CIGAR
Courtesy of Dubai Racing Club
1996 - CIGAR
The first Dubai World Cup illustrated its international appeal with America's greatest horse of recent times, six year-old Cigar, making his only trip outside the USA to head the cast.
Owned and bred by Allen Paulson and trained by Bill Mott, he had won all his 10 starts in 1995 (eight of them Grade Ones) and faced some smashing opponents in Dubai headed by Britain's King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes winner Pentire, Australian star Danewin, Japanese-trained Lively Mount and Godolphin's dual Eclipse Stakes victor Halling.
But this was to be the day Cigar confirmed his supremacy on a global stage when driven on by jockey Jerry Bailey to a thrilling ½-length victory over another American runner, Soul Of The Matter, trained by Richard Mandella. Third-placed L'Carriere completed a one, two, three for US raiders with Pentire bagging fourth prize.
Cigar earned superlatives in the press. Alastair Down wrote in The Sporting Life: "He came from the land of the brave and stirred the heart with a victory that proved he has the guts to match his greatness. Cigar's triumph was everything this first World Cup needed."
Tim Richards of the Racing Post added: "Cigar, hailed as champion of the world, returned to ecstatic scenes at Nad Al Sheba yesterday. He had to draw on all his considerable strength and courage to check the determined challenge of Soul Of The Matter. A furlong out Cigar, who had missed 11 days training with a bruised foot, momentarily had the look of a beaten fighter. He was headed for a stride, according to Soul Of The Matter's jockey Gary Stevens.
"But champions don't give up and, under serious persuasions from Jerry Bailey, he gritted his teeth to produce one final surge to the line which swept him home by ½ length."
Richard Edmondson, writing in The Irish Times, said: "It was difficult to find the losers. Cigar's win in the Dubai World Cup yesterday was a performance that grated with only the malevolent few.
"America's great horse kept his reputation intact, the crowd saw the stunning animal they had been promised and, perhaps most of all, Sheikh Mohammed was granted a result which will give his nation maximum exposure around the world."