Cigar Takes Farewell Gallop

With the crowd cheering and the band playing, Jerry Bailey rode Cigar down the stretch for the final time in a special farewell ceremony at Churchill Downs.

Cigar, with earnings of almost $10 million, is being retired to stud at a central Kentucky horse farm.

Bailey guided Cigar in a dead gallop down the stretch to the delight of thousands who braved snow flurries and cold temperatures to see the horse that tied Citation’s record of 16 wins in the row.

Fast Catch, a 30-1 outsider, rushed by distaff champion Serena’s Song in the final sixteenth of a mile and won the $139,624 Churchill Downs Distaff at Churchill Downs by three-quarters of length.