By now, the world knows that we have lost one of the great race horses in the history of the sport. The great Cigar passed away from complications after surgery for severe osteoarthritis in his neck. The Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital just down the road from Kentucky Horse Park was where the great one finally passed.

For those that just forgot or did not know, Cigar won 16 consecutive starts in his tremendous career. In a timeframe of a bit less than two years, Cigar just could not be beat. It could have been an allowance, a lower level stakes race, a grade one or the granddaddy of them all, the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Unfortunately Cigar could not produce offspring so we were never treated to such tremendous bloodlines again. That could be how it should be. There was only one Cigar, and that is how it will always remain.

Cigar was able to rest and enjoy his “golden years” at the Kentucky Horse Park for over 15 years and brought joy and electricity to fans when came to Hall of Champions just like the electricity that he brought to every time he stepped onto a racetrack.

With the Breeders’ Cup less than a month away, what better way to remember Cigar than to relieve that great moment from the 1995 Breeders’ Cup Classic when Tom Durkin helped us all remember the “the incomparable, invincible, unbeatable Cigar.”

httpv://youtu.be/ydT4SRxZT1Y

Video Courtesy of Vintage North American Horse Racing