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It has been 20 years since Cigar ran his last race, in the 1996 Breeders Cup Classic at Woodbine, while more than 76 years have passed since Seabiscuit took his final bow with a victory in the 1940 Santa Anita Handicap. Yet their names live on, in more ways than one, and on Saturday their memories will be summoned once again in significant bicoastal races at Del Mar and Aqueduct.Cigar was the notoriously schizophrenic son of Palace Music who began life as a failed turf horse before a dramatic rebranding turned him into the preeminent main-track competitor of the decade. He retired just $185 shy of an even $10 million in earnings, pocket change he could have stumbled into with minimally more effort in any one of the 10 grass races he lost in 11 tries.On dirt, Cigar was nearly unbeatable. Apart from his first two maiden races, he won 17 of 20 starts on the main track, all of those against older opposition from whatever cream there was of several crops. His 16 straight wins from the autumn of 1994 to the summer of 1996 were the talk of the racing world. Wherever Cigar ran was the place to be.Cigar was voted Horse of the Year in 1995 and 1996. In 1997, the New York Racing Association renamed its NYRA Mile the Cigar Mile, which made perfect sense since the 1994 NYRA Mile marked Cigars first stakes win. For Saturday, the $500,000 Cigar Mile purse has lured a field that includes Anchor Down, Ocean Knight, Divining Rod, Connect, and War Story.Like Cigar, Seabiscuit had a distinctly bifurcated career. By the time he was purchased by Charles S. Howard in August 1936, the horse had been asked to run a ridiculous 47 times at ages 2 and 3 by a succession of Wheatley Stable trainers, including the legendary Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons.Once in the hands of Tom Smith, Seabiscuit was treated like a good horse, which is what he became. He won 24 of 42 starts for Howard, carrying 130 pounds or more a dozen times, and was Horse of the Year in 1938. How popular was Seabiscuit? Read the book. See the movie.When Del Mar inherited Hollywood Parks fall stakes commitments, the former Citation Handicap became the Seabiscuit. Switching names left West Coast racing without a proper homage to Citation, but Seabiscuits California roots were deep, and in his lone appearance at Del Mar he won a controversial match race against South American ace Ligaroti that set the sporting press on its ear.The cast lining up for Saturdays running of the $200,000 Seabiscuit, at 8-1/2 furlongs on the grass, includes Ring Weekend, What a View, Om, and Vyjack, each coming out of a Breeders Cup appearance.Om, the winner of the 2015 Del Mar Derby, might be the freshest among them. After making 10 starts over an 11-month stretch, the flashy son of Munnings was given a break last spring by trainer Dan Hendricks, then came back better than ever. He was second in the Del Mar Mile, second in the City of Hope Mile, and came one step away from winning the $1 million Breeders Cup Turf Sprint at Santa Anita on Nov. 5.It was a step he lost at the start, which cost Om and Gary Stevens striking position on the twisting downhill Santa Anita course. They found themselves last early, traveling well but going nowhere. Up in the stands, the pragmatic Hendricks had all but conceded the match.Basically, it was game over until he crossed the dirt, Hendricks said this week from his Santa Anita stable. Then it turned into another race.Did it ever. Stevens still had a ton of horse, and miraculously they began to find creases inside, between, and around the dozen opponents separating Om from the front-running Obviously. In the final 50 yards, they passed the classy Pure Sensation like he was tied to a post and were gobbling up Obviously when the wire arrived -- too soon. The difference was a nose, and $380,000 in prize money.Hendricks could be forgiven if he had pounded his head over the tough loss. After three decades as a trainer, he has never been so close to a Breeders Cup score. But 12 years in a wheelchair after a dirt-bike accident cultivate a certain equanimity when it comes to such mundane matters as a lost horse race. Hendricks preferred to look at the Cup result as at least half fulfilling.Luckily, we got through with a clean trip because he could have gotten blocked pretty easily considering as big a field as it was, Hendricks said. After the fact, we were just glad we were second and had a lot of fun with it. We cant complain.Best of all, Om is raring to go again.He actually came out of his race fresher and stronger, not losing any weight, than he has a lot of his other races, Hendricks said. Only running three-sixteenths of a mile might have helped.Om, owned by Kulbhushan and Shashi Sareen, will race next year at age 5, according to Hendricks.We never even thought about stopping, Hendricks said. Hes healthy, happy, and sound. I cant ask more for a horse than that. He should have a real big year.And it could start on Saturday. Greg Allen Jersey . But the quarterback hopes to stay involved in football after officially calling it quits Tuesday. "Id love to look at those opportunities as they arise," Pierce said in an interview from his Winnipeg eatery. Tyler Naquin Indians Jersey . Fernandez, coached in Toronto by former two-time Olympic silver medallist Brian Orser, scored 267.11 points and is the first champion to successfully defend since Russias Evgeny Plushenko in 2005 and 2006. http://www.indianssale.com/indians-carlos-baerga-jersey/ . 10 Texas Rangers jersey for one last time. Young formally announced his retirement Friday after returning to Rangers Ballpark, his baseball home for all but the last of his 13 major league seasons. Leonys Martin Jersey .C. -- Chris Thorburn thinks one of the reasons the Winnipeg Jets have been successful under new coach Paul Maurice is that theyre playing together as a team. Omar Vizquel Jersey .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. TORONTO -- A most unlikely pitching performance helped put a most unexpected team into the World Series.Cleveland rookie Ryan Merritt came out of nowhere and coolly delivered a lead to the Andrew Miller-led bullpen, and the Indians won their first pennant since 1997 by blanking Toronto 3-0 Wednesday in Game 5 of the AL Championship Series.Cleveland, which has never hosted a World Series opener, will play Game 1 at Progressive Field on Tuesday night against the Chicago Cubs or Los Angeles Dodgers.Manager Terry Franconas team will try to augment whats already been a scintillating year in Cleveland after LeBron James and the Cavaliers earned the citys first major pro sports championship since 1964. The Indians title drought dates to 1948.We always said if we could do it with this group it would be so special because this is as close to a family feel as you can get in a professional setting. So for that part of it, it is beyond feeling good, Francona said.The Dodgers led the Cubs 2-1 going into Game 4 of the NLCS on Wednesday night. Cleveland didnt play either club this season.Miller, acquired from the New York Yankees in a midseason trade, was selected the ALCS MVP as the Indians took their sixth pennant.I feel like Ive said the word `special a million times in the last 20 or 30 minutes. But its the truth. Its a blast to be a part of, Miller said.With all of 11 major league innings under his belt -- and only one start, on Sept. 30 -- Merritt took the mound and looked just like a seasoned vet. The 24-year-old lefty retired the first 10 batters and allowed a mere two hits before being pulled after 4 1/3 innings.I know they were counting on me, Merritt said. Before the game, they came and told me they had my back, everybody had my back, good or bad. So that takes some pressure off, and I just went out there and pitched and trusted my team.Merritt got taps on his heart and hat from teammates when he left the mound. Then it was up to Clevelands tireless relievers to hold a three-run lead against the wild-card Blue Jays.Miller again did most of the heavy lifting, going 2 2/3 innings before Cody Allen worked the ninth for a save. Winning pitcher Bryan Shaw tossed an inning before Miller came in.Carlos Santana and Coco Crisp homered for the Indians.With starting pitchers Carlos Carrasco, Danny Salazar and Trevor Bauer dealing with injuries, the Indians kept defying the odds.Cleveland overtook defending World Series champion Kansas City and topped a $196 million Detroit team to win the AL Central, then put an abrupt end to Big Papis career, sweeping David Ortiz and the Boston Red Sox in the Division Series.The Indians stayed on a roll in the ALCS, shutting down the banging Blue Jays. Cleveland won despite hitting .168 in the series, with slick-fielding shortstop Francisco Lindor leading the way in going 7 for 19.Toronto lost in the ALCS for the second straight year.Im sure there will be some disapppointments and grumbling and complaining about how you fell short again, but thats not coming from me, manager John Gibbons said.dddddddddddd Because I know what these guys did, and I think its a pretty good accomplishment. The key is we want to take that next step one of these days. Hopefully, its next year.Merritt -- a Texas native drafted in the 16th round by Cleveland in 2011 -- hadnt pitched in a game since his late September start, although hed gotten some work in this month in the instructional league at the Indians spring training complex in Arizona.A day after Toronto averted a sweep, the crowd at the roaring Rogers Centre expected the Blue Jays to roll over the rookie.Maybe the Blue Jays did, too.With our experience in our lineup, Im pretty sure hes going to be shaking in his boots more than we are, Toronto slugger Jose Bautista said after Game 4.After the Blue Jays were eliminated, Bautista took a different tone.He seemed to make the right pitches at the right time, Bautista said. Hats off to him.Merritt struck out three batters in the first two innings -- all looking -- and didnt allow a baserunner until Josh Donaldsons one-out single in the fourth. After Russell Martins bloop single with one out in the fifth, Francona leaned again on a bullpen that soaked up 8 1/3 innings in a Game 3 win Monday.Shaw pitched an inning, and Miller came on with one out in the sixth and a runner on. Donaldson bounced into a double play on Millers first pitch, and the tall lefty made it through the seventh and eighth with little trouble before giving way to Allen.Cleveland took a 1-0 lead in the first when Mike Napoli doubled and left fielder Ezequiel Carrera misplayed the ball off the wall for an error. Lindor scored from first on the play.Santana and Crisp added solo shots in the third and fourth off Toronto starter Marco Estrada to put the AL Central champions up 3-0.TRAINERS ROOMIndians: Francona said before the game that Bauer was supposed to have his lacerated right pinkie looked by a doctor again. The idea was to see if the right-hander could potentially pitch out of the bullpen at all during this series after being lifted when he was bleeding in the first inning of Game 3.Now the question is whether Bauer can be of any help in the World Series.Obviously, he needs to heal, but he cant just not throw, Francona said.Bauer sliced his pinkie last week repairing one of the drones he enjoys flying as a hobby. During the boozy clubhouse celebration after Game 5, Bauer had his right arm wrapped in protective plastic.UP NEXTIndians: Cleveland returns home and rests up for the World Series.Blue Jays: Toronto faces an uncertain offseason after making the postseason as a wild card. Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion and Michael Saunders are in the final year of their contracts. ' ' '