Rod fired at the same time. Connect on the outside. Turning for home, D-Rod had a brief lead. By the 3/16th pole the two were neck-and-neck. "You have to ride a little bit, you have to be focused and ride aggressive, and I tried to pass the other horse," Connect's jock Javier Castellano said. "He fought all the way to the end." His ride covered the mile in 1:34.34 and paid unimaginative handicappers like myself a fiver. 

Some still toasty vegetal in the form of a waxy green bell pepper gets under my tongue. No big whoop -- swish. Retro-hale adds a smoky toast to the profile, and also keeps the moisture level quite nice on the mouth. Ash seems to be rebuilding now in a sheath of pale grey. Smoke is pure white again. finish is long and clean and of creamy complexities of the sweeter draw notes (as it ever was). I purge to not miss a curtsy -- and I don't. Very Werther's Original is the final bow.

The remaining order of finish featured Realm in faraway show over War Story. Anchor Down, Threefiveindia, Tale of S'avall, Economic Model, Mylute, and last and least (on Saturday) Ocean Knight. This write-up featured my own previously published words, used with my express written permission, from a March 29, 2016 review of this Reconquista. I smoked it again as I wrote this entry. It holds its consistency well, doth this blend. Too, I have smoked one or two in-between. If you'd like to read the review in its entirety, ya can find the whole megillah HERE.

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