Cicada closes out winter stakes at Aqueduct

By NY Hot List Staff | Thursday, March 17, 2022

And that’s all folks. The final stakes of a long winter at Aqueduct will take place Saturday in the form of the $100,000 Cicada Stakes for 3-year-old fillies. Though what is termed Aqueduct’s winter meet will not conclude until March 27, the arrival of spring on Sunday will indeed bring the promise of better and more exciting racing in the warmer days ahead. As for the winter finale, six is the magic number as six distaff sprinters will tangle in the six-furlong Cicada.

Here’s the Hot List picks for the Cicada Stakes:

The $100,000 Cicada, Aqueduct, Saturday, Race 9

(2) Sweet Solare (C) broke her maiden in her second try on a sloppy track at Aqueduct last month. In her debut, she ran third behind another filly that is in the Cicada field. (6) Lady Scarlet ran second in her second start behind the champion Echo Zulu at Saratoga. Later in the year, she was claimed for $150,000 when she got her maiden win at Churchill Downs. She won an allowance at Oaklawn Park in her most recent start in February. (4) Lady Milagro has plenty of early speed which she used to win a starter allowance at Aqueduct by more than seven lengths. Before that she set the pace and got third in the Ruthless but that was at seven furlongs. She is the only horse in the field with any success in a stake. (3) Exxaltress broke her maiden in her second try for Chad Brown at Aqueduct in January. She was a $350,000 2-year-old purchase.

The rest of the NY Hot List picks and the Special Saturday Pick 3 are available free of charge at this website.