|
Cigar - America's Horse
"16 In a Row " on back
Price: $19.95
Currently Out Of Stock
How to Order
|
 ...
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 or
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.
|
