CIGAR PLAYS TO THE CROWD : HORSE WINS 15TH STRAIGHT BEFORE ENTHUSIASTIC SUFFOLK FANS.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. Call it a mismatch, a walk in the park, a paid holiday, but Cigar's romp in the Massachusetts Handicap The Massachusetts Handicap, frequently referred to as the the "MassCap, " is a Thoroughbred horse race held at Suffolk Downs in Boston, Massachusetts. Set at a distance of one and one eighth miles, it was first held on October 16, 1935, and was won by Top Row. on Saturday was just what the fans came to see at Boston's Suffolk Downs Suffolk Downs, a thoroughbred race track in East Boston, Massachusetts, United States opened in 1935. Famous horses that have raced at this track include Seabiscuit, Whirlaway and Cigar. The MassCap is held there, as well at the annual Hot Dog Safari. . ``He's the world's racing ambassador and we're proud of him,'' Madeleine Paulson, wife of owner Allen Paulson, said after the 6-year-old Cigar won the MassCap for his 15th straight victory, one shy of the modern-day North American North American named after North America. North American blastomycosis see North American blastomycosis. North American cattle tick see boophilusannulatus. record held by Citation, the 1948 Triple Crown winner. ``I've never seen a crowd so with it,'' Paulson said. ``The thank yous, you just can't believe. I think we made a right choice coming back here.'' Last year's MassCap was the seventh victory in Cigar's winning streak. The cheering started when Cigar, racing for the first time since his dramatic victory in 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, on March 27, walked down the track and it didn't stop until he returned to his barn after the race. The loudest roar from the crowd of 22,169 - Suffolk Downs' largest turnout since July 4, 1966 - came when Cigar, sitting third under Jerry Bailey with a half-mile remaining, suddenly shot into the lead past Will to Reign and Prolanzier. It was Cigar's decision. ``He took me to the lead,'' Bailey said. ``I never asked him.'' When Cigar got the lead, the race was over. Cigar loped into a four-length margin over Personal Merit with an eighth of a mile remaining, but with Cigar being hand-ridden, Personal Merit was 2-1/4 back at the finish. The time for the 1-1/8 miles was 1:49 3/5. Prolanzier finished 10-1/4 lengths behind Personal Merit and was followed home by Hogan's Goat, Northern Ensign and Will to Reign. ``I tried to stay close to the front and then make a strong move toward the finish,'' said Julio Pezua, rider of Personal Merit. ``I just couldn't get up to (Cigar). He's such a nice horse. He's just too nice a horse.'' ``He started to reel them in down the backstretch back·stretch n. The part of an oval racecourse farthest from the spectators and opposite the homestretch. when he wanted to,'' said Bill Mott, Cigar's trainer. ``This race showed us he was back and hopefully he has another one in him.'' Cigar will try to match Citation's record in the 1-1/8-mile Hollywood Gold Cup The Hollywood Gold Cup is a Grade I stakes race for thoroughbred horses inaugurated in 1938 at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California. It was run as a handicap race until 1997 when it was switched to weight-for-age conditions. on June 30 at Hollywood Park. Filly headed for Belmont: My Flag will try to emulate her father, Easy Goer, when she challenges males in the Belmont Stakes on Saturday. ``As things stand now, if she comes out of the work all right and has a good week, she'll run,'' trainer Shug McGaughey said after the daughter of the 1989 Belmont winner breezed five-eighths of a mile in 1:00.19, going the last three-eighths in an impressive 35.21 seconds. My Flag, winner of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies The Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies is a 1 1/16-mile thoroughbred horse race on dirt (although the distance has varied, depending on the configuration of the host track) for two-year-old fillies run annually since 1984 at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part at Belmont Park and the Ashland at Keeneland this year, would be only the 20th filly to run in the Belmont. Breeders' Cup on move? Time is running out on the Ontario Jockey Club in its efforts to play host to the Breeders' Cup races in Canada, with labor officials unwilling to bend in a dispute with racing authorities. The races have been scheduled for 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 , but that's one of the days, along with the day before, that the Ontario Federation of Labor plans to protest Ontario Premier Mike Harris' policies. Harris' Conservative party is holding its annual convention that weekend. With the OFL OFL Ontario Federation of Labour OFL Off Line OFL Overall Foreign Loss OFL Out For Lunch Ofl Opaque Flecks in Lens OFL Office of Freight Logistics OFL Over Fill Launch (multimode cable LANs) OFL Open Font License protest and the OJC's own labor problems with 700 locked-out pari-mutuel ticket sellers, Breeders' Cup management fears the smooth running of the event would be jeopardized. It's expected that Breeders' Cup officials will make a decision early next week, with Churchill Downs or Gulfstream Park as the likely alternative. CAPTION(S): Photo, Box Photo: Cigar charges to the finish line in the Massach usetts Handicap. Associated Press Box: THOROUGH WINNING STREAKS |
|
||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion