BREEDERS’ CUP LEGEND

CIGAR

Cigar’s Breeders’ Cup Classic victory was immortalized by Tom Durkin’s race call.

Victory in the inaugural Dubai World Cup helped boost Cigar’s earnings to a then-record level.

Cigar spent his retirement years at the Kentucky Horse Park, where he welcomed adoring fans.

SKIP DICKSTEIN

TREVOR JONES

ANNE M. EBERHARDT PHOTOS C igar’s skein of 16 consecutive victories electrifed the racing world during the mid-1990s. The charismatic bay won back-to-back Horse of the Year titles and earned nearly $10 million over four seasons, a record at the time.

Bred by Allen Paulson, the son of Palace Music— Solar Slew was foaled at Country Life Farm in Maryland. An aviation entrepreneur, Paulson named the colt after a navigational intersection for airlines. Paulson’s wife, Madeleine, originally campaigned Cigar but, according to lore, traded the colt to her husband for the flly Eliza.

Cigar began his racing career at 3 under trainer Alex Hassinger Jr. but did little to distinguish himself, winning just two modest races out of nine. It seemed Cigar was destined to be a middling turf horse. But in the colt’s 4-year-old season, Paulson sent Cigar to East Coast trainer Bill Mott and the transformation began. Cigar placed in two of his frst four turf starts for Mott, then won a dirt allowance race by eight lengths on Oct. 28, 1994 — the frst win of his 16-race streak — before dominating the grade 1 NYRA Mile (now the Cigar Mile Handicap).

Cigar’s late-season exploits presaged his exceptional 5-year-old campaign in which he faced racing’s best around the country. His victories included the Donn Handicap, Gulfstream Park Handicap, Oaklawn Handicap, Pimlico Special, and the Hollywood Gold Cup. Returning to his Belmont Park base, Cigar won the Woodward Stakes and Jockey Club Gold Cup before setting a stakes record in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. As he powered toward the fnish line, race caller Tom Durkin uttered these unforgettable words: “And here he is, the unconquerable, invincible, unbeatable Cigar!”

Cigar completed 1995 with a record of 10-for-10.

At 6, Cigar added the inaugural Dubai World Cup, the world’s richest race. He kept his winning streak intact through the Arlington Citation Challenge, a race created especially for him and in which he carried a hefty 130 pounds to defeat Dramatic Gold and Unbridled’s Song.

Cigar’s 16-race streak came to an end in the Pacifc Classic in which he fnished third. A rebound in the 1996 Woodward Stakes marked his last victory. Cigar concluded his career with a third in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Woodbine.

Cigar’s stellar career on the track did not carry over to the breeding shed. He proved infertile and spent the bulk of his retirement at the Kentucky Horse Park’s Hall of Champions. Cigar remained as popular as ever until his death Oct. 7, 2014. KM

710 EAST MAIN STREET #120 LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY 40502, US 859-523-5070 | WWW.JOHNSGLASSES.COM