The Day Cigar Rose to the 'Challenge'

Two decades ago, he came, he saw he conquered.

It was July 13, 1996, that the legendary Cigar thrilled a crowd of 34,223 adoring fans at Arlington International Racecourse, a race, an experience that no one–including this reporter who was 'born' in a sense on that sunsplashed afternoon–will ever forget.

Cigar entered his 6-year-old campaign on a 12-race winning streak, a remarkable 10 of which came in 1995, capped by that dramatic performance in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic. With the inaugural G1 Dubai World Cup on the horizon, Cigar successfully defended his title in the GI Donn H., but a foot abscess forced connections to scrub an intended prep in the GI Santa Anita H. and cast a fair amount of doubt on his trip to the desert. But, deemed healthy enough to journey over, he put Sheikh Mohammed's race on the map to stretch his streak to 14.

A little more than two months later, better than 20,000 fans packed into East Boston's Suffolk Downs to see if Cigar could make it back-to-back scores in the Mass 'Cap. He was asked to carry 130 pounds–not for the final time in his career–but that proved no burden.

Next on the agenda was a return trip to Inglewood, California, where Cigar had so brilliantly defeated Juddmonte's gallant Tinners Way in the GI Hollywood Gold Cup 12 months prior. But that same hoof issue that nearly derailed the World Cup bid resurfaced and the Gold Cup was ultimately ruled out. The GI Suburban H. would be a logical next step, but Arlington Chairman Dick Duchossois came up with an idea to give owner Allen Paulson carte blanche in terms of race date and distance. The track would put up three-quarters of a million dollars and the pot was to be sweetened by a $300,000 bonus to the winner, assuming Cigar made the gate. On June 25, 1996, it was confirmed. The Maryland-bred would shoot for a 16th consecutive win at Arlington to equal the modern North American record set by Citation between 1948 and 1950.

Cigar was to face 'palookas…tomato cans,' wrote Bill Finley in the New York Daily News when the race was announced, given the short notice and given that many of the better horses in training at the time were either hurt or would have been committed for other spots. Finley suggested it would be tough to fill the race, but Arlington managed to field nine others, admittedly not the toughest bunch in the history of racing, but an accomplished one all the same:

• Unbridled's Song: the reigning GI BC Juvenile hero who had won that year's GI Florida Derby and set a strong pace as the favorite in the GI Kentucky Derby before finishing fifth while essentially running on three feet

• Honour and Glory: another of that year's sophomore set, who somewhat predictably flopped in the Derby, but rebounded to upset his elders in the GI Met Mile before coming to Chicago

• Eltish: Juddmonte's 1994 BC Juvenile runner-up and a respectable sixth in Thunder Gulch's 1995 Derby win, trained by the late Bobby Frankel

• Dramatic Gold: third in the 1994 BC Classic, trained for John and Betty Mabee's Golden Eagle Farm by David Hofmans, who would ironically play a role in Cigar's career finale

• Polar Expedition: the blue-collar Illinois-bred, who won seven of his first nine career starts, including the 1994 GII Jim Beam S.

Under the allowance conditions of the race, Cigar was asked to tote 130 pounds for the second straight race, giving his rivals anywhere from eight to 14 pounds. And while not written as a handicap, he had not only the weight concession to overcome, but he drew post position 10. With the gate positioned right at the finish line, a short run to the first turn, plenty of speed to his inside and being the one they were all gunning for, it wasn't going to be a walkover.

CBS television had been recruited to do the live broadcast–a flashback to a time when it covered the Belmont S. Gus Johnson anchored from the paddock, while local sportscaster Howard Sudberry (now an employee of the track) and Bill Raftery reported from trackside. Yes, THAT Bill Raftery. Johnny Morris, another long-time Chicago sports anchor and avid racing fan, interviewed Citation's trainer Jimmy Jones in the paddock.

Michael Wrona loaded them into the gate. The stage was set. The pre-race crescendo. The bell.

The crowd roared as one when the gates opened and it was the speedy Polar Expedition who led early, but he was soon supplanted up front by Honour and Glory, who kicked up along the fence from the rail draw to head them off into the first turn. Dramatic Gold slipstreamed the leading duo before sliding out to the three path midway on the turn and Eltish saved ground. Unbridled's Song, drawn nine, traveled four deep for Mike Smith, forcing Jerry Bailey to commit to a five-wide run, a near worst-case scenario for Team Cigar.

Honour and Glory took them along through an opening quarter in :23.87 as the top six held their spots, but the half-mile was up in :46.90, a testing split, indeed, over a trip rarely run at Arlington. Polar Expedition was the first to call it a day and backed out of it quickly with a little less than four furlongs to race, and Honour and Glory was still using that stretchout speed to best effect, though Dramatic Gold and Corey Nakatani were working their way into the race nicely while Cigar was revving up despite his wide passage. In perhaps the most surprising development of the race, Unbridled's Song came off the bridle at the three-eighths and dropped away, depriving the finish of the Citation Challenge of one of its potential story lines.

Cigar was making his move simultaneously to the obvious approval of the packed house and he swept up outside of Dramatic Gold to challenge for the lead at the top of the lane. Nakatani did all he could, floating Cigar out a path or more and he put up a gallant fight into the final furlong, but Cigar proved too good on the day, reporting home by 3 1/2 lengths, a jubilant Bailey pumping his right fist while up in the stands, Paulson and trainer Bill Mott shared an almost-relieved embrace (click for the race chart). Eltish parlayed a perfect trip into a third-place effort ahead of the pacesetter in fourth. Unbridled's Song tailed off to finish ninth as the 47-10 betting alternative and went missing for the rest of the year. The final time of 1:48.30 was an exceptionally strong one. Cigar paid $2.60 the win. There was no place or show wagering, though the horizontal bets paid handsomely, all things considered (click for a race replay).

It took what seemed like an eternity for Cigar to come back around the track. Not that those in attendance minded at all. The scenes remain memorable all these years later of fans straining to get a glimpse of the champ on track, prancing, Bailey saluting the crowd with a tip of his helmet. Wrona had the one-liner of the afternoon, remarking that, “Cigar makes a rare appearance on the turf,” when being unsaddled.

Cigar would go on to lose at the hands of Dare and Go in the Pacific Classic four weeks later. A wedding precluded me from seeing the end of the streak, and to this day, I'm candidly relieved I did not witness that. I was fortunate to be in attendance to see Cigar rebound in the GI Woodward S. that September and watched that tough loss in defense of the Classic in person in Toronto.

But, as long as I remain a fan of this game, it will take something fairly significant to exceed the thrill of that second Saturday of July at my home track, now 20 years in the rear view.