Cigar, Revised: America's Horse [Paperback]

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.

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.