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28.
Cigar Joins US Hall Of Fame
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07/08/2002 |
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Cigar, the champion who made his Australian-based sire Palace Music a household name, has been inducted to the US racing’s Hall Of Fame.
The two-time US Horse of the Year was inducted at the annual ceremony at Saratoga on August 5 with Rahy’s champion mare Serena’s Song as the two current day newcomers.
Unlike Australia’s new Racing Hall Of Fame, US horses cannot be inducted while racing and become eligible only after they have been retired for five years. It was the first year of eligibility for both Cigar and Serena’s Song.
Other inductees were 1950s champion Noor, late jockey Jack Westrope and trainer Grover "Bud" Delp.
Cigar, who proved infertile at stud, now resides at the Kentucky Horse Park near Lexington. Another resident of the Horse Park is John Henry, another member of the Hall Of Fame.
Cigar, bred by the late Allen Paulson, is out of the Seattle Slew mare Solar Slew and is best remembered for his 16-race winning streak which tied the feat achieved by another US racing great Citation.
His best year was 1995 when his notable wins (in order) included the G1 Donn Handicap, G1 Gulfstream Park Handicap, G1 Oaklawn Handicap, G1 Pimlico Special Handicap, G1 Hollywood Gold Cup, G1 Woodward Stakes, G1 Jockey Club Gold Cup and G1 Breeders' Cup Classic.
In 1996 his streak took in a second Donn Handicap, the inaugural Dubai World Cup, the Massachusetts Handicap for a second time and finally the Arlington Citation Challenge.
His winning streak came to an end at Del Mar when he lost the G1 Pacific Classic to Dare and Go, but he bounced back to win the Woodward Stakes for a second time and ended his career as US racing's all-time leading money earner with $US9,999,815 to his credit.
Serena's Song was retired to stud as the leading female stakes-earner in US racing history with $US3,283,388 from 18 wins and 14 placings in 38 starts.
Her recod earnings were surpassed in May by the recently retired Spain.
Serena's Song has produced two stakes winners at stud -
Serena's Tune, by Mr. Prospector, and the Storm Cat filly Sophisticat, winner of the G1 Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot in June.
Noor, elected in the Horse of Yesteryear category, is best known for defeating Citation four consecutive times and setting two world records in 1950.
Delp is best known as the trainer of Spectacular Bid, who won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes before a narrow loss in the 1979 Belmont Stakes that denied him the US Triple Crown. He came back in 1980 for a n undefeated four-year-old season
Westrope, who died when only 40 as the result of an accident during the running of the Hollywood Oaks in 1958, won the first race ever run Santa Anita in 1934. He won 2467 races, including such historic events as the Hollywood Gold Cup, San Juan Capistrano, Santa Anita Derby, Hollywood Derby and Vosburgh Stakes.
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