Few sports fans ever have the privilege of watching a world-class trainer cultivate a champion athlete—and even fewer fans have the opportunity to witness the development of an elite animal athlete. The transformation of Cigar from a horse that showed modest turf ability to one that developed into a legend on dirt illustrates how critical a trainer’s role can be in our sport.
The transformation of Cigar from a horse that showed modest turf ability to one that developed into a legend on dirt illustrates how critical a trainer’s role can be.
The son of Palace Music went unraced at 2 before winning two of nine starts the following season for his first trainer, Alex Hassinger Jr. He finished his 3-year-old campaign with earnings of $89,175 but was unable to win in stakes competition.
At that point, owner and breeder Allen Paulson made the decision that changed everything. He shipped Cigar from the West Coast to the East, so…
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