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Cigar
Bay colt, foaled in 1990. By Palace Music-Solar Slew, by Seattle Slew
Breeder:
Allen E. Paulson
Owner:
Allen E. and Madeleine Paulson
Trainer:
Bill Mott (1994-1996); Alex Hassinger, Jr. (1993)
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RACE RECORD
| YEAR |
AGE | STARTS |
1ST | 2ND |
3RD | EARNED |
| 1993 | 3 |
9 | 2 |
2 | 2 | $89,175 |
| 1994 | 4 |
6 | 2 |
0 | 2 | $180,840 |
| 1995 | 5 |
10 | 10 |
0 | 0 | $4,819,000 |
| 1996 | 6 |
8 | 5 |
2 | 1 | $4,910,000 |
| TOTALS: |
33 | 19 |
4 | 5 | $9,999,015 |
A winning streak with few precedents was the centerpiece of Cigar’s career. From late 1994 through mid-1996, he won 16 consecutive races and matched Triple Crown winner Citation’s streak of the late 1940s. But Cigar’s career began slowly. Plagued with various growing pains, he did not race until age three. Trained by Alex Hassinger, Jr., Cigar began his career in California. He won a maiden race in his second start on a dirt course and was then switched to the turf, where he won an allowance race and placed second in the Volante Handicap. At age four, he joined the barn of Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott and moved to New York.
Trainer Bill Mott switched Cigar from turf racing back to dirt, and Cigar’s career caught fire. From late in his four-year-old season onward, he won 17 of his remaining 20 starts. These included many of the best races from coast to coast: the Breeders’ Cup Classic, Jockey Club Gold Cup, two Massachusetts Handicaps, the Hollywood Gold Cup, two Donn Handicaps, a Pimlico Special, Oaklawn Handicap, and the specially-carded Citation Challenge. In 1995, Cigar earned a perfect record of 10 wins in 10 starts, matching Tom Fool’s unbeaten campaign as a champion 4-year-old in 1953. Not surprisingly, Cigar was voted Horse of the Year and champion older male.
In March 1996, Cigar jetted to the Middle East and won the inaugural Dubai World Cup. He then added the Massachusetts Handicap at Suffolk Downs and the Citation Challenge at Arlington Park, both with 130 pounds up. Dare and Go finally ended Cigar’s winning streak in the Pacific Classic at Del Mar. Returning East, Cigar captured the Woodward Stakes but ran a disappointing third in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Woodbine. It was time for the world’s most famous horse to retire. Race fans celebrated Cigar’s career with a party at Madison Square Garden. Several weeks later he was again honored as Horse of the Year and champion older male. After his stellar racing career, hopes were high that Cigar’s time at stud would be equally impressive. Despite the efforts of leading fertility specialists, Cigar was infertile. He was sent to the Kentucky Horse Park where he resides in the Hall of Champions near fellow Hall of Famer John Henry. Cigar was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2002.
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