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Michael Jordan, Babe Ruth, and Joe Montana make up a class of sports
legends that can only be described as "Superstars". Few athletes in
any sport reach the plateau where they can be bestowed that honor.
On October 28, 1995, at a very wet Belmont Park in Elmont, New York,
a 5-year-old bay horse named Cigar staked his claim at doing just
that. Like the other members of this elite class he has now joined,
Cigar took on the best competition there was to offer and left them
to choke in his dust. It was the $3 million Breeders’ Cup Classic,
the richest race in America. With his customary rider of Jerry
Bailey fitted with the red, white, and blue silks of owner Allen
Paulson, Cigar hit the gas and never looked back. As he passed under
the wire with an impressive victory, NBC race announcer Tom Durkin
emphatically proclaimed the winner, "Racing’s Superstar".
It was in the 1995 Breeders’ Cup Classic that Cigar became America’s sweetheart. He turned doubters into believers and made winners out of those that had faith in him. On March 27, 1996, Cigar would once again have to prove himself against the world’s best, but this time, it would be on foreign soil. The $4 million Dubai World Cup in the United Arab Emirates would prove to be a much tougher test, but just as rewarding. He held off fellow American challenger, Soul of the Matter, and no longer was just America’s hero. He became the world’s hero. Throughout his racing career, Cigar has generated nearly ten million dollars in winnings. He's won fans and races the world over, from Dubai to Canada to the United States. Yet when people remember Cigar, what will they associate with him? He didn't have the sheer size of Secretariat nor the finishing speed of Seattle Slew. Matter of fact, Cigar possessed very few traits that pointed towards the greatness to come. What he did have was an affinity for dirt, a trainer who understood this, and the complete support of owners who grew to revere their thoroughbred as much more than an investment. Indeed, when you remember this horse, remember him as everyone should. In the winner's circle, adorned in his familiar red, white, and blue silks, a winning bouquet of flowers close by. Remember the champion that was and will forever be. Cigar. |
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1990 CIGAR,c,Palace Music 4 32 starts 18 4 5 $9,999,813 Index 160.94
North America Turf Record 11 1 2 4 82,015
North America Dirt Sprints 2 1 0 0 17,600
North America Dirt Routes 19 16 2 1 7,500,200
North America Muddy/Sloppy 1 1 0 0 1,560,000
DP = 7-2-10-1-0 DI = 2.33 CD = 0.75
At 3 2nd Volante Handicap -G3 (100,000), 3rd Ascot Handicap -G3 (100,000)
At 4 Won N.Y.R.A. Mile Handicap -G1 (250,000)
At 5 Won Breeders' Cup Classic S. -G1 (2,798,000), Hollywood Gold Cup
Handicap -G1 (1,000,000), Oaklawn Handicap -G1 (750,000),
Massachusetts Handicap -L (750,000), Jockey Club Gold Cup S. -G1
(750,000), Pimlico Special Handicap -G1 (600,000), Gulfstream Park
Handicap -G1 (500,000), Woodward S. -G1 (500,000), Donn Handicap -G1
(300,000)
At 6 Won Arlington Citation Challenge -L (1,075,000), Woodward S. -G1
(510,000), Massachusetts Handicap -L (500,000), Donn Handicap -G1
(300,000), Dubai World Cup (UAE), 2nd Pacific Classic S. -G1
(1,000,000), Jockey Club Gold Cup S. -G1 (1,000,000), 3rd Breeders'
Cup Classic S. -G1 (3,664,000)
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