Skip Away - 1996 Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1)

The race was supposed to do two things - offer a fitting New York swan song to locally based Cigar and provide clarity on a somewhat muddled three-year-old division. The latter was accomplished in spades, the former just slightly less so. Perhaps he was too far back. Perhaps at the age of six Cigar had lost a step. Perhaps, as he had received the baton from a gray rival, it was time to pass it on to one. Whatever the reason, Cigar’s furious late rally fell just a head shy of Skip Away, half his age and on the improve. Cigar would go on to a third place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic pushing his earnings to $9,999,815, a record at the time, and take home his second straight Champion Older Horse and Horse of the Year trophies. Skip Away was named that year’s Champion Three-Year-Old, twice Champion Older Horse, 1998’s Horse of the Year, and retired with earnings of $9,616,360. Both were inducted in to the Hall of Fame.

[@Bigrosty44]

The great Skip Away!!! just a baby in this race. took the fractions and held off Cigar. Skip Away one of the best of my lifetime

[@flatonia]

Holy Bull passed the baton to Cigar who passed it to Skip Away. Those three were arguably the top horses of the 90's and not much separating them, IMHO.

[@annamariayannetta242]

My horse is a full brother to The Great Skip Away!!!!!🏆♥️

[@annamariayannetta242]

Cigar was great, a great race🐎♥️🌹 2:23

[@jackwoods9604]

Cigar was beaten by a "Legit" Horse...Skip Away was a Beast...He battled with the Leader the Entire way around the Track and still had something left to just hold off Cigar

[@joechrow8341]

Skip Away was younger then Cigar here...5 lbs or not...Prime to Prime i feel Skip Away was slightly the better horse

[@DanielSong39]

Skip Away was slightly better in this race but Cigar's prime was in the last couple of races in 1994 and 1995, in 1996 he started to tail off a little

[@guardiaguardia3017]

On the Pacific Classic the fractions were insane fast, Cigar lost. On this race fractions were too slow, Cigar lost. And on the Breeders Cup Classic, he was too far back and too wide, Cigar lost. Jerry Bailey is one of the best ever, and I'm sure he has second guessing himself on those 3 races.

[@jlove8445]

He’s had some good rides and some awful ones in his day