1996 Dubai World Cup Winner: Cigar
Of course, we start with the hooves that started it all. The magnum opus that Dubai World Cup is today was undeniably destined for greatness, with the backing from the Ruler of Dubai himself, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Even in its inaugural year in 1996, the event attracted the best of the best from all over the world. Almost all the participants in that race went on to achieve individual glories, such as the extent of the competition. Ridden by the Hall of Famer, Jerry Bailey, this extreme competition was won by none other than the glorious, Cigar. In fact, he was so good that racing correspondent Geoffrey Riddle once famously said’ “The legendary Cigar was the winner and he began the tradition of excellence in this race”.
I am sure you are familiar with Cigar’s name. What can one say about this legend and an icon of the game, Breaking records was almost like his hobby, he simply loved to race and he simply raced to win.
Bailey stated that I never sensed and change in his speed or the way he is travelling. Itès just that I look around and the horses who were beside me are now suddenly far behindÈ. Watching him bolt out of the starting stalls to him making effortless strides to get past his competition to see him go around the world on what can only be termed as conquests was a sheer delight to fans all over the world.
Even co-owner Mike Pons reminisced. It was really cool to have a little piece of one of the greatest horses of all time. Winning many accolades and making records that stood for decades, Cigar was rightfully inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2002. He left us in 2014. Ted Nicholson of the famous Kentucky Park commented "Cigar was an incredible horse who left his mark on the horse racing world".