Cigar Remembered in Maryland

Cigar, the Maryland-bred who won Horse of the Year honors in 1995 and 1996, died yesterday evening in Lexington, KY. He was 24. 

Born at Country Life Farm in Harford County on April 18, 1990, the son of Palace Music won 19-of-33 starts for $9,999,815, which ranks third on the all-time list behind only Espoir City, who earned $11.4 million in Japan, and 2007 Preakness Stakes (G1) winner Curlin ($10.5 million).

Cigar won 16 consecutive races from October 1994 through July 1996. In his only appearance in Maryland, the Bill Mott trainee teamed up with Jerry Bailey to win the 1995 Pimlico Special (G1) by 2 ¼ lengths at odds of 2-5.

“He is my favorite horse of all time,” Maryland Jockey Club racing secretary Georganne Hale said. “Such a beautiful horse with so much class. There was so much hype during the streak and it was great to be able to witness greatness. I went to the Kentucky Horse Park twice to visit him after his retirement. He was just such a cool horse with so much class. They don’t come around too often.”

Cigar was inducted into the National Racing Museum Hall of Fame in 2002.

Source: Maryland Jockey Club