THE Breeders' Cup usually showcases so many stars in its annual ode to thoroughbred racing that no one participant is able to stand out. But Breeders' Cup '96 will always be known for a glorious loser.

It will always be the day the great Cigar ended a spectacular career, fighting all the way, trying to reach down one more time for the strength for one more victory, but ultimately displaying the wear-and-tear of running around all those racetracks for all those years. He also testified loudly and clearly at the age of six to the biggest enervator of all - age.

Cigar, who stunned the racing world when he rampaged his way to 16 consecutive victories to tie with the legendary Citation for the modern-day streak for first-place money, was third in Saturday's $4 million, one-and-a-quarter-mile classic, the biggest race of the day's seven-race, $11 million orgy of betting and running.

To be sure Cigar was not embarrassed in defeat - he was third by only a half a length. But for a horse as great as Cigar it was another reminder that even the Arnold Schwarzenegger of oatdom could not flex his muscles forever.

It seemed all week the stage was carefully being prepared for another of Cigar's prime-time triumphs. There were more cameras, reporters and breathless groupies chasing after Cigar than would turn out for an Elvis sighting.

Even the Indian summer day seemed to be a Hollywood creation for Cigar's final race.

Cigar broke from the seventh gate, and it appeared it was going to a typical day for him: eighth at the half-mile mark, sixth at three-quarters of a mile, fifth at a mile and up to fourth at the top of the heart-sapping, long stretch at Woodbine Racetrack.

All was in place for him to kick into that supernatural gear of his that makes most mortal horses look like they stepped on to treadmills down the stretch.

Jockey Jerry Bailey, looking to hit the record books with his second straight victory in the Classic, urged the great horse on in the cavalry charge to the finish line.

And Cigar made up ground on the leaders to the delight of the more than 40,000 fans squeezed into the old racetrack. But by the eighth pole where he usually has taken the heart out of his challengers, Cigar was struggling and could not make up the final few yards.

"The first turn was fine and going into the backstretch was fine. I was happy to be where I was. Going into the other turn, I was wide, way wide. I had no place else to go. I couldn't go inside. He got up close and stayed close, but it wasn't meant to be," said Bailey afterwards.

But it was meant to be for Alphabet Soup, who broke through the pack down the stretch, seemed to falter a bit, and then found enough in reserve to win by a nose. Louis Quatorze, this year's winner of the Preakness, was second. First place was worth $2,080,000.

Jockey Corey Nakatani thought the day was meant to be for him, too. He won two straight races - the six-furlong Sprint aboard Lit De Justice and then the nine-furlong Distaff with Jewell Princess.

Nakatani dedicated his victories to his murdered sister.

I was thinking about my sister," said an obviously happy but somewhat subdued Nakatani. "All of this was for Dawn. She does a lot of things for me. I just hope she is in a better place and that she is in peace now.

"She was an angel on my shoulder." he said.

Nakatani's 21-year-old sister Dawn was found on October 1st near death in her apartment, apparently after being strangled and died later that day in hospital.