Soup’s splash douses Cigar

Steve Carp

Monday, Oct. 28, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario -- The pithy comment in The New York Times' Breeders' Cup handicap for Alphabet Soup was "No soup for you this year."

The esoteric reference to the "Soup Nazi" character on the TV sitcom "Seinfeld" obviously didn't matter to trainer David Hofmans. Perhaps a more appropriate comment would have been "Close, but no Cigar."

Virtually no one gave Alphabet Soup, a gray 5-year-old from California, much of a shot against the mighty Cigar, who had planned to use the 13th Breeders' Cup Classic as his farewell party.

Hofmans was one of the few who believed. Back in September, he invested $50 at Caesars Palace in the Breeders' future book and got Alphabet Soup at 85-1. And after the son of 1985 Breeders' Mile winner Cozzene outduled Cigar and Louis Quatorze in the stretch to win by a nose and pay $41.70, Hofmans could buy all the soup and cigars he wanted.

"My friend's already cashed the ticket," he said of the big futures wager worth more than $4,000.

What made Hofmans believe his horse could beat Cigar and the rest of the Classic field?

"He had come up to the race beautifully," Hofmans said. "He has been focused the whole time and once he gets the lead, he doesn't like to give it up."

A record crowd of 42,242 packed Woodbine to see Cigar go out on top, much like Secretariat did here 22 years ago. But despite a trouble-free trip, the 6-year-old son of Palace Music couldn't get by Alphabet Soup and Louis Quatorze and finished third in a blanket three-horse photo finish.

This time, there was no excuse of being used up in the pace. Or moving too late. Or having horses box him in. Cigar ran hard. But Alphabet Soup and Louis Quatorze ran a little harder.

"Maybe he has lost a step," trainer Bill Mott acknowledged in the aftermath of Cigar's third loss in his last four races. "When he was at his very, very, very best, he would shoot by and open up. In his last few races, he's been wearing them down, not shooting by."

Mott and jockey Jerry Bailey admitted that perhaps the last two years of hard campaigning may have finally taken its toll.

"He probably shows the evidence of four years of racing, hard racing, and a lot of travel," Mott said. "I knew that at the start of the year it was going to be tough to keep him at his peak at the end of this year.

"I'm not torn apart by the loss. When Jerry got off and we walked back, my feeling was more of appreciation than any type of letdown for the loss."

After equaling Citation's modern-day record with 16 straight victories, Saturday's defeat left Cigar 5-for-8 this year. It also left him short of being the first horse to win back-to-back Breeders' Cup Classics. However, with his third-place finish in the Classic, Cigar boosted his record career earnings to a little more than $10 million.

Prior to the Classic, there was talk of running Cigar in a special match race in Japan. However, the defeat has nixed those plans and he is likely headed to Kentucky to stand at stud. Owner Allen Paulson had turned down a $30 million offer from Japanese breeding interests earlier this year.

"If you want to be realistic, you know that it just can't go on," Mott said. "It just can't. It wouldn't be possible. He's just flesh and blood and he's wearing down."

Bailey said: "Cigar is still a champion to do what he's done this year. He never quit. He never gave up. It's great he's still around."

While Cigar has run his last race, Alphabet Soup should return to the races in 1997.

"We may run him in Dubai, we may not," Hofmans said. "I'd like to see him run against Skip Away. Both have beaten Cigar. I think that would be an interesting race."

Ironically, Hofmans was considering avoiding Cigar. He had beaten Lit de Justice, who would win the Sprint Saturday. And Alphabet Soup had narrowly lost to Dramatic Gold in the one mile Breeders' Cup Handicap at Del Mar.

But when Skip Away was not entered and Wekiva Springs dropped out of the Classic, Hofmans' choice was clear.

"We were looking at the Sprint, the Mile and the Classic," he said. "But I knew one thing, Oct. 26 was going to be a good day to run."

And a good day for knowing your ABCs.