Poster joins Kentucky Derby leaderboard in weekend horse racing

Dec. 9 (UPI) -- Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks candidates were in action from coast to coast in weekend horse racing while a new force emerged among the older runners in the Cigar Mile.

Without further ado ...

The Road to the Roses

Poster remained undefeated and jumped right onto the "Road to the Kentucky Derby" leaderboard, while holding off Aviator Gui by a nose at the finish of Saturday's $250,000 Grade II Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct.

The Munnings colt, a Godolphin homebred, started last of six under Flavien Prat, closed to take a daylight lead in the stretch and had just enough. The favorite, Keewaydin, led briefly before tiring to finish fifth.

Poster, trained by Eoin Harty, ran 1 1/8 miles on a fast track in 1:50.37. The 10 points put him in a five-way tie for fifth on the Churchill Downs Derby list.

Also: As Oaklawn Park's season fired up, Kale's Angel made his first start on dirt a winning one in Friday's $150,000 Advent Stakes. Trained by Peter Miller, the son of Complexity made his first four starts on dirt in California. Cutting back from 1 mile on the green, he won by 5 3/4 lengths in 1:04.40.

"I don't know how far he'll go," Miller said. "But he'll get there fast."

Donut God opened a clear lead in Saturday's $125,000 Inaugural at Tampa Bay Downs and held on to win the 6-furlong test by 3/4 length from Naughty Rascal. ... Tony Eclipse stalked and pounced to win Saturday's $100,000 Maryland Juvenile for state-breds at Laurel Park by 3 3/4 lengths over Sexton.

The Road to the Oaks

Muhimma passed a class and distance test with ease in Saturday's $250,000 Grade II Demoiselle at Aqueduct.

An easy winner in two previous one-turn starts, the Munnings filly took an early lead in the 1 1/8-mile Demoiselle and held well to win by 1 length from Ballerina d'Oro. Florent Geroux had the reins for trainer Brad Cox and owner Shadwell Stable.

Cox has a barnful of hot 2-year-old fillies, including undefeated Breeders' Cup winner Immersive.

"We've been put in a good position with fillies that have responded and now our job is to turn the page on this year and try to execute next year," he said.

Tenma dueled with Look Forward through most of Saturday's $200,000 Grade II Starlet at Los Alamitos before edging away to win by 1 3/4 lengths over that one. It was another 9 lengths to the favorite, Vodka With a Twist, in third.

Tenma, a Nyquist filly, was one of three in the seven-horse field trained by Bob Baffert. The others, Mawu and Nooni, reported fourth and fifth.

Tenma ran 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:44.16 with Juan Hernandez up. She's 3-for-4 with the other wins, including the Grade I Del Mar Debutante.

"It's great to win the Starlet again," said Baffert, who won for the eighth straight year. "She took a step back after Del Mar, so that's why we decided to pass the Breeders' Cup."

Also: Sunset Grazen held a pressured lead most of the way through Saturday's $75,000 Golden Gate Debutante at Pleasanton and held on to win by a head .... Mrs Worldwide inched clear late to capture Saturday's $125,000 Sandpiper at Tampa Bay Downs by 1/2 length over Hollygrove .... Caprice led most of the way to a 1 1/2-length win in Saturday's $100,000 Maryland Juvenile Filly for state-breds at Laurel Park.

Classic / Dirt Mile

Locked, always promising, but absent from competition most of the year, served notice in Saturday's $500,000 Cigar Mile at Aqueduct that he's the real deal.

The 4-year-old Gun Runner colt raced near the back of the field early under John Velazquez, advanced around rivals into the turn and got clear to win by 1 1/2 lengths over Mullikin, finishing in 1:34.52.

He won the 2023 Grade I Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland last October and finished third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile before going to the sidelines for nearly a year. He won his return engagement at Aqueduct on Oct. 19 by 7 1/2 lengths.

Trainer Todd Pletcher said Locked's early-season setback "was unfortunate timing because I think that the way some of the Triple Crown races set up this year would have suited him really well, but that's the way it goes sometimes."

He said the Grade I Pegasus at Gulfstream Park is a possible target and then, "Of course you've got Saudi a month after that, so we've got some options."

Senor Buscador, winner of February's $20,000 Grade I Saudi Cup, and Book'em Danno, second to Forever Young in the Grade III Saudi Derby on the same card, both stumbled out of the gate in the Cigar Mile and finished ninth and fifth, respectively.

Get Smokin got goin' early in Saturday's $135,000 Valedictory on the Woodbine all-weather course and didn't stop, winning by 3 3/4 lengths. The 7-year-old Get Stormy gelding toured 1 1/2 miles in 2:31.64.

Distaff

Tizzy in the Sky stalked the pace in Saturday's $200,000 Grade III Go for Wand Stakes at Aqueduct, took the lead in the lane and held off the odds-on favorite, Occult, for a 1/2-length victory.

A 5-year-old Sky Kingdom mare trained by Todd Pletcher, Tizzy in the Sky scored her first stakes win and fifth overall. Flavien Prat rode, getting the 1 mile on a fast track in 1:35.64.

Turf

In American racing, 2 miles on the turf often is an invitation to an upset, and so it was in Saturday's $115,000 H. Allen Jerkens at Gulfstream.

Lord Eddard Stark, at 60-1, came with a late run in the final strides to catch odds-on favorite Utah Beach and win by a head. The 6-year-old got his first stakes win in his 29th career start.

Sprint

Happy Is a Choice overcame traffic issues to win Saturday's $150,000 Ring the Bell Stakes at Oaklawn Park by a neck over Gulfport. The 4-year-old Runhappy gelding got 6 furlongs in 1:11.78 with Ramon Vazquez up for John Ortiz.