Cigar: America's Horse (Revised) [Paperback]

Jay Hovdey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1999

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!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jay Hovdey began writing about thoroughbred racing in the mid-1970s and can't seem to stop. His work has appeared in magazines and journals around the world, from New Zealand, Australia and Japan to Canada and the United Kingdom. In America, he has written for Reader's Digest, the Los Angeles Times, in addition to such racing publications as The Blood-Horse, The Racing Times, Thoroughbred Record, Thoroughbred Times, Spur, Equus and The Thoroughbred of California. In 1998, he joined the staff of Daily Racing Form as executive columnist.

Hovdey is the author of two other books, including Whittingham: The Story of a Thoroughbred Racing Legend, published in 1993 by The Blood-Horse, Inc.

Along the way Hovdey has collected two Eclipse Awards for magazine writing, the David F. Woods Award for coverage of the Preakness Stakes, and the Joe Hirsch Award for coverage of the Breeders' Cup. In 1995 he was honored by his peers in the National Turf Writers' Association with the Walter Haight Award for career excellence in turf writing.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Eclipse Press; 2nd edition (October 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581500394
• ISBN-13: 978-1581500394
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,632,113 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best!, November 4, 1997

By 

[e-mail] (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cigar: America's Horse (Hardcover)

There are far too few biographies of thoroughbreds. (Man o' War's story has yet to be told in any comprehensive fashion!) So any fan o'the turf will want to pick up Hovdey's story of Cigar, a no-nonsense, straight-ahead documentation of the great Cigar's life, up to his defeat at Del Mar after sixteen straight wins.

And make no mistake, Cigar is one of the best. Like Secretariat, Cigar had the perfect racing mentality, and the size and conformation needed for success in this most grueling of sports. The book also introduces us to Allen Paulson, Cigar's owner, who I found as interesting as Cigar himself. We learn how Paulson came up in the depression, built Gulfstream jets, and became a billionare.

Hovdey's writing is clear as crystal, and the book's layout and presentation is easy on the eye. And for those doubters of Cigar, just let me know when another horse wins sixteen in a row in the open division.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good read for any sports enthusiast, November 24, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cigar: America's Horse (Hardcover)

Although it appears Hovedy did not put in the intense hours of research William Nack or Jane Schwartz completed in their respective biographies of the century's top race horses, the work is still an excellent chronicle of Cigar, the race horse and the immense pool of talent surrounding his incredible campaign. Where Nack and Schwartz offer a near-complete education of horseracing, Hovedy instead details the lives of the people behind the sport. Still, it's an easy, free-flowing read which seems to end too quickly.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What a Horse, What a Team, January 13, 2002

By 

Jena Ball "Jena Ball" (North Carolina, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Cigar: America's Horse (Revised) (Paperback)

I am happy to report that the writer for this book is in the same league as the horse he's writing about. The result? A thoroughly enjoyable story of how Cigar, the charismatic son of Palace Music and Solar Slew, carved a name for himself in racing history and in the process became the sweetheart of the sports world.

Author Jay Hovdey did his homework for the book, tracking down and interviewing all the major players in Cigar's life from the folks who foaled him to those who tended to his needs as he raced. He also took the time to get to know and probe beneath the surface of the public exteriors of the people who surrounded Cigar. This means that the reader has a feeling for how things unfolded behind the scenes as Hovdey relates Cigars meteroic rise to stardom. What makes it even sweeter is that Cigar was a late bloomer with delicate legs that resulted in all but one of his initial 11 races being run on grass. As it turns out, Cigar didn't like grass, and it wasn't until his bones had a chance to strengthen and someone in the stables lobbbied strongly for giving him a try on the dirt that Cigar came into his own. And what a show it was! Not only did he win 16 times in succession, equally Citation's record, but he beat out the best in international competition after being shipped to Arabia where he ran in unfamiliar surroundings on a less than ideal track.

If this book lacks anything, it's a personal connection with the horse by the author. Although Hovdey does a great job of relating what others have to say about Cigar, you never have the feeling that he himself has connected with the spirit of the colt. He talks about Cigar from a distance, removed by time and reporting from the immediate physical presence of the animal. Time and again you read that Cigar's exercise jockeys thought he was smart, how he loved peppermints, that his trainer always knew when he was in a playful mood, that he always carried himself with dignity, but in the end these are all second hand accounts. You never get the feeling that you are actually in the presence of Cigar, running your hand down the muscled neck, smelling his sweat as he cools out, seeinig his one, white-ringed eye roll in your direction as he listens to what you're saying, the feel of his lips as he plucks one of the peppermint candies he was so fond of from your hand, smelling that sweet mix of straw, manure, linament and sweat that is so much a part of all stables. Perhaps because I've spent time around horses I missed these very personal touches which would have brought the horse alive for me.

In the end this is a very competent, well-written book, but it lacks the spark that would have made it a 5-star recommendation for me.