Cigar Leads Hall Entries

Nine days after baseball and two days after football had their hall-of-fame inductions, horse racing will get into the act today at Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

The ceremony will take place this morning at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame and those being inducted are Cigar, Serena’s Song and Noor, along with trainer Bud Delp and the late jockey Jack Westrope.

Owned by the late Allen Paulson and trained by Bill Mott for the most successful part of his career, Cigar equaled a modern-day record by winning 16 consecutive races between the fall of 1994 and the summer of 1996. His victory streak, which had matched the streak of Citation set more than 45 years earlier, ended when he was beaten by Dare and Go in the 1996 Pacific Classic at Del Mar.

Serena’s Song was a winner of 11 Grade I races in her career for owners Bob and Beverly Lewis and trainer Wayne Lukas, and Noor won 12 times between 1947-50.

Delp is best known for training Spectacular Bid, one of the best horses of all time, and Westrope won more than 2,400 races before being killed at Hollywood Park in 1958.

After the inductions, a small but well-matched group of six 3-year-olds will get together in the $150,000 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Handicap at 1 1/8 miles on the turf. Smoked Em and Dubai Tiger were also entered in the race, but will run only if the bad weather forces a switch to the main track.

Heading the field are Chiselling, the winner of the Lexington Handicap in his stakes debut last month for Bobby Frankel, and Patrol, a perfect three for three since being introduced to the turf by Mott earlier this year.

Race of the day: The sixth at Del Mar marks the California debut of Big Apple, a $2-million yearling purchase by the late Prince Ahmed Salman’s Thoroughbred Corporation. The son of Deputy Minister broke his maiden at Churchill Downs May 25. There is a pick six carryover of $230,217 to spice up what is probably the worst card of the first two weeks of the meet.

Who’s hot: Greg Gilchrist. The trainer won six of his first 15 starters at Santa Rosa.

Who’s not: Victor Carrero. The apprentice jockey, who was hot at Belmont Park, was only two for 47 to begin Saratoga.

Exotically speaking: Exactas in the fifth keying Luxury Jewels with Davene and Wicked Mood.

Winners: Previous day/meet total: 3/23. Money: Previous day/meet total: $14/$145.80. Total money bet: $190.