CIGAR STORMS TO 13TH STRAIGHT VICTORY.Byline: Joseph Durso New York Times Cigar, newly acclaimed as 1995's Horse of the Year, opened his 1996 campaign with a smashing performance, recording his 13th consecutive victory Saturday by winning the Donn Handicap by two lengths over his stablemate Noun 1. stablemate - a horse stabled with another or one of several horses owned by the same person stable companion Equus caballus, horse - solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times Wekiva Springs. Cigar stalked the lead all the way and then made his move just before the field of eight approached the turn for home. And the power that captivated the crowds last year was still there. He moved relentlessly to the front, outraced Wekiva Springs and the champion mare Heavenly Prize down the homestretch home·stretch n. 1. The portion of a racetrack from the last turn to the finish line. 2. Informal The final stages of an undertaking. Noun 1. and was surging at the finish. He ran the mile and an eighth in 1:49, paid $2.40 for a $2 bet and added $180,000 to the richest bankroll bank·roll n. 1. A roll of paper money. 2. Informal One's ready cash. tr.v. bank·rolled, bank·roll·ing, bank·rolls Informal of any active horse. The return of Cigar after a layoff of more than three months aroused curiosity about a 6-year-old horse who is scheduled to undertake an odyssey across the continent four times and across the oceans twice for five major races in the next six months. But he answered all the questions with a display of strength and grace as he outran out·ran v. Past tense of outrun. Wekiva Springs by two lengths and Heavenly Prize by six. Jerry Bailey, who rode Cigar from the No. 1 post position along the rail, said later that he had "a bit of trouble" at the first turn because of crowding. But he added: "Once I got him out, it was another typical race for him. The weight never bothered him at all." The weight, 128 pounds, was the most ever carried by Cigar during his career. He gave away as much as 18 pounds to his rivals, but was neither slowed nor troubled as he became only the third horse to win the Donn Handicap two years in a row. It was his first race since Oct. 28, when he won the $3 million 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. and closed a 10-for-10 season. And for his debut in the new season Saturday afternoon, bagpipe bagpipe, musical instrument whose ancient origin was probably in Mesopotamia from which it was carried east and west by Celtic migrations. It was used in ancient Greece and Rome and has been long known in India. bands marched, rock groups performed and 20,000 spectators watched in bright sunshine at Gulfstream Park, where Cigar succeeded Holy Bull one year ago as the most charismatic horse in America. With his Donn victory, Cigar took the first steps on a demanding but potentially rich and rewarding itinerary: five major races in six months in Florida, California and the Persian Gulf emirate e·mir·ate n. 1. The office of an emir. 2. The nation or territory ruled by an emir. Noun 1. emirate - the domain controlled by an emir of Dubai, with purses totaling $7.3 million. For added incentive, a $2 million bonus was announced last week for any horse sweeping the three California races. So, Cigar could easily double his record earnings of $4.8 million for a single season last year and $5.1 million for his career. He went to the post Saturday just $1.7 million short of catching Alysheba, one of the stars of the 1980s, as the world's richest race horse. On the same race track, in the same race, Cigar rushed into prominence one year ago when he tangled with Holy Bull in the Donn. But their duel down the backstretch was ended when Holy Bull took a misstep that tore tendons in his left foreleg and ended a racing career of epic dimensions. Cigar went on to win the race by 5-1/2 lengths. It was his fourth straight success in the streak that has now reached 13. He won eight Grade I stakes in 1995, including the 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. , the Oaklawn Handicap, the Woodward, the 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 the Breeders' Cup Classic, and he won at tracks in Florida, Arkansas, California, Maryland, Massachusetts and New York. Cigar closed his training for Saturday's Donn by jogging once around the Gulfstream track not long after his entourage had landed after an overnight flight from San Diego, where the entire stable reaped the rewards of the horse's success. CAPTION(S): PHOTO Photo Cigar, center, riden by Jerry D. Bailey Jerry D. Bailey (born August 29, 1957 in Dallas, Texas) is a retired American Hall of Fame jockey. He began his racing career in 1974 with a win on his first mount, Fetch, at New Mexico's Sunland Park, and has gone on to win 5,892 races. outraces Wekiva Springs and Hevenly Prize in the Donn Handicap. The 6-year-old horse paid $2.40. Associated Press |
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