“Unbeatable” is how many individuals seen and described the good Cigar. By the point the seemingly invincible 6-year-old arrived at Del Mar to race within the 1996 Grade 1 Pacific Traditional, he had traveled the nation – even the world – whereas successful an unimaginable 16 consecutive races. The earlier yr, Allen Paulson’s Cigar had gone 10-for-10 throughout a stellar Horse of the Yr marketing campaign that culminated with a simple victory within the Breeders’ Cup Traditional, which prompted observe announcer Tom Durkin to explain him as “the unconquerable, invincible, unbeatable Cigar!”
Cigar was nearly as good as ever in 1996, with a win within the inaugural Dubai World Cup amongst his greatest achievements. Later that summer time, he would win a particular occasion at Arlington Park referred to as the Quotation Problem, a race with a handbag of greater than $1 million that was designed as the proper spot for Cigar to equal Quotation’s modern-day file of 16 straight victories. When Cigar cruised to victory by 3 ½ lengths, he appeared poised to take sole possession of the file in his subsequent begin, the Pacific Traditional at Del Mar.
The race was anticipated to be a simple one for Cigar. The Invoice Mott trainee can be going through simply 5 rivals – fewer than common – and he was an ideal 4-for-4 on the Pacific Traditional’s 1 ¼-mile distance. Bettors, anticipating one other romping victory, despatched Cigar off because the overwhelming favourite at odds of 1-10.
However there was one issue – a wild card, if you’ll – that few had anticipated. The California-based coach Richard Mandella additionally had his eye on the Pacific Traditional, and he would ship out a gifted two-pronged assault on Del Mar’s greatest race. The higher-known of his two runners was Siphon, a Brazilian-bred runner who had gained 4 straight races, together with the Grade 1 Hollywood Gold Cup in gate-to-wire vogue. Mandella’s different runner was Dare and Go, who had reached the head of racing 1 ½ years earlier when he had gained the Grade 1 Strub Stakes at Santa Anita Park. However in 1996, Dare and Go had gained simply as soon as from 5 begins, and that lone victory had are available a minor stakes races 5 months earlier. When he’d confronted Siphon within the Hollywood Gold Cup, Dare and Go might solely handle a distant fifth-place end.
But collectively, Siphon and Dare and Go would race as a workforce to result in probably the most legendary upsets in racing historical past.
With a big crowd of 44,181 watching and ready for historical past to be made, Siphon and Cigar received off to fast begins and sprinted to the entrance. Siphon, flashing his trademark early pace, led by a size as the sphere got here previous the stands for the primary time, operating the opening quarter-mile in :23.01.
However Cigar was shut behind, staying proper inside vary, with jockey Jerry Bailey reportedly intent on retaining Siphon from getting away with a simple lead. Dramatic Gold, a longshot, was additionally near the tempo, racing simply outdoors of Cigar and placing the heavy favourite in an ungainly place. If Cigar tried to settle behind Siphon, Dramatic Gold might shift inward and field Cigar in alongside the rail with nowhere to run. But if Cigar tried to carry his place, he must run onerous and get entangled in a quick tempo … possibly too quick of a tempo.
Within the meantime, Dare and Go had settled comfortably in fourth place, some 4 lengths behind the leaders, racing alone with the opposite two runners a lot farther again. Dare and Go was saving floor, sustaining an ideal place, with jockey Alex Solis ready to see how the tempo unfolded in entrance of him.
It couldn’t have unfolded any higher for Dare and Go. With Cigar retaining the stress on Siphon, and Dramatic Gold retaining the stress on Cigar, the second quarter-mile was timed in a fast :22.95, sooner than the primary. That produced a testing half-mile in :45.96, and the relentless tempo would barely decelerate in any respect down the backstretch as Cigar started to advance, transferring nearer to Siphon and pushing his front-running rival via three-quarters of a mile in 1:09.29, a sprint-like time hardly ever seen in 1 ¼-mile route races.
Cigar wanted to decelerate, wanted to take a breather and save one thing for the long term down the homestretch, however with Siphon nonetheless main there was no selection however to go for broke, seize the initiative, and take the lead. To the roar of the gang, Cigar made his transfer, surging previous Siphon and assuming command as the sphere flew across the far flip and approached the homestretch.
However the tempo was nonetheless quick, so quick that the opening mile was timed in 1:33.66, simply 0.46 seconds off the observe file. And behind Cigar, closing quick on the skin, sweeping into rivalry with ground-devouring strides, was Dare and Go.
Simply as shortly as Cigar had taken the lead, he discovered himself in a battle to take care of it – a battle he would finally lose. With Cigar’s strides shortening – he was clearly exhausted after sprinting so onerous early on – Dare and Go cruised previous on the prime of the stretch, extending his result in a size, then two lengths, then three, and eventually 3 ½ lengths as he crossed the end line in 1:59.85 seconds. The few courageous bettors who had performed him to win had been rewarded with a payoff of $81.20 for each $2 guess – Dare and Go had been despatched off because the second-longest shot within the race at practically 40-1 odds.
Even Richard Mandella was shocked by the end result. “Realistically, I although Siphon had one of the best probability to beat Cigar, however I believed Dare and Go had a reliable probability to get part of it,” Mandella was quoted as saying within the Aug. 11, 1996 version of the Los Angeles Instances. “However I didn’t assume Cigar would get beat, truthfully.”
Bailey knew that Cigar can be susceptible about midway via the race. “Down the bottom, Cigar wasn’t stuffed with run like he normally is,” Bailey stated within the Aug. 11 version of the Chicago Tribune. “At Arlington he wasn’t both, however he got here on by the point he hit the far flip. As we speak, he was working very onerous when he took the lead.”
Though Cigar’s win streak had come to an finish, he would rebound in his subsequent begin to win the Grade 1 Woodward Stakes by 4 lengths en path to a second Horse of the Yr title. Dare and Go would by no means win one other race, however that hardly mattered. By beating the unbeatable Cigar when the lights had been brightest, Dare and Go secured without end his place in racing historical past.
Notice: This story was initially printed in 2017 and has been up to date.
