He is beyond a mere look. Ten-year-old Andy is now intensely studying the Thoroughbred romping around the paddock at the Kentucky Horse Park. He looks at his parents who've brought him to Lexington from Columbus, Ohio.

"I saw him on TV when I was little didn't I?" he asks for confirmation. They smile and give him a nod that he is correct. "Wow, he looks so big." a pause, and then, "He must be special."

As if on cue, Cigar, the recently-inducted member of Racing's Hall of Fame, gallops closer to the fence where the family is standing. Heis special still and remains aware of those who appreciate that fact, even if they might not know right off about the 16-race win streak, the back-to-back Horse of the Year titles in 1995 and1996 or the world record $9,999,815 he earned --there's a plaque next to his paddock with that information, all he has to do is show up. We wouldn't expect Elvisto remind us that he sold a bunch of records before deciding we would enter Graceland.

The Kentucky Horse Park has become a living shrine for Cigar. Being in his presence is enough. He is the main attraction, and at 12 years old, he's naturally picked up some weight but still carries himself with the grace of a champ.

Sam drove 15 hours from Queens, N.Y. to bring his wife and three kids to Kentucky "to see the countryside and the horses." He's seen hundreds of horses run over the years at Belmont and Aqueduct, with an every-other-year trip to Saratoga. The Horse Park is the first stop. "I had to see Cigar one more time," he states. "I was there for the Breeders' Cup when he ran huge. I'll never forget Durkin's call either. Remember?"

Being there as well, I do. With a call for the ages, master wordsmith Tom Durkin brought Cigar to the wire at the 1995 Breeders' Cup Classic with, "The invincible ... the incomparable ... the unbeatable ... Cigar!"

In 1995 he was all that, a perfect 10 for 10 -- in the midst of a win streak that began Oct. 28, 1994 and wouldn't end until Aug. 10, 1996. With 16 straight victories, including the inaugural Dubai World Cup in 1996, that run had only been matched by the immortal Citation. This from a horse who didn't win a stakes race of any kind until he was 4 years old. Cigar was a late-blooming, hard-working kind of athlete that still can't help but attract fans.

He was retired after a third-place finish in the 1996 Breeders' Cup Classic --the most coveted stallion prospect of the time. His owner, the late Allen Paulson, worked a deal with European powerhouse Coolmore to stand him at Ashford Stud in Versailles, Ky. But there was a problem with Cigar's fertility and after a battery of tests and a move to a more secluded farm of a Paris, Ky. vet, all eventually agreed that Cigar could not, and would not, sire anything.

The Italian-based insurance company Assicurazioni Generali S.p.A. paid the $25 million policy on Cigar's stud career and became his owner. In a gesture of goodwill to American racing fans, the company loaned him to the Kentucky Horse Park on May 2, 1999.

"It was a win-win-win situation," says Lisa Jackson, Horse Park director of marketing and public relations. "Cigar has a good home; we pay 100 percent of his care from food to vet bills. The insurance company is in Italy and what could they do with a horse except allow the public to see him? And his fans love that there is a home, a place he can still be seen."

Three times a day -- 10: 15a.m., 1:00p.m. and 3:30 p.m. -- Cigar has to work. He comes out of his stall for the "Parade of Champions" which includes Hall-of-Fame Thoroughbred John Henry and two-time Breeders' Cup winner Da Hoss, along with some standardbred and saddlebred champions. After his last showing, Cigar is turned out into his paddock for his fans to get a closer look -- and they do by the thousands.

The Kentucky Horse Park averages 800,000 visitors annually. Not all come to see Cigar, but there is no doubt that he is the star. "People come from all over the country just to see him," Jackson says proudly, "and many who don't realize he is here get excited when they find out.

"One thing we have to monitor are his treats. Fans want to give them to him all the time and naturally he'd take them all if we let him. He does receive cards all the time -- birthday cards, greeting cards -- people have learned where his home is."

The Kentucky Horse Park will likely remain home for Cigar. The insurance company has a loan agreement without a deadline. Cigar's fertility is checked from time to time and remains negative.But don't let that fool you. His stall is located near the show grounds at the park. "When the vans unload those good-looking fillies, Cigar's ears perk. He's gets excited and wants to meet them," laughs one of the grooms. "He's a healthy man and a stallion in that sense."

In every sense he is a racing great and a wonderful gift to fans everywhere. Why don't you go on by and say hello.