Cigar: America's Horse

by Jay Hovdey

The fascinating story of the most talked about Thoroughbred since Secretariat. Chronicled from birth through an illustrious racing career to his subsequent retirement at The Kentucky Horse Park. Winner of publishing's Benjamin Franklin Award!

Genres: Horse Racing, Horses, Nonfiction

239 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1996

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed learning more about Cigar - his personality, his upbringing, the hurdles he overcame. It made his success all the more special. I also enjoyed the writer's style regarding retelling of races - even though I knew the outcome of each race, I still found myself hanging in suspense!

What I did not like about this book was the many, many, many extraneous details. I just wanted to learn about Cigar, not every single horse, person or light bulb that he ever encountered. However, if you can get through all of that, it's worth reading if you're a fan of Cigar!

[Stefanie Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cigar was born in Maryland in 1990. He was a dam, Solar Slew, was the daughter of Seattle Slew. Cigar was voted American Horse of the Year, winner of the Eclipse Award, and had won over 9 million in earnings. He was a Breeder's Cup Classic winner, as well as a Dubai World Cup winner. Unfortunately, Cigar was infertile and was retired from stud pretty quickly. He spent his days at the Kentucky Horse Park, where he was a fan favorite and received many visitors. This book was a nice overview of his career, so if you are a horse person or a fan of racing, you would probably like this.

[Lisa James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully done bio of one of America's greatest racehorses of this generation, & the people behind his incredible success. Found this book at the tack shop where I had my saddle repaired, & having followed the horses since I was a little girl in the 70's, I remember clearly this big bay horse & his streak that equaled Citation's. (Side note, I live in a neighborhood where ALL of the streets are named after great racehorses. Coincidentally, I live on Citation Drive!) . This book is VERY readable, full of great side notes, like his pedigree, details on his races, and pictures.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cigar was one of the great racehorses of our time, and I very much enjoyed reading about him. I've had the joy of visiting Cigar at his home at the Kentucky Horse Park twice--once when I was almost too young to remember, and more recently in 2011. He still has all the spunk and verve that made him so successful on the racetrack. Hopefully he'll be with us for many more years.

My only qualm with the book itself was the sometimes confusing writing...Hovdey lost himself in his own eloquence at times, it seemed to me, but it didn't take him long to find his way back again.

[Linda Shantz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Cigar. That is all. haha!

[Leila Mohseni · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little dry at times, but Jay Hovdey writes most excellently about the great American racehorse, Cigar, and what a memorable racing career he led.

Cigar: gone, but surely NEVER forgotten!