CIGAR TO BID FAREWELL AT CHURCHILL DOWNS

Champion Cigar will make his final public appearance Saturday, Nov. 9 at Churchill Downs. The winner of nearly $10 million, Cigar will parade at the historic Louisville, Ky., racetrack between the seventh and eighth races. To commemorate his appearance, Churchill will offer free admission to the track after the sixth race and the first 10,000 fans through the gates will receive a free Cigar poster. The track will also sell hand-rolled cigars and offer autograph sessions with owners Allen and Madeleine Paulson and trainer Bill Mott from noon to 1:00 p.m. and jockey Jerry Bailey from 2:00-3:00 p.m. Beginning Thursday and running until Saturday afternoon, Cigar fans will be invited to sign a giant retirement card, which will be presented to him during the ceremony.

Following the retirement ceremony, Cigar will be vanned to Ashford Stud in Versailles, Ky., where he will begin his stud career in a few months.

SERENA'S SONG TO GO FOR RECORD SATURDAY

Serena's Song, 1995 champion three-year-old filly, is expected to start in Churchill Downs' Distaff Handicap on Saturday, Nov. 9, two weeks after her second-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Distaff. A first- or second-place finish in the race would make the four-year- old filly the leading North American female runner of all time, passing Dance Smartly's record of $3,263,836. To date, Serena's Song has earned $3,238,348 from 37 starts, including 11 Grade 1 scores from 18 total victories. Serena's Song will go to post immediately after Churchill hosts Cigar's farewell ceremony.

MGM GRAND CLASSIC CROWN BONUS RAISED TO $3 MILLION

The MGM Grand Classic Crown, a series of three handicap races in California, will now carry a bonus of $3 million for the horse who can sweep all three. The three-race series, comprised of the Santa Anita Handicap, Hollywood Gold Cup and Pacific Classic, would be worth a total of $4.8 to the winning horse that sweeps the series.

The $500,000 bonus for participating in all three races has been changed. The horse with the highest number of points in competition will now earn 50 percent of the $500,000 and those horses finishing second through fourth will earn 25, 15 and 10 percent respectively.

UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE TO OFFER COURSES ON MANAGING HORSE EVENTS

In January, the University of Louisville will offer courses designed to give business school students the know-how to plan and market equine events. The school's Equine Industry Program will prepare business students to plan and stage equine performances ranging from large-scale Thoroughbred racing events to rodeos and horse shows. The courses are believed to be unique. University instructors are also hoping to get approval to open a Center for Equine Events and Facilities Management, which would become a headquarters for research, information and continuing education.

1997 KENTUCKY DERBY ART UNVEILED

The 1997 official Kentucky Derby artwork will be unveiled Wednesday, Nov. 13 at noon at Churchill Downs, Louisville, Ky. Created by artist LeRoy Nieman, the art will serve as the official Kentucky Derby Poster and will be used on Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks tickets and programs.

Nieman is known for his brightly colored, lively images of sporting events and has served as the official artist for the Super Bowl, Olympic Games and America's Cup events.

WEST VIRGINIA VOTERS PASS VLT'S AT CHARLES TOWN

West Virginia voters overwhelmingly approved Video Lottery Terminals (VLT's) at Charles Town Races. The November referendum won out in 24 of Jefferson County's 26 districts. The margin of victory was 63.8 percent to 36.2 percent.

'I can't begin to tell you how pleased I am,' said Roger R. Ramsey, president of Charles Town. 'This clears the way for Penn National Gaming, Inc. to purchase the track. The sale should be completed within the next month, and after a period of extensive renovations, a new and energized racing program will begin here next spring.'

Election Day results affecting the racing industry in other states are as follows: In Indiana a measure supporting a $20 million harness racetrack with parimutuel wagering at the Indiana State Fairgrounds was passed. In Nebraska, an amendment permitting off-track betting on horse races was defeated. In Ohio, voters rejected a referendum that would have allowed riverboat casinos to operate on the Ohio River and Lake Erie. Arkansas voters rejected a proposal to allow casino gambling at Oaklawn Park subject to local approval. Arizona voters approved an expansion of Indian gaming in the state, while Washington state voters defeated a measure to allow 500 slot machines at Indian casinos.

MELBOURNE CUP SETS WAGERING RECORD IN AUSTRALIA

Bettors in all Australian states and territories except for Victoria and Tasmania set new records for Melbourne Cup day betting on Nov. 5, the country's only legal sporting holiday. Approximately $66.2 million was wagered this year, up from last year's $63 million. The handle from other sources, such as bookmakers and overseas wagering sites, is not yet tabulated.

In Victoria, the home state for the Melbourne Cup, Tabcorp, the local off-track betting company, suffered a costly central computer breakdown that lasted several hours. There, wagering was down, from $16.2 million to $14.7 million. In the United States, a total of $323,193 was wagered on the Melbourne Cup card, according to officials at Wyvern International.

RACING ON THE AIR

Nov. 9 'Racehorse Digest' 6:00-6:30 a.m. ESPN
Nov. 13 'Racehorse Digest' 3:30-4:00 p.m. ESPN
Nov. 14 'Racehorse Digest' 1:30-2:00 a.m. ESPN

RACING TO HISTORY

Nov. 9, 1957: Wheatley Stable's Bold Ruler, with Eddie Arcaro aboard, won the Trenton Handicap in a wire-to-wire victory over Gallant Man and Round Table in a three-horse race. Bold Ruler was subsequently named Horse of the Year off this performance.

Nov. 9, 1972: Secretariat worked seven furlongs in 1:25 4-5 at Garden State Park in preparation for the final race of his two-year- old season, the Garden State Stakes on Nov. 18.

Nov. 9, 1988: Laffit Pincay Jr. became the second jockey in history to win 7,000 races when he won the seventh race at Hollywood Park aboard Phone Bid.

Nov. 10, 1978: Jockey Patrick Valenzuela won his first career race, aboard Parker Petite, at Sunland Park, New Mexico.

Nov. 10, 1984: The inaugural Breeders' Cup was run at Hollywood Park. The highlight of the seven Breeders' Cup races, the Classic, pitted Wild Again, Gate Dancer and Slew o' Gold, who was the odds-on favorite despite having a well-publicized hoof injury. After a furious drive to the wire, which involved considerable bumping among the three horses, Wild Again prevailed, but Gate Dancer was disqualified from his second-place finish for interference and was placed third, behind Slew o' Gold.

Nov. 11, 1973: Secretariat was flown to Claiborne Farm to begin his stud career.

Nov. 11, 1978: At age four, 1977 Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew won his last race, the Stuyvesant Handicap at Aqueduct Racetrack, by 3 1-4 lengths.

Nov. 12, 1904: Four-year-old Machine Gun carried 159 pounds, believed to be the highest impost in a winning effort on the flat, at Riccarton in New Zealand. Time for the five-furlong race was :58.

Nov. 15, 1990: Alydar, one of the top sires in America and runner-up in all three Triple Crown races to Affirmed, was euthanized at Calumet Farm.

Nov. 15, 1995: Jockey Julie Krone rode her 3,000th career winner, in the fourth race at Aqueduct, aboard Dustin's Dreamer.

Nov. 16, 1951: The Pimlico Special, then a winner-take-all $15,000 contest, became the first race to be televised nationally. The winner was C.T. Chenery's Bryan G.

Churchill Downs Distaff, 3&up; (f&m;), $200,000, 1 Mile, Grade II, Churchill
Serena's Song could become the all-time winningest female thoroughbred with a first- or second-place finish. Serena's Song has earned $3,238,348, just $25,448 short of Dance Smartly's record total of $3,263,836. Last year's Eclipse champion three-year-old filly was narrowly beaten two weeks ago in the Breeders' Cup Distaff, her sixth consecutive defeat. She has been first, second or third 10 straight times, though. Investalot won the Grade II Rampart Handicap at Gulfstream Park. Front-running Vivace beat males in the Grade III Alabama Derby at Louisiana Downs. Halo America and Morris Code are speedy fillies who can win a stakes race on the front end.

First Flight Handicap, 3&up;, (f&m;), $100,000, 7 Furlongs, Grade II, Aqueduct

Illinois Festival of Racing Day at Hawthorne
Six races for Illinois-breds

Japan Racing Association Stakes, 3yo, $50,000, 1 1-4 Miles Turf, Laurel

Princess Elizabeth Stakes, 2yo fillies, $100,000, 1 1-16 Miles, Grade IC, Woodbine

Coronation Futurity, 2yo, $225,000, 1 1-8 Miles, Grade IC, Woodbine

Tempted Stakes, 2yo fillies, $100,000, 1 Mile, Grade III, Aqueduct

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