HORSE RACING : CIGAR'S RACING DAYS EXTINGUISHED? HE CLOSES OUT CAREER LIKE CHAMP.Byline: Daily News Wire Services There are tributes to come, such as the one next weekend at the National Horse Show 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 , but Cigar's racing days appear over. In the wake of a third-place finish Noun 1. third-place finish - a finish in third place (as in a race) 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 winner is the team with the in 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. in Toronto, owner Allen Paulson and trainer Bill Mott said they would have to discuss Cigar's future, but both strongly indicated the 6-year-old star would not race again. ``It's been a lot of fun, and we do appreciate the media who have been very good to us and Cigar,'' Mott said Sunday. When told that the $480,000 Cigar earned Saturday left him $185 short of $10 million, Mott smiled and said, ``Don't tell Mr. Paulson.'' While Cigar went out a loser, he went out like a champion, driving for all his worth through the stretch after racing wide, only to fall short of victory by less than a half-length. ``He was still grinding. But maybe he lost that electricity that he had before. He had an electric sort of move,'' said Mott. ``He used to finish races in four strides. Now, he doesn't.'' Alphabet Soup finished a nose ahead of Louis Quatorze Louis Qua·torze adj. Of, relating to, or characteristic of the baroque style in architecture, furniture, and decoration of the reign of Louis XIV. [French.] , who was a head in front of Cigar. ``I'm glad to see Cigar ran well,'' David Hofmans David Hofmans (born January 27, 1943, in Los Angeles, California) is an American trainer of Thoroughbred racehorses. Born and raised in Los Angeles, as a boy his father brought him to watch horse racing at area tracks. , Alphabet Soup's trainer, said Sunday. ``There were no excuses on his part, but he's had a hard year.'' Cigar, who won the Classic in 1995 when he was unbeaten in 10 races, made eight starts this year at seven tracks in three countries, with one of his victories coming 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 at Dubai, 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. . The 6-year-old horse had 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" snapped when he finished second in the Pacific Classic on Aug. 10 at Del Mar, four lengths behind Dare and Go, who was 11th Saturday. He came back to win the Woodward at Belmont Park, then lost by a head to Skip Away in Belmont's 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 before losing Saturday. ``If there's a chink in his armor, it's he's run all year long,'' Hofmans said. ``My horse was fresh.'' The Breeders' Cup Classic produced one late scratch, the filly star Yanks Music, who came down with some swelling in the left front ankle before she could challenge Cigar and 12 other male horses in the Classic. And it produced one injury when the California-bred 5-year-old Dare and Go came out of the Classic with a chipped knee after running 11th. ``Dare and Go is off on his right front,'' said Richard Mandella, his trainer. ``I would suspect he maybe chipped the knee. But he was going to stud anyway. We were hoping to go to Japan if he ran well, and try the Japan Cup. That is going to have to be called off.'' Victory Speech says it all: Victory Speech beat Ormsby by three-quarters of a length to win the $250,000 Empire Classic Handicap at Aqueduct in New York. Victory Speech, carrying 123 pounds and ridden by Mike Smith, covered 1-1/8 miles on the fast track in 1:49 2/5 for his fifth win in 13 starts this year. Jerry Bailey, who was aboard Cigar on Saturday, rode five winners on the Sunday's Aqueduct card. |
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