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 and was foaled at Country Life Farm near Bel Air, Maryland. 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. 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.
Cigar was named after a navigational intersection for airplanes, not for the tobacco product. Owner Allen Paulson was a major figure in American aviation who had owned the Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, which manufactured Gulfstream private business jets. He named many of his horses after the five-letter-long names given to intersections on aeronautical navigational charts.
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. His regular jockey, Jerry Bailey, later recalled a meeting between Cigar and Bailey's three-year-old son the day after the 1995 Breeders' Cup Classic. "He was just nuzzling on him," Bailey said. "Less than 24 hours earlier he was on fire, just a machine, and now he was like a pony in the parking lot of the Kmart. He really liked people."
Racing career 1993: three-year-old season Cigar did not race as a two-year-old. 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 III 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. As a three-year-old, Cigar earned $89,175.
Cigar made his first start on February 21, 1993 at Santa Anita in a maiden special weight race over six furlongs on the dirt. He was never a factor, finishing sixth. He then had some bone chips removed from his knees and did not return until May 9 in another maiden special weight over six furlongs on the dirt. He broke slowly but rushed up to second place after a fast opening quarter-mile in 22.19 seconds. He moved to the lead on the turn and continued to draw away to win by lengths.
For his next starts, Hassinger switched Cigar to turf races over miles with moderate results. On May 23, Cigar finished fourth in an allowance race after leading with a furlong to go, then finished third in his next start on June 12. On August 18 though, he displayed a burst of speed at the top of the stretch that quickly moved him from fifth to first. He continued to draw away to win by lengths.
After finishing second in his next start, Cigar made his graded stakes debut in the Ascot Handicap at Bay Meadows. He raced near the front of the pack for the first three-quarters before taking the lead turning for home, opening a -length in mid-stretch. However, he was caught at the finish line and finished third, beaten by a neck. He then finished second in the Volante Handicap on November 5 before finishing a distant eleventh in the Hollywood Derby on November 30.
1994: four-year-old season The following year, Cigar was sent to an east-coast trainer, Bill Mott, who gave him the first half of the year off, bringing him back to racing in July. Cigar had moderate success in his first four starts of the year before breaking through with a dominant win in an allowance race on October 28. He followed up with his first Grade I win in the NYRA Mile (now the Cigar Mile Handicap), finishing the year with two wins from six starts and earnings of $180,838.
Cigar made his first start of the year on July 8 in an allowance race over miles on the turf at Belmont Park. He vied for the early lead with Victory Cross but tired and finished fourth, beaten by nine lengths. Over the next two months, he continued to race in allowance races on the turf, finishing third on August 9 at Saratoga, seventh on September 16 at Belmont Park, and third on October 7 at Belmont Park. For his next start at Aqueduct on October 28, Mott switched Cigar back to dirt in a one-mile allowance race for non-winners of two races other than maiden or claiming (NW2 X). Cigar challenged for the early lead with the favorite, Golden Plover, completing the first quarter-mile in 22.42 seconds. Cigar then took the lead and drew away, winning by eight lengths. He did not lose again for 22 months.
Mott decided to step Cigar sharply up in class, entering him in the Grade I NYRA Mile at Aqueduct on November 26. He went off at odds of 9-1 in a field of twelve that featured stakes winners Devil His Due, Brunswick, Itaka, Bertrando, and Harlan. Cigar raced for the first half mile in fourth place, then made a strong move on the turn and opened up to win by seven lengths. "Cigar really smoked them," said jockey Jerry Bailey. "I rode him before, but that was on grass and he was flat that day. On the dirt, he's been different."
1995: five-year-old season At age 5, Cigar scored ten wins from ten starts, earning Beyer Speed Figures of 108, 114, 116, 121, 114, 117, 118, 111, 111, and 117. 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 started 1995 on January 22 in a mile allowance race at Gulfstream Park in January, which he won by two lengths. He then faced the 1994 American Horse of the Year Holy Bull in the Donn Handicap on February 11 at miles. Holy Bull was heavily favored based on his dominant 1994 campaign, with Cigar going off at 4-1. Cigar went to the early lead with Holy Bull pushing the pace to his outside. The two completed the half-mile heads apart in 46.48 seconds. However, as they turned into the backstretch, Holy Bull suffered a strain of the superficial flexor tendon and was pulled up. Cigar won, but little attention was paid to his victory due to the breakdown of Holy Bull, which signaled the end of his racing career. 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. Cigar then went to Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas for the Oaklawn Handicap at miles. The field featured several other highly rated older horses, including 1994 Breeders' Cup Classic winner Concern, who carried top weight of 122 pounds compared to Cigar at 120 pounds, and Silver Goblin, who was also on an extended winning streak, at 119 pounds. Cigar settled into position a few lengths behind the early leader, then started his move on the final turn. Silver Goblin was slightly ahead near the top of the stretch when his jockey accidentally struck Cigar in the face with his whip. Cigar briefly checked but then pinned back his ears and rallied, drawing away to win by lengths in a time of 1:47.22.
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."
For his next start, Cigar shipped to Suffolk Downs north of Boston for the Massachusetts Handicap at miles on June 3. He was eligible for a $500,000 bonus after also winning the Gulfstream Park Handicap, Oaklawn Handicap, and Pimlico Special. He was the overwhelming favorite at 1-5 despite carrying 124 pounds, 9 to 17 pounds higher than his rivals. He tracked the early pace, then made his move turning into the stretch. He quickly opened a lead and won by four lengths in a time of 1:48.74. "If Cigar runs like he's been running, there isn't any horse that can beat him," said Bailey. "It's hard to get this horse in trouble. You almost have to go out of your way."