Full disclosure; I was not a big fan of Cigar.
Not that, personally, I had anything against the horse or his connections. I've always liked his trainer, Bill Mott. But as has been well-documented here, I was/remain a massive fan of Holy Bull who was America's super horse immediately prior to the Cigar era and when the two finally squared off, in the 1995 Donn Handicap, an historic battle was shaping up on the backstretch when Holy Bull was stopped by a career-ending - but not fatal - injury. Cigar went on to win the '95 Donn Handicap (and so much more) and I suppose that I was always a little resentful about the adulation poured on Cigar when, I believed, Holy Bull was better.
Silly, right?
Yet feelings aside, there was always respect for the accomplishment's Cigar achieved. And the accomplishments were many. Quoting my favorite equine writer Steve Haskin from his Blood-Horse blog posting titled "Farewell to Cigar:"
The world loves perfection, and in 1995, Cigar was the epitome of perfection, as he travelled some 12 miles of racetrack real estate, covering nearly 10,000 miles by van and plane, while visiting six racetracks in six states. Whether on fast, wet-fast, or muddy tracks, all Cigar's rivals saw of him were the black and gray streaks of his tail. Among those inhaling Cigar's smoke were the winners of the 1995 Kentucky Derby, Belmont, Travers, Santa Anita Handicap, Pacific Classic, Whitney Handicap, and the Juddmonte International and Eclipse Stakes in England, as well as past winners of the Breeders' Cup Classic, Santa Anita Handicap, Pimlico Special, Hollywood Gold Cup, and Oaklawn Handicap.
Haskin's column is quite long. Unless you're already a fan of Cigar or have a deep interest in horse racing, you may choose to skip the piece.
When Cigar retired he was (then) the richest thoroughbred racehorse in history, having won $9,999,815.
Yet for as much digital space as I've filled here with the professional exploits of Cigar, the purpose of this posting today isn't about winning races or wagering or handicapping. While these are things I often write about, whenever possible I also try to present the other important, significant elements of thoroughbred horse racing that don't involve making money on bets, such as; the history on the sport, breeding, calling attention to the breath-taking settings of our best racetracks, the race day experience, etc. The purpose of today's posting is to spotlight the emotional connection that is made with individual thoroughbred racehorses and, in particular - courtesy of Amanda Duckworth's column for ESPN.com titled "Rest easy, Cigar" - the heartbreak when a loved horse passes.
Roll the credits!
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