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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. Daniel Murphy Jersey . -- Three close looks at the bucket, three misses. Cheap Nationals Jerseys . -- There were a lot of firsts for the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. http://www.cheapnationalsjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-shawn-kelley-jersey . Kyle Denbrook, a soccer player from Saint Marys University, took the CIS male athlete of the week honour. Stanley, a fourth-year business administration student from Charlottetown, scored both goals in a 2-0 win over Dalhousie on Friday and tallied again in a 1-0 win over Saint Marys on Sunday. Cheap MLB Jerseys Authentic . -- Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson asked his players a simple question during Fridays morning shootaround: How many of them had ever been on a team 14 games over . Adam Eaton Jersey . Jon Montgomerys gold medal in skeleton at the Whistler Sliding Centre and his subsequent auctioning off of a pitcher of beer in the village square elevated him to folk-hero status. RIO DE JANEIRO -- The fans chant their names, wave their flags and do a little samba in their seats whenever the Brazilians take the sand at the Copacabana Olympic beach volleyball venue.If its a lot of pressure for the hometown teams, theyre handling it well.All four Brazilian teams advanced out of pool play at the Olympic tournament, and three won their first matches of the knockout round on Friday and Saturday. After a disappointing fourth-place finish as hosts of the soccer World Cup in 2014, Brazils other national sport has thrived on its hometown sand.It is not a pressure for us, said Barbara, a Rio native, who with her partner Agatha beat China on Friday to reach the quarterfinals. We are living the dream now. Inside our hearts is joy.Beach volleyball is a passion in Brazil, as much a recreational sport on the Copacabana shore as soccer or surfing or sunbathing. And that has led to Olympic success, with the country winning 11 of 30 total medals since the sport was added to the Summer Games in 1996.So dominant were the Brazilians -- and Americans, who have claimed nine medals -- that quotas were created to limit each country to two entries (per gender) in the Olympics.And when Rio de Janeiro won the rights to host the 2016 Olympics, it was only natural that the beach volleyball venue would be on Copacabana.I fell so lucky, so honored, as a first-time Olympian to be here in my home, Barbara said. I am so proud to be a part of this Olympic year at home.The fans appear to enjoy it, too.With green and yellow shirts filling the stands and Brazilian music wafting over the security barriers onto Copacabana beach beyond, the Olympic venue has been shaking at times with the cheers for the four hometown teams.Agatha and Barbara were the first to reach the quarterfinals, followed later on Friday by the defending world champions Talita and Larissa. Alison and Bruno reached the round of 8 by beating Spain on Saturday, and the party was only slightly spoiled when the No. 2 mens team, Pedro and Evandro, lost to Russia.Still, the crowd gave the Brazilians a standing ovation on their way off the court, though part of the crowd was certainly acknowledging the 21-16, 14-21, 15-10 victory by Russia as well.Here on Copacabana, they know how to play, Russias Nikita Liamin said. TThey know the good play, and they know how it is done.ddddddddddddTwo-time Olympian Ana Paula, who is working with the stadium entertainment crew in Rio, agreed. At one break in the match, she introduced American Randy Stoklos, a five-time world champion and volleyball hall of famer who played before the sport was added to the Olympics.We might have built this stadium, but the Brazilians really made this sport, he said to a huge cheer.All of the Brazilians knew who he was, Ana Paula said. Its because Brazil really, really loves beach volleyball. Its because volleyball -- its been in our DNA.Ana Paula said she thinks volleyball and beach volleyball have even surpassed soccer in her homeland -- in part because of the soccer teams much-lamented 7-1 loss in the World Cup semifinals. We dont talk about the World Cup, she said with a smile.By contrast, the beach volleyball players seem to be thriving under pressure.I dont think we are going to see anything like that in volleyball, said Bruno, whose uncle Oscar Schmidt is a basketball Hall of Famer and one of Brazils most celebrated athletes. The crowd is so happy, so full of happy people.And thats been a boost for all of the players -- even Brazils opponents.Spains Elsa Baquerizo and Liliana Fernandez said they were excited when the pools were drawn and they knew they would be playing Agatha and Barbara.At the beginning, I felt like, `Oh, my God. The whole stadium is going to fall down on me, Liliana said after beating the Brazilians. But we wanted to play them on Copacabana.The Spaniards had already clinched a spot in the knockout round, so they didnt feel the full pressure of 12,000 fans rooting against them.When Germanys Britta Buthe and Karla Borger drew defending world champions Talita and Larissa in the playoff round of 16, their coaches tried to cheer them up.Everyone was saying, `Oh, its such a tough draw for you guys. But we were really excited, Buthe said after the Brazilians eliminated them in straight sets.We would have liked it if we would have played for it and won. We werent able to experience it, she said. But still I think this is one of our best memories, even if it did end. ' ' '