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Cigar (horse)
Encyclopedia
Cigar is a retired American Thoroughbred
racehorse, who in 1995 and 1996 became the first American racehorse racing against top-class competition to win 16 consecutive races since the Triple Crown
winner, Citation
did so in 1948 and 1950. He retired as the leading money earner in Thoroughbred racing history and was later inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
.
, Palace Music (by the The Minstrel
). His 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 performed horses.
Madeleine A. Paulson
was the original owner of Cigar. In his 2003 book, Legacies of the Turf, noted race historian Edward L. Bowen
wrote that according to Paulson family banter, she traded Cigar to husband Allen
for the filly, Eliza
, the 1992 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies
winner and that year's Eclipse Award
choice for American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly.
which manufactured the famous Gulfstream private business jets. He named many of his horses after the five letter long names given to intersections on aeronautical navigational charts
.
Volante Handicap at the Oak Tree Racing Association
fall meeting at Santa Anita
, and third in the Grade III Ascot Handicap at Bay Meadows
. During this period, Hassinger switched from racing him on dirt to racing him on turf tracks, but the horse remained a low-grade stakes / high class allowance horse, not giving much hint of what was to come. As a three-year-old, Cigar earned $89,175.
and Belmont Park
. It was decided to give Cigar one more try racing on dirt, in another allowance race at Aqueduct Racetrack
at 1 miles (1.6 km). Cigar won that allowance race by 8 lengths on October 28, 1994. He would not lose again for almost two years.
After Cigar's dominating performance in the allowance race, Mott immediately stepped him way up in class and ran him in the Grade I NYRA Mile (now the Cigar Mile Handicap
), against the top New York stakes winner Devil His Due. Cigar dominated again, winning by seven lengths. This concluded his four year old campaign. As a four year old, Cigar finished up with two wins from six starts and earnings of $180,838.
in January, which he won by two lengths. He then faced the champion Holy Bull
in the Donn Handicap
at 1⅛ miles. Holy Bull was favored based on his dominant 1994 campaign, but he broke down on the backstretch. Cigar won the race easily, but little attention was paid to the victory due to the breakdown of Holy Bull, which signaled the end of his racing career. Cigar’s winning streak stood at four.
He then ran once more at Gulfstream, in the Gulfstream Park Handicap
at 1¼ miles. He won by 7½ lengths. Next Cigar went to Oaklawn Park
in Hot Springs, Arkansas
to face 1994 Breeders' Cup Classic
winner Concern
in the Oaklawn Handicap
at 1⅛ miles. He won by 2½ lengths in a good time: 1:47 1/5.
Next was the Pimlico Special
at Pimlico Race Course
in Baltimore
at 1 3/16 miles. Cigar again defeated Devil His Due and Concern, running a very fast 1:53 3/5. The winning streak stood at seven. This race was followed by the Massachusetts Handicap at Suffolk Downs
north of Boston
at 1⅛ miles; Cigar won again, in 1:48 3/5.
Many great horses from the east, such as Kelso
and Seattle Slew
, suffered losses on the faster, harder California
racing surfaces. The Hollywood Gold Cup
at Hollywood Park thus posed a particular challenge; the California track also assembled one of the greatest fields in the race's history, including Santa Anita Handicap
and Pacific Classic Stakes
winner and Kentucky Derby
runner-up Best Pal
, Pacific Classic Stakes winner Tinner's Way, Santa Anita Handicap
winner Urgent Request, and Concern, who had an impressive win in the Gold Cup's major preparatory race, the Californian Stakes
. Nonetheless, Cigar was the odds-on favorite, and he barely broke a sweat. Carrying top weight of 126 pounds (57.2 kg), he was kept on the outside all the way by jockey Jerry Bailey and won by 3½ lengths in 1:59 2/5.
Cigar then went to Belmont Park
for two preparatory races and the year-end championship race, the Breeders' Cup Classic
. He won them all; the Woodward Stakes
at 1⅛ miles, the Jockey Club Gold Cup
at 1¼ miles, and the Breeders' Cup Classic
at 1¼ miles in stakes record time of 1:59.58. He had completed a perfect season, 10 for 10, with earnings of $4,819,800. His consecutive wins stood at 12, and he was named Horse of the Year
as well as American Champion Older Male Horse.
Cigar's connections next targeted a new race, the inaugural Dubai World Cup
, the world's richest horse race with a $5,000,000 purse. Great horses had rarely traveled to another continent, duplicated their form, and then returned home in good shape. Cigar started 1996 with a repeat win in the Donn Handicap
, and then headed 6000 miles (9,656 km) to Dubai. In Dubai, Cigar gamely held off Soul of the Matter to win by less than 1 length; he was now the world's highest stakes-winning racehorse, and his streak stood at 14.
Cigar returned to seek a repeat win in the Massachusetts Handicap
, where the largest crowd in the history of Suffolk Downs
turned out to see him. He had to pass another test of greatness by carrying 130 pounds (59 kg) in the race. Cigar won again, and had now won 15 consecutive races, the longest winning sequence for a major American stakes horse since Citation
, who won 16 in a row in 1948 and 1950. (In 2010, the racemare Zenyatta
surpassed this feat, although 17 of her 19 races were restricted to females.)
Arlington Park
carded a special race, the Arlington Citation Challenge, for Cigar to attempt to tie Citation's streak. He faced the talented colts Dramatic Gold and Unbridled's Song and again carried 130 pounds (59 kg). He pulled away from Dramatic Gold nearing the wire to win his 16th race in a row. During 1995 Cigar had 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.
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 ¾ 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 settling for 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
, and concluded his career with a third place finish (again suffering from a wide trip) to upset winner Alphabet Soup and 1996 Preakness Stakes
winner Louis Quatorze
in the 1996 Breeders' Cup Classic
at Woodbine Racetrack
in Toronto
, Canada
. Despite losing his last two races, tying Citation's race record was enough to earn him his second straight Champion Older Male and Horse of the Year
honors.
As a six-year-old, Cigar won five of eight starts and $4,910,000, making him the holder and runner-up record of most stakes money won in a single season. His third place finish at Woodbine cost him the chance to be the first horse to win $10 million; he finished with a tantalizingly close $9,999,813.
Until Curlin surpassed him in 2008, Cigar was America's top money earner.
to honor the horse.
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. Cigar proved infertile as a stallion after twenty of his thirty-six mares returned negative pregnancy tests.
. 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 Thoroughbred during the decade of the nineties (1990–1999) and therefore lays claim to the title, "Horse of the Decade."
On February 2, 1997, a life-size bronze statue of Cigar was unveiled at Florida
's Gulfstream Park
on "A Salute to Cigar Day." Also in 1997, the New York Racing Association
renamed the Grade I
NYRA Mile, run in November at Aqueduct, as the Cigar Mile
. The NYRA Mile was the second race in Cigar's winning streak.
Cigar now lives at the Kentucky Horse Park
's Hall of Champions in Lexington
.
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
racehorse, who in 1995 and 1996 became the first American racehorse racing against top-class competition to win 16 consecutive races since the Triple Crown
United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
In the United States, the "Triple Crown" is usually the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, a series of three Thoroughbred horse races for three-year-old horses run in May and early June of each year consisting of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes.While Daily Racing Form...
winner, Citation
Citation (horse)
Citation was the eighth American Triple Crown winner, and one of three major North American Thoroughbreds to win at least 16 consecutive races in major stakes race competition...
did so in 1948 and 1950. He retired as the leading money earner in Thoroughbred racing history and was later inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...
.
Breeding
Cigar was foaled at Country Life Farm near Bel Air, Maryland. He was by a Leading sire in North AmericaLeading sire in North America
The list below shows the leading sire of Thoroughbred racehorses in North America for each year since 1830. This is determined by the amount of prizemoney won by the sire's progeny during the year...
, Palace Music (by the The Minstrel
The Minstrel
The Minstrel was a champion Thoroughbred racehorse in Great Britain and Ireland. His performances led to him becoming the Horse of the Year in the United Kingdom, Horse of the Year in Ireland and being inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.Foaled at E.P...
). His dam, Solar Slew, was by the 1977 Triple Crown
Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing consists of three races for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses. Winning all three of these Thoroughbred horse races is considered the greatest accomplishment of a Thoroughbred racehorse...
winner, Seattle Slew
Seattle Slew
Seattle Slew was an American Thoroughbred race horse who won the United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing in 1977, the tenth of eleven horses to accomplish the feat. He remains the only horse to win the Triple Crown while undefeated. In the Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 U.S...
. Cigar was a half-brother to Corridora Slew (ARG) by Corridor Key (USA), Mulca, and several other lesser performed horses.
Madeleine A. Paulson
Madeleine A. Pickens
Madeleine A. Pickens is an American businesswoman who owns in Rancho Santa Fe, California .She is also a Thoroughbred racehorse owner/breeder and an animal welfare activist and philanthropist who has earned a black belt in the martial art of Taekwondo.Born Madeleine Baker of an English father...
was the original owner of Cigar. In his 2003 book, Legacies of the Turf, noted race historian Edward L. Bowen
Edward L. Bowen
Edward L. Bowen is an American Thoroughbred horse racing historian and author and the president of the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, an institution involved in funding equine research....
wrote that according to Paulson family banter, she traded Cigar to husband Allen
Allen E. Paulson
Allen Eugene Paulson was an American aviation entrepreneur, philanthropist, thoroughbred racehorse breeder and owner, and a self-made multi-millionaire.-Business career in aviation:Born in Clinton, Iowa, Allen E...
for the filly, Eliza
Eliza (horse)
Eliza is an American Thoroughbred Champion filly racehorse. A descendant of the great Nearco through both her sire and her dam, Eliza was sired by multiple stakes winner, Mt. Livermore, a son of the outstanding sire, Blushing Groom. Her dam was owner Allen Paulson's Daring Bidder, a daughter of...
, the 1992 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies
Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies
The Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies is a 1 1/16-mile thoroughbred horse race on dirt for two-year-old fillies run annually since 1984 at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships.-Automatic Berths:Beginning in 2007, the Breeders' Cup...
winner and that year's Eclipse Award
Eclipse Award
The Eclipse Award is an American thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. The Eclipse Awards, honoring the champions of the sport, are sponsored by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association , Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers...
choice for American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly.
Racing record
Cigar was named not for the tobacco product, but for a navigational intersection for airplanes. Owner Allen Paulson was a major figure in American aviation and who had owned the Gulfstream Aerospace CorporationGulfstream Aerospace
Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation is a producer of several models of jet aircraft. Gulfstream has been a unit of General Dynamics since 1999.The company has produced more than 1,500 aircraft for corporate, government, private, and military customers around the world...
which manufactured the famous Gulfstream private business jets. He named many of his horses after the five letter long names given to intersections on aeronautical navigational charts
Aeronautical chart
An aeronautical chart is a map designed to assist in navigation of aircraft, much as nautical charts do for watercraft, or a roadmap for drivers...
.
Three-year-old
Cigar did not race as a two year old, and under his first trainer, Alex Hassinger, Jr., he won twice in nine starts at age three, but failed to win in stakes competition. He did finish second in the Grade IIIGraded stakes race
A graded stakes race is a term applied since 1973 by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada to describe races that derive their name from the stake, or entry fee, owners must pay...
Volante Handicap at the Oak Tree Racing Association
Oak Tree Racing Association
The Oak Tree Racing Association is an American not-for-profit corporation that exists to conduct live thoroughbred horse racing in Southern California.-History:...
fall meeting at Santa Anita
Santa Anita Park
Santa Anita Park is a thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent racing events in the United States during the winter and in spring. With its backdrop of the purple San Gabriel Mountains, it is considered by many as the world's most beautiful race...
, and third in the Grade III Ascot Handicap at Bay Meadows
Bay Meadows
Bay Meadows was a horse racing track in San Mateo, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area in the United States.-History:Built on the site of an old airfield, Bay Meadows Racecourse was the longest continually operating thoroughbred racetrack in California, having been founded on November 13,...
. During this period, Hassinger switched from racing him on dirt to racing him on turf tracks, but the horse remained a low-grade stakes / high class allowance horse, not giving much hint of what was to come. As a three-year-old, Cigar earned $89,175.
Four-year-old
The following year, his owner shipped Cigar to an east-coast trainer, Bill Mott, who gave him the first half of the year off, only bringing him back to racing in July. Cigar managed third place finishes in allowance races at Saratoga Race CourseSaratoga Race Course
Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. It opened on August 3, 1863, and is the oldest organized sporting venue of any kind in the United States. It is typically open for racing from late July through early September.-History:John...
and Belmont Park
Belmont Park
Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse-racing facility located in Elmont in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, on Long Island adjoining New York City. It first opened on May 4, 1905...
. It was decided to give Cigar one more try racing on dirt, in another allowance race at Aqueduct Racetrack
Aqueduct Racetrack
Aqueduct Racetrack is a thoroughbred horse-racing facility and racino in Ozone Park, Queens, New York. Its racing meets usually are from late October/early November through April.-History:...
at 1 miles (1.6 km). Cigar won that allowance race by 8 lengths on October 28, 1994. He would not lose again for almost two years.
After Cigar's dominating performance in the allowance race, Mott immediately stepped him way up in class and ran him in the Grade I NYRA Mile (now the Cigar Mile Handicap
Cigar Mile Handicap
The Cigar Mile Handicap is an American race for thoroughbred horses at Aqueduct Racetrack in New York. Run annually in late November, it is named in honor of the U.S. Hall of Fame horse Cigar, who won the race in 1994 when it was known as the NYRA Mile. Renamed in 1997 following Cigar's retirement,...
), against the top New York stakes winner Devil His Due. Cigar dominated again, winning by seven lengths. This concluded his four year old campaign. As a four year old, Cigar finished up with two wins from six starts and earnings of $180,838.
Five-year-old: 1995
Cigar started off 1995 in a 1 1/16 mile allowance race at Gulfstream ParkGulfstream Park
Gulfstream Park Racing & Casino is a racetrack and county-approved racino in Hallandale Beach, Florida, in the United States. During its annual meet, which spans December through April, it is one of the most important venues for horse racing in America....
in January, which he won by two lengths. He then faced the champion Holy Bull
Holy Bull
Holy Bull is an American Hall of Fame Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. He was sired by Great Above, whose dam was the U.S. Racing Hall of Fame filly Ta Wee.-Race History:...
in the Donn Handicap
Donn Handicap
The Donn Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in late January/early February at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida.The race is named after the Donn family, who for many years owned and operated the racetrack....
at 1⅛ miles. Holy Bull was favored based on his dominant 1994 campaign, but he broke down on the backstretch. Cigar won the race easily, but little attention was paid to the victory due to the breakdown of Holy Bull, which signaled the end of his racing career. Cigar’s winning streak stood at four.
He then ran once more at Gulfstream, in the Gulfstream Park Handicap
Gulfstream Park Handicap
The Gulfstream Park Handicap is a race for thoroughbred horses run at Gulfstream Park each year. The race is open to horses age four and up, willing to race one mile on the dirt...
at 1¼ miles. He won by 7½ lengths. Next Cigar went to Oaklawn Park
Oaklawn Park
Oaklawn Park is an American thoroughbred racetrack in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is the home to The Racing Festival of the South.In 2009, the Horseplayers Association of North America introduced a rating system for 65 Thoroughbred racetracks in North America. Of the top Ten, Oaklawn was ranked...
in Hot Springs, Arkansas
Hot Springs, Arkansas
Hot Springs is the 10th most populous city in the U.S. state of Arkansas, the county seat of Garland County, and the principal city of the Hot Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area encompassing all of Garland County...
to face 1994 Breeders' Cup Classic
Breeders' Cup Classic
The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade I Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3 year olds and older run at a distance of 1¼ miles on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships...
winner Concern
Concern (horse)
Concern is a multi-millionaire American Thoroughbred racehorse. He was sired by top stallion Broad Brush, who in turn was a son of Ack Ack. His dam was Fara's Team. Concern was best known for his wins in the 1994 Breeders' Cup Classic and the grade two Arkansas Derby. Born at owner Robert...
in the Oaklawn Handicap
Oaklawn Handicap
The Oaklawn Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the first week of April at Oaklawn Park Race Track in Hot Springs, Arkansas....
at 1⅛ miles. He won by 2½ lengths in a good time: 1:47 1/5.
Next was the Pimlico Special
Pimlico Special
The Pimlico Special is an American thoroughbred horse race held at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland in mid May. It is raced on dirt over a distance of 1³/16 miles . The race is currently open to horses age three and older and offers a purse of $250,000.The Pimlico Special was first run in...
at Pimlico Race Course
Pimlico Race Course
Pimlico Race Course is a horse racetrack in Baltimore, Maryland, most famous for hosting the Preakness Stakes. Its name is derived from the 1660s when English settlers named the area where the facility currently stands in honor of Olde Ben Pimlico's Tavern in London...
in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
at 1 3/16 miles. Cigar again defeated Devil His Due and Concern, running a very fast 1:53 3/5. The winning streak stood at seven. This race was followed by the Massachusetts Handicap at Suffolk Downs
Suffolk Downs
Suffolk Downs, a thoroughbred race track in East Boston, Massachusetts, United States opened in 1935. Famous horses that have raced at this track include Seabiscuit, Whirlaway, Funny Cide and Cigar. The MassCap is held there, as well at the annual Hot Dog Safari...
north of Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
at 1⅛ miles; Cigar won again, in 1:48 3/5.
Many great horses from the east, such as Kelso
Kelso (horse)
Kelso was an American thoroughbred race horse considered among the best racehorses of the 20th century. In the list of the top 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century by The Blood-Horse magazine Kelso ranks 4th, behind only Man o' War , Secretariat and Citation...
and Seattle Slew
Seattle Slew
Seattle Slew was an American Thoroughbred race horse who won the United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing in 1977, the tenth of eleven horses to accomplish the feat. He remains the only horse to win the Triple Crown while undefeated. In the Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 U.S...
, suffered losses on the faster, harder California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
racing surfaces. The Hollywood Gold Cup
Hollywood Gold Cup
The Hollywood Gold Cup is an American Grade I stakes race for thoroughbred horses inaugurated in 1938 at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California. It was run as a handicap race until 1997 when it was switched to weight-for-age conditions...
at Hollywood Park thus posed a particular challenge; the California track also assembled one of the greatest fields in the race's history, including Santa Anita Handicap
Santa Anita Handicap
The Santa Anita Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in early March at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is a Grade I race for horses four years old and up , and is considered the most important race for older horses in North America during the winter racing season...
and Pacific Classic Stakes
Pacific Classic Stakes
The Pacific Classic Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race for runners aged 3-year-old or up run at the classic American distance of a mile and a quarter...
winner and Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
runner-up Best Pal
Best Pal
Best Pal was an American Hall of Fame champion racehorse, who to this day holds the record for purses of any California-bred racehorse, earning his owners, the Golden Eagle Farm, US$5.6 million over his lifetime.A descendant of Princequillo on both his sire's and dam's line, Best Pal won the first...
, Pacific Classic Stakes winner Tinner's Way, Santa Anita Handicap
Santa Anita Handicap
The Santa Anita Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in early March at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is a Grade I race for horses four years old and up , and is considered the most important race for older horses in North America during the winter racing season...
winner Urgent Request, and Concern, who had an impressive win in the Gold Cup's major preparatory race, the Californian Stakes
Californian Stakes
The Californian Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually during the second week of June at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California. The Grade II event is open to horses age three and up willing to race one and one-eighth miles on the dirt...
. Nonetheless, Cigar was the odds-on favorite, and he barely broke a sweat. Carrying top weight of 126 pounds (57.2 kg), he was kept on the outside all the way by jockey Jerry Bailey and won by 3½ lengths in 1:59 2/5.
Cigar then went to Belmont Park
Belmont Park
Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse-racing facility located in Elmont in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, on Long Island adjoining New York City. It first opened on May 4, 1905...
for two preparatory races and the year-end championship race, the Breeders' Cup Classic
Breeders' Cup Classic
The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade I Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3 year olds and older run at a distance of 1¼ miles on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships...
. He won them all; the Woodward Stakes
Woodward Stakes
The Woodward Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race and is one of the premier races for older thoroughbred horses in the United States. Named for prominent racehorse owner, George Nicholas Woodward, it is run at 1⅛ miles on the dirt for a purse of $750,000.The Woodward was run as a handicap in...
at 1⅛ miles, the Jockey Club Gold Cup
Jockey Club Gold Cup
The Jockey Club Gold Cup, established in 1919, is a prestigious thoroughbred flat race open to horses of either gender three-years-old and up. It is typically the main event of the fall meeting at Belmont Park, just as the Belmont Stakes is of the spring meeting and the Travers Stakes is of the...
at 1¼ miles, and the Breeders' Cup Classic
Breeders' Cup Classic
The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade I Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3 year olds and older run at a distance of 1¼ miles on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships...
at 1¼ miles in stakes record time of 1:59.58. He had completed a perfect season, 10 for 10, with earnings of $4,819,800. His consecutive wins stood at 12, and he was named Horse of the Year
Horse of the Year
Horse of the Year is an honor given by various organizations worldwide in harness racing and thoroughbred horse racing.Some of the awards include:* Australian Champion Racehorse of the Year* Breeders' Cup World Championships Poll* European Horse of the Year...
as well as American Champion Older Male Horse.
Cigar's connections next targeted a new race, the inaugural Dubai World Cup
Dubai World Cup
The Dubai World Cup is a Thoroughbred horse race held annually since 1996 and from 2010 at the Meydan Racecourse in the city of Dubai, United Arab Emirates...
, the world's richest horse race with a $5,000,000 purse. Great horses had rarely traveled to another continent, duplicated their form, and then returned home in good shape. Cigar started 1996 with a repeat win in the Donn Handicap
Donn Handicap
The Donn Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in late January/early February at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida.The race is named after the Donn family, who for many years owned and operated the racetrack....
, and then headed 6000 miles (9,656 km) to Dubai. In Dubai, Cigar gamely held off Soul of the Matter to win by less than 1 length; he was now the world's highest stakes-winning racehorse, and his streak stood at 14.
Cigar returned to seek a repeat win in the Massachusetts Handicap
Massachusetts Handicap
The Massachusetts Handicap, frequently referred to as the "MassCap", is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds and up held annually at Suffolk Downs in Boston, Massachusetts. It is currently an Ungraded stakes race run over a distance of 9 furlongs on dirt. The race received...
, where the largest crowd in the history of Suffolk Downs
Suffolk Downs
Suffolk Downs, a thoroughbred race track in East Boston, Massachusetts, United States opened in 1935. Famous horses that have raced at this track include Seabiscuit, Whirlaway, Funny Cide and Cigar. The MassCap is held there, as well at the annual Hot Dog Safari...
turned out to see him. He had to pass another test of greatness by carrying 130 pounds (59 kg) in the race. Cigar won again, and had now won 15 consecutive races, the longest winning sequence for a major American stakes horse since Citation
Citation (horse)
Citation was the eighth American Triple Crown winner, and one of three major North American Thoroughbreds to win at least 16 consecutive races in major stakes race competition...
, who won 16 in a row in 1948 and 1950. (In 2010, the racemare Zenyatta
Zenyatta
Zenyatta is a retired American champion Thoroughbred racehorse, winner of 19 consecutive races in a 20-race career and American record-holder for consecutive victories without defeat in unrestricted races....
surpassed this feat, although 17 of her 19 races were restricted to females.)
Arlington Park
Arlington Park
Arlington Park is a horse race track in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights, Illinois. Horse racing in the Chicago region has been a popular sport since the early days of the city in the 1830s, and at one time Chicago had more horse racing tracks than any other major metropolitan area...
carded a special race, the Arlington Citation Challenge, for Cigar to attempt to tie Citation's streak. He faced the talented colts Dramatic Gold and Unbridled's Song and again carried 130 pounds (59 kg). He pulled away from Dramatic Gold nearing the wire to win his 16th race in a row. During 1995 Cigar had set a single season stakes-winning record for a North American based Thoroughbred of $4,819,800 surpassing Sunday Silence
Sunday Silence
Sunday Silence was an American Thoroughbred racehorse, earning distinction as 1989 American Horse of the Year over American Champion Two-Year-Old Male Horse Easy Goer. He was foaled in 1986, sired by Halo out of Wishing Well by Understanding. Though he was registered as a dark bay/brown, he was in...
's mark of $4,578,454.
The end of the winning sequence
Cigar attempted to surpass Citation's record in the Pacific Classic StakesPacific Classic Stakes
The Pacific Classic Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race for runners aged 3-year-old or up run at the classic American distance of a mile and a quarter...
at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club near San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
. 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 ¾ 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
Alex Solis
Alex O. Solis is a jockey based in the United States. He currently lives in Glendora, California and rides predominantly in Southern California...
, passed Cigar in the stretch to score the upset, with Cigar settling for second.
Cigar rebounded in the 1996 Woodward Stakes
Woodward Stakes
The Woodward Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race and is one of the premier races for older thoroughbred horses in the United States. Named for prominent racehorse owner, George Nicholas Woodward, it is run at 1⅛ miles on the dirt for a purse of $750,000.The Woodward was run as a handicap in...
at Belmont Park
Belmont Park
Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse-racing facility located in Elmont in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, on Long Island adjoining New York City. It first opened on May 4, 1905...
, which was his last victory ever. Cigar lost to Skip Away
Skip Away
Skip Away , a gray Thoroughbred race horse, was named America's Champion 3 Year Old Male in 1996 and twice named America's Champion Handicap Horse...
(who went on to win the 1997 Breeders' Cup Classic
Breeders' Cup Classic
The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade I Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3 year olds and older run at a distance of 1¼ miles on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships...
and the 1998 Horse of the Year
Horse of the Year
Horse of the Year is an honor given by various organizations worldwide in harness racing and thoroughbred horse racing.Some of the awards include:* Australian Champion Racehorse of the Year* Breeders' Cup World Championships Poll* European Horse of the Year...
title) in the Jockey Club Gold Cup
Jockey Club Gold Cup
The Jockey Club Gold Cup, established in 1919, is a prestigious thoroughbred flat race open to horses of either gender three-years-old and up. It is typically the main event of the fall meeting at Belmont Park, just as the Belmont Stakes is of the spring meeting and the Travers Stakes is of the...
, and concluded his career with a third place finish (again suffering from a wide trip) to upset winner Alphabet Soup and 1996 Preakness Stakes
Preakness Stakes
The Preakness Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held on the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs on dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds ; fillies 121 lb...
winner Louis Quatorze
Louis Quatorze (horse)
Louis Quatorze is an American thoroughbred stallion racehorse. He was sired by Sovereign Dancer, who in turn was a son of the great 1964 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner, Northern Dancer out of the mare, On To Royalty....
in the 1996 Breeders' Cup Classic
Breeders' Cup Classic
The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade I Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3 year olds and older run at a distance of 1¼ miles on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships...
at Woodbine Racetrack
Woodbine Racetrack
Woodbine Racetrack is a Canadian racetrack for Thoroughbred horse races located at 555 Rexdale Blvd. in the city of Toronto, Ontario. It is the only horseracing track in North America which stages, or is capable of staging, thoroughbred and standardbred horseracing programs on the same day...
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Despite losing his last two races, tying Citation's race record was enough to earn him his second straight Champion Older Male and Horse of the Year
Horse of the Year
Horse of the Year is an honor given by various organizations worldwide in harness racing and thoroughbred horse racing.Some of the awards include:* Australian Champion Racehorse of the Year* Breeders' Cup World Championships Poll* European Horse of the Year...
honors.
As a six-year-old, Cigar won five of eight starts and $4,910,000, making him the holder and runner-up record of most stakes money won in a single season. His third place finish at Woodbine cost him the chance to be the first horse to win $10 million; he finished with a tantalizingly close $9,999,813.
Until Curlin surpassed him in 2008, Cigar was America's top money earner.
Retirement
Cigar was retired to stud at the end of the 1996 racing season by celebrity Bill Cosby. Ceremonies took place during the National Horse Show at Madison Square GardenMadison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
to honor the horse.
Paulson sold 75% of Cigar to Coolmore Stud
Coolmore Stud
Coolmore Stud, in Fethard, South Tipperary in Ireland, is the world's largest breeding operation of thoroughbred racehorses. It was established in 1975....
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. Cigar proved infertile as a stallion after twenty of his thirty-six mares returned negative pregnancy tests.
Honors
Further accolades came when he was named the Racehorse of the Decade of the 1990s, and in 2002 he was inducted in his first year of eligibility into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of FameNational Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...
. 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 Thoroughbred during the decade of the nineties (1990–1999) and therefore lays claim to the title, "Horse of the Decade."
On February 2, 1997, a life-size bronze statue of Cigar was unveiled at Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
's Gulfstream Park
Gulfstream Park
Gulfstream Park Racing & Casino is a racetrack and county-approved racino in Hallandale Beach, Florida, in the United States. During its annual meet, which spans December through April, it is one of the most important venues for horse racing in America....
on "A Salute to Cigar Day." Also in 1997, the New York Racing Association
New York Racing Association
The New York Racing Association, Inc. is the not-for-profit corporation that operates the three largest thoroughbred horse-racing tracks in the state of New York. It runs Aqueduct Racetrack in South Ozone Park, Queens, Belmont Park in Elmont, Long Island , and Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga...
renamed the Grade I
Graded stakes race
A graded stakes race is a term applied since 1973 by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada to describe races that derive their name from the stake, or entry fee, owners must pay...
NYRA Mile, run in November at Aqueduct, as the Cigar Mile
Cigar Mile Handicap
The Cigar Mile Handicap is an American race for thoroughbred horses at Aqueduct Racetrack in New York. Run annually in late November, it is named in honor of the U.S. Hall of Fame horse Cigar, who won the race in 1994 when it was known as the NYRA Mile. Renamed in 1997 following Cigar's retirement,...
. The NYRA Mile was the second race in Cigar's winning streak.
Cigar now lives at the Kentucky Horse Park
Kentucky Horse Park
Kentucky Horse Park is a working horse farm and an educational theme park opened in 1978 in Lexington, Kentucky. It is located off Kentucky State Highway 1973 and Interstate 75 in northern Fayette County in the United States...
's Hall of Champions in Lexington
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
.