DEL MAR NOTEBOOK : MORE THAN $3 MILLION BET ON BIG RACE.Byline: Kevin Modesti Daily News Staff Writer The 44,181 fans who watched Cigar on Saturday at Del Mar, combined with the bettors at the track's satellites and out-of-state simulcast outlets, wagered more than $3 million to win, place and show on the Pacific Classic and more than $21 million on the day's races. All those figures are Del Mar records by huge margins. The track's previous attendance record was the 34,697 who collected free hats on opening day in 1994. The single-race high had been $1,043,214 on the 1991 Pacific Classic. The single-day high had been $15,506,324 last Aug. 19. The day-long handle would have been about $750,000 higher, it was estimated, if the widespread power outages hadn't prevented Los Alamitos from taking bets on Del Mar's eighth through 10th races. Also, the track is on the hook Adj. 1. on the hook - caught in a difficult or dangerous situation; "there I was back on the hook" dangerous, unsafe - involving or causing danger or risk; liable to hurt or harm; "a dangerous criminal"; "a dangerous bridge"; "unemployment reached dangerous for the $136,677 minus pool created by heavy support for Cigar. The Cigar windfall would have come with a downside if Del Mar hadn't been able to handle the crowd or its cars. But track officials came away pleased with their brush with a major event. ``Tremendous,'' operations manager Tim Read said. The track parking lot filled up, but off-site lots handled the overflow. ``We put a lot of money into this and we feel it paid off,'' said Joe Harper, Del Mar's president and general manager. But Harper said he couldn't predict how Saturday's splash would affect attendance the rest of the season, which ends Sept. 11. ``By Monday,'' he said, ``it might just be my family out here.'' The undercard un·der·card n. The event or events coming before and supporting the main event, as of boxing matches. : There were other horses running in other races Saturday. Track Gal stretched her latest winning streak to three races when she led gate to wire by five lengths under Chris McCarron in the $103,550 Rancho Bernardo Handicap The Rancho Bernardo Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. It is open to fillies and mares age three and up and raced at a distance of six and one-half furlongs on the dirt. for filly and mare sprinters. McCarron became the first to ride 100 stakes winners at Del Mar. ``Oh, man, this feels good,'' the Hall of Fame jockey said. ``And to do it on a mare like this is surely sweet.'' Track Gal, who has won 11 of 16 starts, is pointing for another try at the Breeders' Cup Sprint The Breeders' Cup Sprint is an American Weight for Age Grade I Thoroughbred horse race for three year olds & up. Run on dirt over a distance of 6 Furlongs (3/4 mile), the race has been held annually since 1984 at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the , where she finished a muddy-track 11th in 1995. Cashing out: Luthier lu·thi·er n. One that makes or repairs stringed instruments, such as violins. [French, from luth, lute, from Old French lut; see lute1.] Noun 1. Fever accomplished his mercenary mission but not much more. The only horse eligible for a casino-sponsored, $500,000 bonus for running in the Santa Anita Handicap The Santa Anita Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in the late winter at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is a Grade I race for horses three years old and up, and is considered the most important race for older horses in North America during , 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 Pacific Classic did make it out of the starting gate. But the 5-year-old ran last all the way around the track until Tinners Way was pulled up with an injury. ``He tried hard. He's just not 100 percent right now,'' jockey Brice Blanc said of the Lanzagorta brothers-owned horse who was second in the Big 'Cap and eased in the Gold Cup. ``All things considered All Things Considered (ATC) is a news radio program in the United States, broadcast on the National Public Radio network. It was the first news program on the network, and is broadcast live worldwide through several outlets. , he did well.'' Today: Roar, making his first start for new trainer Richard Mandella and new owners Will Farish and John Greeley III, is a 5-2 favorite today in the $125,000 La Jolla Handicap The La Jolla Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. The La Jolla is open to horses, age three, willing to race one and one-sixteenth miles on the turf. , the major prep for the Sept. 2 Del Mar Derby The Del Mar Derby is an American thoroughbred horse race run each year at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. The race is open to horses of either gender, age three, willing to race one and one-eighth miles on the turf. . CAPTION(S): 2 Photos PHOTO (1) A festive crowd of 44,181 turned out at Del Ma r to see the great horse Cigar try for a 17th straight victory. Cigar finished second. (2) Jockey Jerry Bailey is dejected after riding Cigar to a second-place finish. Associated Press |
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