Belmont: Peter Pan prospect Cigar Street injured, out for summer

Lou Hodges Jr.

Cigar Street is scheduled to undergo surgery this week to insert a screw to repair a hairline fracture of his left hind cannon bone.

Cigar Street, an impressive maiden winner at Fair Grounds, was being pointed to Saturday's Peter Pan at Belmont Park, but was diagnosed with an injury last weekend and will miss the summer.

According to trainer Steve Margolis, Cigar Street had a hairline fracture of his left hind cannon bone and was to undergo surgery this week to have a screw inserted.

Margolis said the injury was caught early enough where the prognosis is good for a return to the races later this year.

Margolis said he had planned to work Cigar Street last Saturday at Churchill Downs, but training was canceled due to wet conditions. The horse was relegated to walking the shed row and Margolis said he noticed the horse had some filling in the hind leg. A bone scan diagnosed the injury.

“We caught it early,” Margolis said. “They’ll put a screw in and we’ll give it time to heal. They usually come back stronger. He’s a very nice colt, hopefully, we’ll have him for the fall and as a 4-year-old next year.”

Cigar Street, a son Street Sense, won a March 10 maiden race by 13 3/4 lengths before finishing fourth, beaten two length sin the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby.

Cigar Street is owned by Jake Ballis and the NBA star Rashard Lewis.

Brown eyes trio for Pimlico stakes

Chad Brown said he has three horses that he is pointing to stakes races at Pimlico during Preakness week.

Zagora, winner of last year’s Grade 1 Diana, is being pointed to the Grade 3, $150,000 Gallorette on Saturday while Casino Host, winner of the Mervyn Muniz Jr. Handicap at Fair Grounds, is being pointed to the Grade 2, $300,000 Dixie Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on the turf.

Also, Brown plans to run Comely Stakes runner-up Welcome Guest in the $300,000 Black-Eyed Susan on May 18.

Zagora began her season with a pair of Grade 3 victories at Tampa before finishing fifth as the favorite in the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley at Keeneland last out.