Cigar - 1995 Breeders Cup Classic

Cigar wins in a blazing time of 1:59.58. Just listen to the THUNDERING hoofbeats on the backstretch and turn...I really liked the camera work for this race, too.

[@ruffchamp1]

cigar won 16 in a row.the greatest horse ive ever seen, absolutely brilliant to see him in person.

[@OnTheMoneyMooney]

Two horse racing greats: Animal and man; Cigar and Jerry Bailey. It just doesn't get much better. Thank you for posting this video.

[@acam13]

Still get chills from this race...

[@bcstpete]

I still get excited when I hear tom durkins call at the wire. 12 years sure goes fast

[@tegi53]

I saw Cigar and John Henry at the Horse Park, too in 2001! It was really awesome.

[@larrylomascolo6289]

if you dont get chills after that call ,,,great animal

[@garetharogers]

You can visit Cigar at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. I was there this week; what an amazing horse. When they brought him into the pavillion, he just had this look of a champion. If you can describe a horse as looking arrogant, that was him.

[@ruffchamp1]

cigar 16 in a row, he went to dubai in the middle east to prove what a brilliant champion he was...a world champion

[@tafari127]

Great call, great race. God I love how smoothly Cigar moved in toward the rail off the turn.

[@BE109]

Cigar was just an incredible racehorse, one of the all time greats!

[@rscottakins]

Just watched it again. Greatest Call Ever! Cigar is Awesome!

[@GBeret83]

The 1995 BC Classic and the 1996 Dubai World Cup were just 2 of the races right in the middle of that 16 race win streak that Cigar accomplished to tie Citation's record. Which stood at the time. Zenyatta has since eclipsed both. But no one can ever say the Paulson's weren't sporting, and took the easy path with Cigar for his 16 straight win's. He raced in the biggest G1 races of the day, against all the best horses of his era!!

[@xbassdrummer]

Tom Durkin you are the best announcer of all time and you will most certainly be missed. As far as the video. You don't see Camera work like this anymore. The sounds of the horses the different angles just brings a different aspect to this race.

[@ruffchamp1]

cigar went all over the COUNTRY and the WORLD to prove how brilliant he was..cigar was a WORLD CHAMPION..a true legend

[@AzeriZ1]

I've been lucky enough to meet both Cigar (at KY Horse Park) as well as Peaks and Valleys! "Peaksie" was a sweet horse, especially for a stallion. I am sad to discover he passed away in 2012. I can't even imagine how much fun he's having, running races we can only dream of!

[@JohnFPorcaro]

cf1970, you are truly a racing fan's hero! Thank you again.

[@bbmtge]

cf1970...thanks for posting...just beginning to "get into" Cigar. WOW!!! What a horse!!!

[@Cigar1995HOY]

Congratulations to you good Ser (racing royalty) on your upcoming retirement this week from race calling Tom Durkin. I will always remember you with a bursting heart. You share a piece of my heart with your calls. Most importantly this one. I hope your future is a satisfying and adventurous one. All my racing love. -Nancy Murphy-Hayes

[@peace-now]

I love this horse. Saw him run. He reminds me a lot of the Aussie horse Kingston Town, another champ.

[@ruffchamp1]

cigar..16 in succession as cigar assumes the crown of immortality! cigar is an unstoppable dynamo

[@Laytonia1977]

Brilliant horse; when he won the Dubai World Cup he proved how deep he could dig. For the record, I backed Halling in the Breeders Cup Classic - tailed off by around 57 lengths :P

[@fhry6a]

I had the pleasure to "meet" Cigar at the Hall of Champions at the Kentucky Horse Park and let me tell you--he's the biggest racehorse I have ever seen.

[@BE109]

I forgot to add that jocks who are moving their horse are scrubbing on the horses neck(called handriding),they use the stick when they want all the horse has. Just a little helpful advice, or just watch the Belmont video over until you see what actually occurred.

[@JSanity01]

Thank you, and keep those videos coming, I really enjoy watching them.

[@PhoohPhah]

That is awesome. I asked the girl cleaning Cigar's stall if I could pet, as no one else was around, but she was like "no way." I was worth a shot.

[@BluePedal]

Three wide sweep to the lead approaching the final turn. I think he did that in every race.

[@MLynnJo]

WOW WOW WOW! I remember being in front of the TV.....jumping up & down!!

[@sidewalkcafe2007]

Any doubters about this horse's ability must not have been at Belmont that day. I had the pleasure of seeing the BC live that year, and in just a puddle of water all around the race track, Cigar toyed with the field and won easily to complete a perfect season. He and Inside Information put together the two most impressive BC wins that year. Cigar may not be in the top ten in racing history, but he has to be considered as one of the greats. Just a wonderful horse to have seen run.

[@rscottakins]

One of the many great calls from Durkin! Cigar was exhilarating to watch race. Bailey at his best also.

[@dougcheedie1620]

best race call ever

[@joshb729]

He wasn't ready as a 2yo and went unraced. Early in 3 yo campaign wasn't seen as anything more than a high level allowance/listed stakes horse.. They kept going back and forth on whether he would be a dirt or turf racer. They switched trainers to Bill Mott and he got him to run on the dirt and he began to bloom late in his 4 year old campaign.

[@seggymon]

i love the camera work in this race so much. Its more exciting when they show different views like this. =]

[@ghanimajade]

"Uncomprable, invincible, unbeatable, CIGAR!" I love it!

[@bg147]

I agree, plus the Arazi call is awesome

[@xjungfreud]

Great call...miss that horse

[@AccentAigu05]

Still the best race call EVER!

[@JSanity01]

a cornation of a true champion that day.

[@PhoohPhah]

I just saw Cigar at the Kentucky Horse Park. I felt like I was meeting a rock star.

[@bcstpete]

I get a kick out of the online debate. Cigar was and is my favorite race horse & one of my top 5 favorite athletes human or equine but as far as his competition goes i've got 2 words; Alphabet Soup 3 more:Dare & Go

[@bgardiner2000]

Was devastated when the connections decided not to bring him to Australia for the Cox Plate. Would have been great to see him race Octagonal, Saintly and co on turf at WFA.

[@barbaro267]

wow that's truly amazing!

[@BE109]

Well I really don't care many think that way,that doesn't change the fact he never shook the reins until he hit the top of the stretch, just before that he was looking over his shoulder to keep an eye on anyone trying to get 1st run. That is pure proof he didn't move to early. You can learn alot by watching a jocks body language. Now there is no doubt smarty was amped up, that is the reason he got caught, not Elliot moving to early.

[@JSanity01]

Cigar was bred in Maryland

[@lengua92]

The most impressive thing about his time being 1:59 50 is the fact that the first half mile was run in more than 48 seconds. He really had to pick up in the final 3/4 miles.

[@dunsta69]

the winner's too good here

[@sargeanthulka]

What a horse!

[@BE109]

I've looked at the past comments on this board. Some go out of their way to knock Cigar as some tomato can of a racehorse. They scream who did he beat,and all the normal stuff. This is very similiar to what people said about Seattle Slew in his 3 yr old year. "Just a good horse in a bad lot",funny this mindset shows up constantly. Just remember this, A GREAT HORSE will make very good horses look average. Thats why it appears he ran against nobody. Thats why he won 16 straight races people! WOW!

[@SnidgetAsphodel]

So do I. Every time.

[@FORESTDONS]

cigar was best in his generation only.You just cannot say he is the best ever. There is only 2 greatest horse ever lived until today and that is Man o war and secretariat

[@damm416]

if you were there when cigar won there was a rainbow over belmont when he won!

[@Skoshi33]

Cigar was a special rachorse. God only knows what he could've accomplished had he gotten to the dirt early in his career.

[@renduke]

@sidewalkcafe2007 I have been in racing 35 years and there is zero doubt that when Cigar was right he was an all time top 12 horse....he ran a sub 2 min mile and 1/4 at least twice maybe 3 times....he was a real push button horse who could make 2 and 3 runs within a race.....anyone who thinks Cigar would not be very competitive vs slew, affirmed, spectacular bid etc really needs to go back to racing 101

[@GBeret83]

Truly, is was almost like a cruel joke that Cigar, arguably one of America's greatest horses ever, ended up being sterile, and never got to pass those champion's genes along. Coolmore-Ireland bought Cigar's breeding rights. Under agreement with Alan Paulson that Cigar would stand stud at Coolmore's American facility. Just over the past 8 or 9 years, look at the great horses that Galileo and Montjeu have sired for Coolmore-Ireland. Just imagine if they would've had Cigar prior to those two? Scary

[@ebbets1965]

Cigar may not have been the equal of Slew, Secretariat or the Bid but unlike them he never lost a race for almost two years at a multitude of tracks and that makes him truly special. I'm not a Denman fan. I cringe when I hear "and away they go" or when he describes a :46 half in a mile and a quarter race as "sensible". Maybe with polytrack at Santa Anita that'll change.

[@JSanity01]

think b4 u talk. in the pacific classic Cigar chased Siphon thru a half in 45 4/5, 6 furlongs in 1:09 and a mile in 1:33 and still managed to take the lead b4 being overtaken by Dare and Go, Skip Away barely held on to win by a head, a few more jumps and Cigar had him and he was cutting into Alphabet Soup's lead. When he lost, he went down fighting, he didnt quit. He was game. And that what makes a champion, so to call Cigar a coward u obviously dont know what u talkin about

[@BE109]

Sometimes horses who are backing up make it look like the leader is making a move, I believe that is what you were looking at. Elliot's lack of movement with his hands and his looking behind show all the signs of a jock waiting as long as he can before setting the horse down for the stretch drive.

[@bettydaw1970]

great stuff, have any alysheba vs ferdinand rivalry?

[@bgardiner2000]

I can't believe he is rated only at 18th given his wins overseas. There's no much he could have achieved in his career than he did. I don't see how it's possible that any horse from now could be ranked ahead of Spectacular Bid. I wonder Zenyatta will rank if she wins her last race?

[@JSanity01]

i couldnt have agreed with you more. I think Cigar gets alot of flak because Holy Bull got injured in the only race they ever met up with each other. So they are probably unconciously bitter.

[@Mintano]

It was meant sarcastically lol. I've seen what Secretariat was up against.

[@JSanity01]

gotta disagree with you. You keep sayin he didnt beat anyone. Dont fault the horse for the competition around him, he did what he had to do. Like I said to you b4, if Dr.Fager didnt have Buckpasser and Damascus in his era, would u question his greatness too? Its not like Cigar did it at just one track, he shipped. and in the process won some of the biggest races in the country, majority of his wins in that streak were grade 1s. and its not the streak that impresses its the races he won.

[@pdg63]

not a great horse?you have to be kidding lol,he was one of the best ever,and beat all comers.the breeders cup , the dubai,what are we talking about chopped liver competition.get a clue

[@Mintano]

So your saying L'Carriere, Concern, Unaccounted For, Soul of the Matter, and Best Pal to name a few weren't impressive competition? At times he was running against mediocre competition but even so, to run this race in 1:59 3/5 is impressive by anyones standards. And going by the competition standard we'd have to say that Secretariat was not really a great horse either.

[@BE109]

Elliot didn't move waaaaaaay to early, jocks do not hold their hands still and look over their shoulder coming into the stretch. I don't hate Bailey, but I agree wholeheartedly with jhendrix516. It wasn't just Bailey, Solis on Rock Hard Ten did the same damn thing. I beleive they didn't want to see a journeyman jock do something they have never done. k7m4 you need to study more on your raceriding analysis.

[@toongoon88]

He's lucky HOLY BULL was forced into early retirement. Guarantee you Cigar would not have been one of all time greats because HOLY BULL who have taken his place.