Thousands of horses will run at any one racetrack in any one season, but only one can be named the track’s top runner. A grey gelding by the name of Daverick achieved this feat in 2010 at Fort Erie, running for a passionate Ontario horseman named Sante Cigana.
Cigana, 50, was introduced to horse racing in 2005 through a close friend involved in breeding thoroughbreds. After visiting a few auctions, the industry became very intriguing to Cigana.
“I had always loved horses as a kid and my friend and I had always talked about how nice it would be to own a race horse,” he said.
Cigana, who resides in Aurora, Ontario with his wife Lucie and sons, David and Eric, purchased his first horse with a partner at Woodbine’s annual yearling sale in 2005. The filly made seven starts at Woodbine and Fort Erie over her career, but only managed one in-the-money finish.
“It’s fair to say that it turned out to be a big disappointment,” Cigana said.
Even after his first ownership experience, Cigana didn’t have much luck in his first few years as a thoroughbred race horse owner.
The disappointment in the first few years wouldn’t deter Cigana away from the industry, however. He kept trying to find the horse that many owners dream of having run in their colours.
“I kept forging along because I enjoyed the game and figured sooner or later I would at least hit with one that would provide fun and euphoria.”
Cigana’s luck would begin to change at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company’s Two-Year Olds in Training Sale in 2008.
“I had instructed a local trainer who had a contact in Florida to look for a two-year old in training at the sale.”
The trainer, Danny Vella, picked out hip number 372, a grey colt named Conquerthemoon, by Concorde’s Tune out of the Lite the Fuse mare, Gimmie a Lite.
“The funny thing about it was, I didn’t really like grey horses, but I ended up with a grey one with a name already attached to it,” Cigana said.
Cigana changed the horse’s name to Daverick, after his sons, and brought him to Canada to begin preparing for races at Woodbine.
The first two years of Daverick’s career produced just two wins in 13 starts, but the gelding blossomed in 2010. After a second place finish in April at Woodbine, Daverick headed off to Fort Erie to race. Under the care of trainer Justin Nixon, Daverick finished second by a neck in his Fort Erie debut and followed that performance by winning four races in a row, including the Don Valliere Memorial Cup Stakes. After the season, he was named Fort Erie’s top male sprinter and Horse of the Year.
“My reaction to Daverick winning Horse of the Year was a sense of excitement and relief. I felt that I had paid my dues and was finally rewarded,” Cigana said.
After that successful campaign with Daverick, Cigana, in 2011, formed an ownership group with two partners and called it Dansanray while also hiring a new trainer, Brian Lynch.
“Brian has been a breath of fresh air and a partner with a vested interest,” Cigana said. “He is honest, straight up and listens to our concerns.” Cigana’s son David works as a hotwalker for Lynch at Woodbine during the summer.
Cigana is very positive about where his racing interests with Dansanray Stables currently stand.
“I believe our current stable is the best we’ve ever had. We have some two-year olds that look very promising and our existing runners usually hit the board.”
Heading into the 2012 season and beyond, Cigana is hopeful that his current group of horses can be competitive against any competition they run against.
“Our short-term goals are to stay competitive and end up in the winner’s circle as often as possible,” he said. “Our long-term goals are to end up with a horse or two that can run in major stakes races.”
