That was in the Dubai World Cup, when both horses carried 124 pounds.
Before Cigar came down with an injury to his right front foot, Cigar and Soul of the Matter were on a collision course again in the Hollywood Gold Cup on June 30.
Soul of the Matter's trainer, Richard Mandella, offered a realistic reaction to Cigar's almost certain defection.
"It's my job as a trainer to make winners," he said, "and it's a lot easier to make them win without Cigar than it is with him. As a trainer, it would be a relief if he didn't come. As a spectator and a fan, which I am also, it would be a disappointment."
And, as racing secretary Martin Panza and his boys ponder the weights which will be announced June 23, everyone has an opinion, including Mandella.
But he's not talking.
"I don't want to say and commit myself," Mandella said. "You say something, then you wish you hadn't. But the horse is doing great."
Mandella, who has trained a Horse of the Year (Kotashaan, 1993) in a career that is leading him to the Hall of Fame, realizes a victory over Cigar would have embellished his credentials immeasurably.
"It would have meant a lot," admitted Mandella, never one to blow his own horn. "That's what we all work for. You get up every day of the week at 4 o'clock in the morning. You give your life to it, so when you finally get lucky enough to have a horse good enough for a challenge like this would have been, the excitement comes with it."
It was no shock to Mandella that Soul of the Matter came so close to defeating Cigar.
"My horse is always eligible to beat anybody. He's a really good horse. Anytime he hasn't run his best races, we've generally found out reasons why -- his feet, or whatever -- so he's never let us down and he's just a true class horse.
"Cigar is a champ. He's really great. But Soul of the Matter is the kind of horse that you can never discount."
And how does a philosophic fellow such as Mandella put Cigar's accomplishments in perspective, even while he's still competing?
"It's what builds racing. We're lucky enough that he's staying around, running enough that people get to know his name, and that's good, because too many of them come and go, here today, gone tomorrow, and nobody ever really gets attached to them.
"But Cigar is one of those great horses, and sound enough, thanks to the great job Billy (Mott) does with him, that he's stayed around and stayed in great form.
"The people riding that train jump on and ride him as far as they can."
MANE MISS -- Another McCaffery-Toffan Production trained by Paco Gonzalez, she may not be as good as their other 2-year-old sensation, A.P. Assay, but this filly has a future, too.
SLEWS ROYAL SON -- A few cuts below the top 3-year-olds, but win machine from the Barry Abrams barn should continue to add to his victory total if properly placed.
TOWER FULL -- Had very eventful trip going 5 1/2 furlongs on grass, wide most of the way but still finished a game fourth. Rates another chance at $62,500 level.
The Running Horse (http://www.isd1.com/alauck)