The unconquerable, invincible, and unbeatable Cigar's reign came to an end on a fittingly stormy night when the stallion suffered complications from a surgery and passed away. While I never had a chance to see Cigar race, I did have multiple chances to get to know "Cigar, the horse" at the Kentucky Horse Park throughout the years so it was a painful loss in a year that seems to have one disappointment after another.
But after spending a day mourning the horse with the rest of the industry, I saw a few positive sides that Cigar would have loved.
Cigar was one of the biggest hams that any human would have the chance of meeting. If he was human, he would have been the overdramatic actor who loved being in the tabloids because it meant he got extra attention and man, he got that attention on Wednesday. But even more impressive than the shows of affection that came flowing in was how Cigar brought everyone together.
All throughout the day, there were emails, tweets, Facebook statuses, and even conversations about what Cigar meant to people with no one having anything bad to say about the horse. If you know horse racing, you know that finding something that no one argues about is a very rare thing, but it was a super nice way to remember the horse that affected nearly everyone in U.S. racing.
Cigar's final "gift" to me was to remind me how lucky I am to be in this sport.
The day after it was announced that he had died, I headed to Old Friends to get photos and quotes for a story. While I'm always amazed that I'm doing what I'm doing when I'm petting on a big horse, visiting the horses at Old Friends and getting to know Cigar at the Kentucky Horse Park through the years was a reminder how lucky racing fans are to have this much access to the horses.
I realize that in some situations I am "privileged" due to access I get because I'm not just a member of the public anymore but nearly anyone can go "behind the scenes" and visit a variety of retired Thoroughbreds. Want to see top stallions who are still active in the shed? Call a farm and schedule a tour. Want to see retired horses? Visit Old Friends, the Horse Park, ect. I can't think of any other sport who lets fans have that much access to their retirees.
Heck, even when the horses are "at home" in their stalls, humans can visit with them. How many human athletes, retired or otherwise, can you say that about?
As I played with 2002 Belmont Stakes winner Sarava while the awesome Gulch watched on, I had to laugh. Any other week, I would have been in awe that I got to be this close to a winner of such a big race. But thanks to Cigar, I wasn't only reminded of how lucky I am to be able to do what I'm doing, but also reminded of how lucky all race fans are to be able to get up close and personal with many big horses out there.
Knowing how Cigar acted when he wanted attention, it's fitting that he was the one who reminded me just how lucky all fans are to be able to have the access we have to these amazing athletes, both before and after they are retired.
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