ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, November 1, 1996 TAG: 9611010070
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: NEW YORK TIMES NEWS SERVICE
Any lingering doubts about Cigar's racing career were ended Thursday when his owners confirmed that the 6-year-old bay horse who had captivated the public for two years would race no more.
Cigar, who ran third by a neck last Saturday in the $4 million Breeders' Cup Classic for his third loss in four races, won his honorable discharge from his owners, Allen and Madeleine Paulson, who said: ``We are grateful for everything he's given us.''
Cigar gave the Paulsons a wonder horse who won 19 of his 33 races, ran in the money 28 times, was voted Horse of the Year in 1995 and earned a record total of $9,999,815, most of the time with Jerry Bailey riding him. He raced into history when he was switched by his trainer, Bill Mott, from grass to dirt late in 1994 and won 18 of his final 22 starts over a period of 22 months from California to Dubai on the Persian Gulf.
And he became a popular hero when he won 16 straight races and matched the modern streak set half a century ago by Citation.
The streak was snapped Aug.10 in the Pacific Classic at Del Mar in California when he was outrun by Dare and Go, who overtook Cigar after Dare and Go's stablemate Siphon had set an exhausting pace for one mile. Cigar came back a month later to win the Woodward at Belmont Park with a stirring performance, but lost his next two starts by narrow margins in the Jockey Club Gold Cup and the Classic.
By then it was clear to Mott that he was running with great courage but with a cracked hoof and declining energy against younger and fresher rivals.
Cigar will end his career with two farewell appearances. He will be trucked with a police escort Saturday afternoon from his barn at Belmont Park to Madison Square Garden to parade at the final session of the National Horse Show.
On Nov. 12, he will take a curtain call at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. Then he will head for the Paulsons' Brookside Farm in Versailles in the heart of the horse-raising region of Kentucky and take up the life of a stallion.
``I think it's a great way to say goodbye,'' Madeleine Paulson said. ``Cigar loves the attention, and he deserves it. He may not have the spring in his foot that he used to have, but we're so proud of him.''
Mott signaled the end of Cigar's career last weekend in Toronto when he said: ``You know that it just can't go on. It just can't. It wouldn't be possible. He's just flesh and blood, and he's wearing down. Maybe he's lost a step. But he kept fighting, and I think people respect him for what he's done. He's been a true champion.''
Cigar, a son of Palace Music and the mare Solar Slew and a grandson of Seattle Slew, had been expected to stay in training for a time after the Breeders' Cup while Paulson considered several offers for his ``final'' race. One such offer called for a match race in Japan against Helissio, winner of the Arc de Triomphe, reportedly for $5 million apiece.
But after the Classic, Paulson settled the issue and said: ``He's one of the greatest ever. It's been a great run. It's probably time to go home with him.''
LENGTH: Medium: 63 lines KEYWORDS: HORSE RACINGby CNB