Cigar Mile on Radar for Dirt Mile Runner-Up Post Time

Hillwood Stable's Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) runner-up Post Time resumed training Nov. 7 at Fair Hill Training Center, and if he continues to train well, he could race next in the Dec. 7 Cigar Mile Handicap (G2) at Aqueduct Racetrack, trainer Brittany Russell said. A 4-year-old gray and/or roan son of Frosted, Post Time finished 1 1/2 lengths behind upset winner Full Serrano (ARG) in the Nov. 2 Dirt Mile at Del Mar, his third grade 1 placing this year to go along with stakes wins in the General George Stakes (G3), Polynesian Stakes, and Jennings Stakes at Laurel Park and Carter Stakes (G2) at Aqueduct. He also ran second in the Metropolitan Handicap (G1) and third in the Whitney Stakes (G1), both at Saratoga Race Course. "With how he's doing right now it's kind of hard to really stop on him. I feel like we've taken pretty good care to space his races and things like that. It's up to him. That's kind of how we've gone with him all year," Russell said. "We got lucky, and he handled everything pretty well, and he kind of asked for the next step." Post Time has two wins—the Polynesian and Jennings—and three seconds in five tries at one mile and has raced twice at Aqueduct, following his Carter victory with a runner-up finish in the May 3 Westchester Stakes (G3). "(The Cigar Mile) is five weeks from his last one and the way he seemed to have traveled home, we're going to keep that on our radar and certainly consider it," Russell said. "And if we have to sit and wait, he'll get whatever he needs. It's going to be up to him. We're just going to see how he trains and go from there." Post Time became a fan favorite and social media darling during the Breeders' Cup for his good looks and personality, which regularly sees him active and playful both before and after his morning exercise. "He's just entertaining. He's pure entertainment, and he knows everybody's looking at him. He loves that," Russell said. "Besides his quirks in the morning, it was like pretty stress-free. He's just good, so it was a little bit less of a worry for me. Once Emma (Wolfe) survived getting him to the racetrack every day it was fine." Already the richest horse the 35-year-old Russell has trained since going out on her own in 2018, Post Time became her first millionaire following the Dirt Mile. He earned $170,000 for second, pushing his bankroll to $1,167,910. "How about that," Russell said. "Now I need to get him to $2 million."