Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners' Aloha West will not race Dec. 4 in the Cigar Mile Handicap (G1) at Aqueduct Racetrack, instead focusing on a 2022 campaign.
The Qatar Racing Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) winner trained by Wayne Catalano was mentioned as possible for the Cigar Mile, but Eclipse president and founder Aron Wellman said Nov. 27 he is not interested in shipping and running the colt in close proximity to the Nov. 6 Sprint. Aloha West worked Nov. 24 at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.
"The horse always comes first and we don't want to ask too much of him. He debuted in February and won the Breeders' Cup Sprint in November. We don't want to compromise what we anticipate being a huge season in 2022 by traveling and running again in such close proximity. We have no plans at this time other than to hopefully work our way backwards from next year's Breeders' Cup," Wellman said.
The Hard Spun 4-year-old rallied from sixth at the eighth pole in the Breeders' Cup Sprint to beat Dr. Schivel by a nose at the wire.
Bred by Robert Manfuso and Katharine Voss, Aloha West has won five of nine starts with earnings of $1,311,068. He was a $160,000 purchase by Ben Glass, agent for Gary and Mary West, from Nursery Place's 2018 Keeneland September Yearling Sale consignment, and raced for the Wests for his first two starts before he was acquired by Eclipse.
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