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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

No Match For Cigar No Reason Record-Tying Horse Can’t Reach Trainer’s Goal Of A Breeders’ Cup Repeat

Associated Press

Right now, the horse racing game belongs to Cigar.

Oh, he lets others play and has fun with his equine friends - at least until he gets bored with them. But make no mistake, it’s Cigar’s game. And he doesn’t like losing. That was the case again Saturday in the $1.05 million Arlington Citation Challenge.

Cigar skirted trouble at both turns before pulling away, matching Citation’s modern North American record of 16 straight wins and earning $750,000.

Arlington International Racecourse’s biggest crowd in years, 34,223, cheered heartily before, during and after the race. And fans worldwide reached into their wallets; including out-of-state simulcasting, the day’s total handle was $13,200,575 - almost $4.5 million more than the previous Illinois record.

“I know it’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing to be associated with a horse like this,” said Bill Mott, Cigar’s trainer.

“I’m not an emotional guy, but it makes me want to cry every time I ride this horse,” jockey Jerry Bailey said.

One would think those who handle Cigar’s rivals would want to cry every time Bailey climbs onto the great 6-year-old. But they, too, appreciate excellence.

“Cigar is a champion,” said Aaron Gryder, who rode Jambalaya Jazz on Saturday. “The Bulls have to see if they can get him on their team.”

Cigar won’t play alongside Michael Jordan, but he already has pulled next to Citation in the race for thoroughbred history. On Aug. 10 in Del Mar’s Pacific Classic, Cigar is expected to try to become the first North American horse this century to win 17 straight.

Although his 3-1/2-length margin Saturday was his largest in seven races, it wasn’t that easy.

First, he carried 130 pounds, 8 to 14 more than any of the other nine horses in the 1-1/8-mile race. Second, he started from the outside post. And third, he had to cover a lot of extra distance - six lengths by Bailey’s estimate - because he got pushed wide on both turns.

“My worst fear was realized when we were hung out there as wide as we could be on the first turn,” Bailey said. “Approaching the backside, I decided to pick the pace up. When that happens, the horses that aren’t good enough fall by the wayside.”

Unbridled’s Song fell. He finished next-to-last, another disappointing showing for the beaten Kentucky Derby favorite.

“When we went by him,” Mott said, “he said, ‘See you later.”’

Cigar caught the leaders at the end of the backstretch but couldn’t pull ahead around the turn because Dramatic Gold forced him wide. “It made Cigar a little mad,” Bailey said. “He eyeballed Dramatic Gold and put him away.”

With an eighth of a mile to go, Bailey applied three smacks of the whip, Cigar clicked into another gear, and it was over.

“Cigar is phenomenal,” said Mike Smith, who rode Cigar for the first victory of the streak back on Oct. 28, 1994, and was aboard Unbridled’s Song on Saturday. “He lost all the ground on the turns, but Jerry Bailey kept him going all the way.”

After the Pacific Classic, Mott said, Cigar probably will run in either the Woodward on Sept. 14, the Jockey Club Gold Cup on Oct. 5 or both. Then it’s on to the Breeders’ Cup on Oct. 26.

“We’d like to be the first to win back-to-back Breeders’ Cup Classics,” Mott said.

There’s no reason to believe Cigar won’t break Citation’s 46-year-old record and just keep winning. For one thing, Cigar won’t have to carry 130 pounds.

“From this point on, all races are weight-for-age,” Mott said. “And let the best horse win.”