Cigar (April 18, 1990 – October 7, 2014), was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who was the 1995 and 1996 American Horse of the Year. He was the first American racehorse racing against top-class competition to win 16 consecutive races since Triple Crown winner Citation did so between 1948 and 1950. His major wins included the 1995 Breeders' Cup Classic, the NYRA Mile (later renamed in his honor), Jockey Club Gold Cup, Woodward Stakes (twice), Oaklawn Handicap, Hollywood Gold Cup, Donn Handicap (twice) and the first running of the Dubai World Cup. He became the leading money earner in racing history and was later inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.
Originally campaigned on turf courses, he showed useful but unremarkable form in his early career. However, he emerged as an outstanding performer when switched to racing on dirt in late 1994. He was undefeated in 1995 in ten starts at racetracks across the United States, and received all but two of 306 ballots cast for American Horse of the Year. In 1996, he won the Dubai World Cup and three other races before his winning streak finally came to an end in August in the Pacific Classic. Despite narrowly losing two of his next three starts, he was named the America Horse of the Year for the second time.
After his retirement from racing, Cigar proved to be infertile and was quickly retired from stud duties. He nevertheless enjoyed a long retirement at Kentucky Horse Park before dying at the age of 24.
Background
Cigar was a dark bay stallion with three white socks on his legs and a white star and stripe on his forehead. He was bred in Maryland by Allen Paulson He was sired by Palace Music, who was a Group 1 winner in England and a Grade I winner in the United States on the turf. Cigar's success made Palace Music the leading sire in North America for 1995, but otherwise Palace Music was moderately successful with turf runners in Australia, New Zealand and Japan. Cigar's dam, Solar Slew, was by the 1977 Triple Crown winner, Seattle Slew. Cigar was a half-brother to Corridora Slew (ARG) by Corridor Key (USA), Mulca, and several other lesser performing horses. His second dam, Gold Sun, was a Group 1 winner in Argentina.
Madeleine A. Paulson was the original owner of Cigar.
Cigar stood at maturity. He had a scar on his chest as a result of a paddock accident as a weanling. As a young horse, he had a habit of kicking out at his handlers, earning him a nickname of "the Hammer". He matured though into a kind horse who enjoyed greeting his fans and posing for the camera. He travelled widely, winning races in Florida, Arkansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, California, and New York. Mott later commented, "I knew what was going on was special and was never going to happen again. The really good ones win races when they are not at their best. Whether he was coming off a layoff, or had a foot issue, or got caught in compromising position in a race. Cigar overcame all those." Cigar's winning streak stood at four.
He made his next start on March 5 in the Gulfstream Park Handicap over a distance of miles, and went off as the heavy 1-2 favorite in a field of eleven. He rated behind the early pace set by Northern Trend, then quickly moved to the lead near the top of the stretch. He continued to draw away and won "as rider pleased" by lengths.
Next was the Pimlico Special on May 13 at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore at miles. Cigar was the odds-on favorite despite carrying top weight of 122 pounds, compared to Devil His Due and Concern both at 121 pounds. In the absence of other early speed horses, Cigar went to the lead and set moderate opening fractions of 24.38 for the first quarter-mile and 48.16 for the half. He opened up his lead in midstretch and won under a hand ride by lengths in a time of 1:53.72. "I think he's more versatile than any horse I've ever seen," said Paulson. "He can be behind. He can be in front. There's no way to defend against him."
Bailey was also concerned by his outside post position, number 10, on a day where most winners had run along the rail. Knowing Cigar risked getting stranded out wide for the entire race, Bailey urged him strongly from the starting gate and settled into third place behind L'Carriere and Star Standard, with Unaccounted For to his inside in fourth. "He leaves the gate wanting to go to the lead, and usually I have to discourage him from doing that," said Bailey. "But this time I gave him his head. When he got up there, I had to spend the next three-eighths of a mile trying to get him back. By that point I
needed a little rest on my arms."
Cigar had completed a perfect season, 10 for 10, with earnings of $4,819,800. He received all but two of 306 ballots cast for Horse of the Year and was also named American Champion Older Male Horse. He had won a record eight Grade I events in a single season, equalled only by Lady's Secret in 1986. During 1995, Cigar set a single-season stakes-winning record for a North American-based Thoroughbred of $4,819,800, surpassing Sunday Silence's mark of $4,578,454.
1996: six-year-old season
Cigar's six-year-old campaign started on a high note, with wins in the Donn Handicap and the newly created Dubai World Cup making him the world's richest racehorse. He then extended his winning streak to 16, matching the great Citation, before he was finally defeated in the Pacific Classic in August. He finished the year with a win in the Woodward Stakes followed by narrow losses in the Jockey Club Gold Cup and Breeders' Cup Classic. He was again named American Horse of the Year.
Cigar started his 1996 campaign on February 10 in the Donn Handicap, where he carried 128 pounds – 11 to 18 pounds more than the other entrants. Despite the weight difference, he was the heavy 1-5 favorite. He broke well then settled into third position off the opening pace set by Flying Chevron and Star Standard. He started his move on the far turn, followed by stablemate Wekiva Springs who moved to within a head as they turned into the stretch. In response to the challenge, Cigar quickly pulled away and won easily by two lengths. "He's going to be vulnerable because we're dealing with handicaps," said Mott. "I know some day this has got to come to an end, because we all get older," he added. "But Cigar has gotten stronger with every race. He just gets better and better." Instead, he had eleven days of stall rest before resuming training for his next target, the inaugural Dubai World Cup, the world's richest horse race with a $4,000,000 purse. Cigar had to travel roughly from Florida to Dubai for the race, a journey of about 20 hours. Mott faced some criticism for the decision to run but responded by saying, "If I didn't think he was up to it, he wouldn't be going." Great horses had rarely traveled so far, duplicated their form, and then returned home in good shape.
The Dubai World Cup attracted a top quality field from around the world. The American contingent also included L'Carriere (second in the Breeders' Cup Classic) and Soul of the Matter (fourth in the Classic), while international challengers included Pentire, a multiple Group 1 winner from England, and Danewin with five Group 1 wins in Australia.
Cigar found himself in the middle of the field behind the early pace set by L'Carriere. On the backstretch, he worked his way up to fourth, then launched his bid for the lead on the final turn. He pulled away from L'Carriere near the top of the stretch but then had to withstand a late run from Soul of the Matter. Soul of the Matter pulled almost alongside before Cigar responded to win by less than a length. "I don't think it was his best performance," said Bailey, "but I think it might have been his best effort."
Arlington Park carded a special race, the Arlington Citation Challenge, for Cigar to attempt to tie Citation's streak. He faced Dramatic Gold and Unbridled's Song and again carried . He pulled away from Dramatic Gold nearing the wire to win his 16th race in a row.
The end of the winning streak
Cigar next attempted to surpass Citation's record in the Pacific Classic Stakes at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club near San Diego, California. Another record crowd of over 40,000 attended. As in his last race in California, the Hollywood Gold Cup, Bailey took Cigar wide most of the way. However, he was drawn into a three-horse speed duel with the good stakes horses Siphon and Dramatic Gold, going the first of a mile in a very fast 1:09 1/5. The speed duel caused all the leaders to tire, and Dare And Go, ridden by Alex Solis, passed Cigar in the stretch to score the upset, with Cigar finishing second.
Cigar rebounded in the 1996 Woodward Stakes at Belmont Park, which was his last victory ever. Cigar lost to Skip Away (who went on to win the 1997 Breeders' Cup Classic and the 1998 Horse of the Year title) in the Jockey Club Gold Cup.
Breeders' Cup Classic
Cigar's final start was in the 1996 Breeders' Cup Classic, held on October 26 at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Canada. After Skip Away bypassed the race, Cigar went off as the 3-5 odds-on favorite in a deep field that also included Grade I winners Will's Way (Travers Stakes), Atticus (Kentucky Cup Classic), Dare and Go (Pacific Classic), Editor's Note (Belmont Stakes), Dramatic Gold (Meadowlands Cup), Mahogany Hall (Whitney Handicap) and Louis Quatorze (Preakness Stakes). Alphabet Soup was a 20-1 longshot after having been disqualified from a win in his previous start. Cigar came into the race a bit short of training after his right front hoof required patching. He shipped to Woodbine on the 23rd, walked the paddock on the 24th and then had a strong gallop on the 25th. "Let's face it," said Jim Bond, the trainer of L’Carriere, who had faced off with Cigar in the Dubai World Cup. "Cigar is vulnerable. He’s had a long, tough year. It took L’Carriere a long time to recover from running in Dubai, and Cigar really didn’t take that much time off. I think it may finally be catching up with him."
The early speed horses, Atticus, Louis Quatorze and Alphabet Soup, all drew outside posts on a track that appeared to favor horses on the inside. Accordingly, the three horses all broke fast and quickly shifted over to the rail, running the opening quarter-mile in 22 seconds. Cigar broke slowly and on the wrong lead, and found himself in tight quarters in the middle of the pack. He started his move on the far turn but lacked his normal acceleration while running five wide. Turning into the stretch, Mt Sassafrass briefly took the lead before Alphabet Soup and Louis Quatorze rallied, racing heads apart through the final furlong. Cigar inched his way into third but could not get by, losing by a head to Alphabet Soup, who was a nose in front of Louis Quartorze. The final time of 2:01 set a new track record. In 2002, he was inducted in his first year of eligibility into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. In the Blood-Horse magazine ranking of the top 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century, Cigar was ranked #18. In accordance with that ranking, Cigar is the highest-ranked American Thoroughbred during the decade of the nineties (1990–1999) and therefore lays claim to the title American "Horse of the Decade."
Cigar won four Eclipse Awards. In 1995, he was named the American Horse of the Year and Champion Older Male Horse. Despite the losses during his six-year old campaign, he was named Horse of the Year and Champion Older Male Horse again in 1996. On October 27, 2015, the Kentucky Horse Park unveiled a bronze statue of Cigar by Douwe Blumberg.
Retirement
Cigar was retired to stud at the end of the 1996 racing season. Ceremonies took place during the National Horse Show at Madison Square Garden to honor the horse. Cigar was vanned through New York City accompanied for the last few blocks by the New York Knicks cheerleaders and the Budweiser Clydesdales. In the Garden, he was cantered around the arena by Bailey before the lights went out and a trumpeter started to play Auld Lang Syne. Veteran sportswriter Steve Haskin called it "he single most emotional moment I’ve ever experienced in racing."
Paulson sold 75% of Cigar to Coolmore Stud and Michael Tabor, and this equated to a value of $25 million for him. He was taken to stand at the Ashford Stud, the American division of Coolmore Stud, and began his coverings there in February. An insurance policy on Cigar required that he cover 20 mares twice and get at least 60 percent of them in foal to be considered fertile. He proved infertile as a stallion, as none of the 34 mares bred to him became pregnant.
Cigar lived out his retirement at the Kentucky Horse Park's Hall of Champions in Lexington. Around April 2014, Cigar began to suffer increasingly from osteoarthritis in his spine, leading to instability in his legs. He underwent surgery to correct the problem but complications ensued and he died on October 7.
Race record
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|-
! scope="col" style="background:#dacaa4;" | Date
! scope="col" style="background:#dacaa4" | Age
! scope="col" style="background:#dacaa4;" | Distance
! scope="col" style="background:#dacaa4;" | Race
! scope="col" style="background:#dacaa4;" | Grade
! scope="col" style="background:#dacaa4;" | Track
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! scope="col" style="background:#dacaa4;" | Winning Time
! scope="col" style="background:#dacaa4;" | Winning<br>(Losing)<br>Margin
! scope="col" style="background:#dacaa4;" | Jockey
! scope="col" class="unsortable" style="background:#dacaa4;"| Ref
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal;" |
| 3
| 6 furlongs
| Maiden Special Weight
| Maiden
| Santa Anita Park
| Dirt
| 5.10
| 9
| 7
| 1:10.91
| (13 lengths)
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal;" |
| 3
| 6 furlongs
| Maiden Special Weight
| Maiden
| Hollywood Park
| Dirt
| 5.20
| 6
| 1
| 1:09.56
| lengths
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal;" |
| 3
| miles
| Allowance
| Allowance
| Hollywood Park
| Turf
| 3.80
| 12
| 4
| 1:41.38
| ( lengths)
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal;" |
| 3
| miles
| Allowance
| Allowance
| Hollywood Park
| Turf
| 2.90
| 10
| 3
| 1:41.46
| ( lengths)
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal;" |
| 3
| miles
| Allowance
| Allowance
| Del Mar
| Turf
| *1.90
| 10
| 1
| 1:41.81
| lengths
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal;" |
| 3
| 1 mile
| Allowance
| Allowance
| Del Mar
| Turf
| 3.30
| 6
| 2
| 1:35.06
| ( length)
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal;" |
| 3
| miles
| Ascot Handicap
| III
| Bay Meadows
| Turf
| 4.10
| 11
| 3
| 1:41.66
| ( length)
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal;" |
| 3
| miles
| Volante Handicap
| III
| Santa Anita Park
| Turf
| 7.70
| 9
| 2
| 1:48.03
| (2 lengths)
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal;" |
| 3
| miles
| Hollywood Derby
| I
| Hollywood Park
| Turf
| 24.80
| 14
| 11
| 1:46.88
| ( lengths)
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal;" |
| 4
| miles
| Allowance
| Allowance
| Belmont Park
| Turf
| *1.70
| 5
| 4
| 1:43.07
| (9 lengths)
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal;" |
| 4
| miles
| Allowance
| Allowance
| Saratoga
| Turf
| 3.20
| 8
| 3
| 1:48.61
| (3 lengths)
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal;" |
| 4
| 1 mile
| Allowance
| Allowance
| Belmont Park
| Turf
| *1.90
| 11
| 7
| 1:33.14
| ( lengths)
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal;" |
| 4
| miles
| Allowance
| Allowance
| Belmont Park
| Turf
| 3.40
| 6
| 3
| 1:41.40
| ( lengths)
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal;" |
| 4
| 1 mile
| Allowance
| Allowance
| Aqueduct
| Dirt
| 3.50
| 6
| 1
| 1:35.78
| 8 lengths
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal;" |
| 4
| 1 mile
| NYRA Mile Handicap
| I
| Aqueduct
| Dirt
| 8.90
| 12
| 1
| 1:36.10
| 7 lengths
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal;" |
| 5
| miles
| Allowance
| Allowance
| Gulfstream Park
| Dirt
| *0.50
| 8
| 1
| 1:43.22
| 2 lengths
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal;" |
| 5
| miles
| Donn Handicap
| I
| Gulfstream Park
| Dirt
| 4.00
| 9
| 1
| 1:49.68
| lengths
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal;" |
| 5
| miles
| Gulfstream Park Handicap
| I
| Gulfstream Park
| Dirt
| *0.50
| 11
| 1
| 2:02.95
| lengths
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal;" |
| 5
| miles
| Oaklawn Handicap
| I
| Oaklawn Park
| Dirt
| *1.70
| 7
| 1
| 1:47.22
| lengths
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal;" |
| 5
| miles
| Pimlico Special Handicap
| I
| Pimlico
| Dirt
| *0.40
| 6
| 1
| 1:53.72
| lengths
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal;" |
| 5
| miles
| Massachusetts Handicap
| Listed
| Suffolk Downs
| Dirt
| *0.20
| 6
| 1
| 1:48.74
| 4 lengths
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal;" |
| 5
| miles
| Hollywood Gold Cup
| I
| Hollywood Park
| Dirt
| *0.90
| 8
| 1
| 1:59.46
| lengths
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal;" |
| 5
| miles
| Woodward Stakes
| I
| Belmont Park
| Dirt
| *0.10
| 6
| 1
| 1:47.07
| lengths
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal;" |
| 5
| miles
| Jockey Club Gold Cup
| I
| Belmont Park
| Dirt
| *0.35
| 7
| 1
| 2:01.29
| 1 length
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal;" |
| 5
| miles
| Breeders' Cup Classic
| I
| Belmont Park
| Dirt
| *0.70
| 11
| 1
| 1:59.58
| lengths
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal;" |
| 6
| miles
| Donn Handicap
| I
| Gulfstream Park
| Dirt
| *0.20
| 8
| 1
| 1:49.12
| 2 lengths
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal;" |
| 6
| miles
| Dubai World Cup
|
| Nad Al Sheba
| Dirt
| *1.00
| 11
| 1
| 2:03.84
| length
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal;" |
| 6
| miles
| Massachusetts Handicap
| Listed
| Suffolk Downs
| Dirt
| *0.10
| 6
| 1
| 1:49.63
| lengths
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal;" |
| 6
| miles
| Arlington Citation Challenge Invitational Stakes
| Listed
| Arlington
| Dirt
| *0.30
| 10
| 1
| 1:48.30
| length
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal;" |
| 6
| miles
| Pacific Classic Stakes
| I
| Del Mar
| Dirt
| *0.10
| 6
| 2
| 1:59.85
| ( lengths)
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal;" |
| 6
| miles
| Woodward Stakes
| I
| Belmont Park
| Dirt
| *0.35
| 5
| 1
| 1:47.06
| 4 lengths
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal;" |
| 6
| miles
| Jockey Club Gold Cup
| I
| Belmont Park
| Dirt
| *0.20
| 6
| 2
| 2:00.70
| (head)
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal;" |
| 6
| miles
| Breeders' Cup Classic
| I
| Woodbine
| Dirt
| *0.65
| 13
| 3
| 2:01.00
| ( length)
|
|
|-
|}
Pedigree
See also
- List of leading Thoroughbred racehorses
- List of racehorses
References
- Hovdey, Jay. Cigar: America's Horse (1996) Blood-Horse Publications
External links
- Video at YouTube of Cigar winning the 1995 Breeders' Cup Classic