BAILEY HOPES CIGAR CAN REGAIN FORM.Byline: Associated Press Associated Press: see news agency. Associated Press (AP) Cooperative news agency, the oldest and largest in the U.S. and long the largest in the world. OK, so he lost, but he's still the same Cigar in the opinion of jockey Jerry Bailey. ``Unless I miss my guess, you're going to see the great horse you saw a year ago, six months ago,'' said Bailey, who will ride Cigar in the Woodward today at Belmont. The 6-year-old horse will be trying to rebound from the second-place finish Noun 1. second-place finish - a finish in second place (as in a race) runner-up finish finish - designated event that concludes a contest (especially a race); "excitement grew as the finish neared"; "my horse was several lengths behind at the finish"; "the that snapped his 16-race winning streak Noun 1. winning streak - a streak of wins streak, run - an unbroken series of events; "had a streak of bad luck"; "Nicklaus had a run of birdies" . Bailey, however, said it crossed his mind that Cigar has lost something. ``He's had a lot of miles, a lot of races,'' Bailey said of the horse who has raced a total of 15 times at eight tracks in 1995 and this year, including the Dubai World Cup The Dubai World Cup is a Thoroughbred horse race held annually since 1996 at the Nad Al Sheba Racecourse in the city of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The race is operated through the Emirates Horse Racing Authority (EHRA) whose Chairman is Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in the United Arab Emirates United Arab Emirates, federation of sheikhdoms (2005 est. pop. 2,563,000), c.30,000 sq mi (77,700 sq km), SE Arabia, on the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. . ``But I was on him yesterday morning (a 5-furlong workout in 1:00 4/5) and he felt pretty good. That (Cigar's form being off) won't be foremost in my mind or in the back of my mind.'' Cigar was made the 2-5 early favorite Thursday to beat five rivals in the 1-1/8-mile Woodward, one of three stakes on the first day of Super Stakes Weekend. In the other two stakes today, Mecke, the Arlington Million winner, will head a field of eight grass runners in the 1-3/8-mile Man o'War, and the tough Serena's Song will oppose six other fillies and mares in the 1 1/16-mile Ruffian Handicap. There also will be three stakes Sunday - the Futurity for 2-year-old males, the Matron for 2-year-old fillies and the Jerome for 3-year-olds. As for Cigar's second-place finish, 3-1/2 lengths behind Dare and Go in the 1-1/4-mile Pacific Classic on Aug. 10 at Del Mar, Bailey said, ``It would be a shame if people thought any less of him. It was the circumstances he got involved in, circumstances beyond Cigar's control.'' Cigar chased Siphon siphon (sī`fən, –fŏn), tube through which a liquid is lifted over an elevation by the pressure of the atmosphere and is then emptied at a lower level. , a front-runner, through a half-mile in 45 4/5 and three quarters in 1:09 1/5, with Dramatic Gold pressing Cigar on his flank. ``When do I back off?'' said Bailey, who did not want Siphon to steal away on the lead. ``It was my idea that a half-mile would be enough to soften him up and then I'd back off. It was the decision of (jockey Corey) Nakatani to pressure me on the backside.'' Cigar took the lead briefly in the upper stretch but could not hold off the stretch-running Dare and Go and suffered his first defeat since finishing third in his last start on the grass, Oct. 7, 1994, at Belmont. Three of his 16 consecutive wins were in the 1995 Woodward, Jockey Club Gold Cup The Jockey Club Gold Cup, established in 1919, is a prestigious thoroughbred flat race open to horses of either gender three-years-old and up. It is typically the main event of the fall meeting at Belmont Park, just as the Belmont Stakes is of the spring meeting and the Travers and Breeders' Cup Classic The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade 1 Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3 years old and older run at a distance of 1ΒΌ miles (2012 m) on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup. at Belmont. He is to conclude his career in the Jockey Club Gold Cup on Oct. 5 and the Breeders' Cup Classic on Oct. 26 at Woodbine woodbine, name for several vines, among them honeysuckle and Virginia creeper. woodbine Any of many species of vines belonging to various flowering-plant families, especially the Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia, family Vitaceae) of . The second choice to Cigar is 9-2 L'Carriere, third in the Dubai World Cup and winner of the Saratoga Cup Handicap on Aug. 25. Next at 6-1 is Smart Strike, unbeaten in three starts this year - including the Iselin Handicap on Aug. 25 at Monmouth - and winner of six of seven career starts. Completing the field will be Eltish, Petionville and Golden Larch. Each starter will carry 126 pounds in the $500,000 weight-for-age stakes. |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion