CIGAR STAYS HOT : THRILLING VICTORY IN DUBAI IS HIS 14TH IN A ROW.Byline: Kevin Modesti Daily News Staff Writer Hundreds of L.A. horse-racing fans sacrificed sleep to watch Cigar take on the world Wednesday morning and were richly rewarded - some more richly than others. Packed beneath the Santa Anita Santa Anita may refer to:
``This is what racing is all about!'' said Gary Garrigan, an Arcadia tax accountant, moments after the 1995 North American North American named after North America. North American blastomycosis see North American blastomycosis. North American cattle tick see boophilusannulatus. horse of the year completed his first overseas victory in a neck-and-neck stretch duel with Soul of the Matter. Garrigan arrived at Santa Anita at 6:15 a.m., about 45 minutes before the race began. ``I work hard all day during tax season. I'm not going to have any pleasure between now and the 15th,'' the fan said. ``I said, `I'm going to do something for myself, come and watch a couple of great horses.' '' Garrigan said he bet exactas and trifectas linking Cigar with the other two U.S. horses, and cashed most of his tickets when L'Carriere came in third. Cigar paid $2.60 to win in U.S. betting, the exacta ex·act·a n. A method of betting, as on a horserace, in which the bettor must correctly pick those finishing in the first and second places in precisely that sequence. Also called perfecta. $15.80 and the trifecta tri·fec·ta n. A system of betting in which the bettor must pick the first three winners in the correct sequence. Also called triple. [tri- + (per)fecta.] $64.60 for a $2 wager. Santa Anita reported that $62,493 was wagered on the race at the Arcadia track, and another $59,437 at its Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, satellites. Nationwide, more than $1.6 million was reported to be wagered on the world's richest thoroughbred race, led by nearly $400,000 in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of . Other than Soul of the Matter bettors, almost everybody at Santa Anita was a Cigar aficionado Cigar Aficionado is an American magazine that is dedicated to the world of cigars. Published since September 1992, the magazine is known for its articles about different brands of cigars worldwide, and for the celebrities that have appeared on its cover. by the end of the race, judging by the number of cheers and upraised fists. The Santa Anita fans even applauded when Bailey lifted his helmet skyward sky·ward adv. & adj. At or toward the sky. sky  wards adv. as breeder-owner Allen Paulson led Cigar toward a winner's-circle ceremony presided over by white-robed Arab sheik. En route to his 14th consecutive victory, and a North American thoroughbred earnings record, Cigar slipped in the sand at the start and had to fight off Soul of the Matter and jockey Gary Stevens
Soul of the Matter, the lone Californian in the international field of 11, had rallied from last and appeared ready to blow past Cigar when he put his head in front as the two horses entered the final 100 yards. But Cigar, closer to the rail, seemed to will himself to victory. The half-length victory was the 6-year-old's narrowest since the start of his streak, which includes nine major races, among them victories in the 1995 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. and the 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 1¼ 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 Park Noun 1. Belmont Park - a racetrack for thoroughbred racing in Elmont on Long Island; site of the Belmont Stakes Belmont Elmont - a town on Long Island in New York; site of Belmont Park . ``Nobody was going by me even if we went around again,'' Bailey said at Nad Al Sheba Racecourse Nad Al Sheba Racecourse is a Thoroughbred horse racing facility in Dubai, United Arab Emirates opened in 1986. It has a 2,200 meter left handed dirt race track and a left handed turf course of the same distance. , the narrow tri-oval that hosted the first-ever Dubai World Cup. Cigar earned $2.4 million, raising his career earnings to $7,669,815, passing John Henry and Alysheba on the all-time list. Second place was worth $800,000 to Soul of the Matter breeder-owner Burt Bacharach. Said Stevens: ``My horse showed so much courage, I don't think I've ever been as proud of a horse in defeat. I was truly surprised that Cigar found another gear in the last eighth.'' At Santa Anita, one of the faces in the crowd was Chris Baker, assistant to trainer Richard Mandella, who was in Dubai with Soul of the Matter. ``I think I aged three years watching that race,'' Baker said, his hand on his chest. ``I thought we had him (Cigar). We got up eyeball-to-eyeball . . . and Cigar did what great horses do.'' Cigar, carrying 125 pounds, was clocked in 2:03.84, a fast time on that deep, sandy racetrack. Behind New York-based L'Carriere and jockey Jorge Chavez, the rest of the world's representatives showed they're no match for U.S. horses on anything resembling a dirt oval. Pentire, who had been competitive with the top European horses on turf, finished fourth. The other European contender, Needle Gun, came in seventh. Japan's Lively Mount, an early leader, faded to sixth, and Australia's Danewin was 10th. Considering that Dubai's burgeoning racing industry exists almost entirely for the amusement of the ruling Maktoum family - there is no betting at Nad Al Sheba - the performance of the Maktoum-owned horses had to be embarrassing: They came in fifth (Tamayaz, under Chris McCarron), eighth (Torrential), ninth (Larrocha) and last (Halling). Neither travel nor an unfamiliar surface seemed to bother Cigar, whose winning streak is the longest by a major U.S. horse since Buckpasser's 15 straight in 1966-67. The record is 16 by Citation in 1948-49. The next time Cigar races, his fans here probably won't have to watch on TV, or wake up as early. Paulson and trainer Bill Mott are reported to be looking at the June 30 Hollywood Gold Cup. That's in Inglewood. In the afternoon. SOURCE: With wire-service reports. CAPTION(S): 2 Photos Photo: (1--color) Jerry Bailey aboard Cigar raises his f irst as he wins the Dubai World Cup after holding off Soul of the Matter and Gary Stevens. It was Cigar's 14th win in a row. Associated Press (2) Early risers came to Santa Anita to watch Cigar's victory 12 time zones away in Dubai. To make any real money, one had to bet an exacta or trifecta. Benoit Photo |
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