THE headline race in the US tonight is the Grade 1 Cigar Mile at Aqueduct, the final Grade 1 of the year on the east coast.

Seven of its eight starters are seeking a first Grade 1 win and the four-year-old Independence Hall heads the betting.

He has always threatened to be a high-class horse and impressed last time out in winning the Grade 2 Fayette Stakes beating Code Of Honor by over seven lengths in that nine-furlong contest.

Todd Pletcher’s Following Sea looks the main danger as the winner of the Grade 2 Vosburgh Stakes two starts back, and he was then third in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint in November, both at a six furlongs distance.

The son of Runhappy was promoted to second via disqualification in the Grade 1 Haskell Stakes though he was over 18 lengths behind the winner.

The Richard Baltas-trained Ginobili, a four-year-old son of Munnings, won the Grade 2 Pat O’Brien Stakes and was second to Life Is Good in the Grade 1 Big Ass Fans Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile.

Code Of Honor is the only Grade 1 winner in the field through wins in the 2019 Runhappy Travers Stakes and the Jockey Club Gold Cup. The five-year-old has started four times in 2021 with just one win.

The card also contains two good juvenile races in the Grade 2 Remsen and Demoiselle Stakes.

There is Grade 1 juvenile fillies contest at Los Alamitos with Bob Baffert supplying the favourite Grace Adler.

The Curlin filly impressed when winning the Grade 1 Debutante Stakes at Del Mar by over 11 lengths in September but was a disappointing fifth of seven last time in the Grade 2 Chandelier Stakes at Santa Anita on October 1st.

Baffert also saddles the second favourite Eda, has won back-to-back stakes races at Santa Anita and Del Mar.