This Week in Horse History - February 1st Through February 7th

February 2nd, 1997 – A life-size bronze statue of the Thoroughbred racehorse Cigar was unveiled at Florida's Gulfstream Park. The bay stallion raced in 1993 as a three-year-old and continued to race through 1996 as a six-year-old. He was declared Horse of the Year in both 1995 and 1996, and won the inaugural running of the Dubai Cup in 1996. He now lives at Kentucky Horse Park. Cigar retired as the leading North American money earner of all time with a record of $9,999,813. The Breyer company even produced a mold especially to make a model of Cigar.

Information courtesy of Cigar
Photo courtesy of Cigar

February 3rd, 1989 - Apprentice jockey Nate Hubbard clung to the neck of his mount Sweetwater Oak to place second in a race at Golden Gate Fields. Sweetwater Oak stumbled in the final stretch of the race when she was bumped by another filly. Hubbard, launched from the saddle, grabbed onto the horse's neck and clung there for the final hundred yards of the race and across the finish line. After finishing fifth in the race on Lystra, fellow jockey Ron Warren helped to slow Sweetwater Oak down to allow Hubbard to let go and land safely. After examining the results of the race, the stewards declared that the placings were official, since Hubbard's feet had never touched the ground during the race, and Sweetwater Oak remained the second place winner.

Information and this amazing photo courtesy of: In The Soup

February 6th, 1976 – Black Jack, the riderless horse who was paraded at the funeral of President John F. Kennedy, died today. Black Jack was the last horse issued to the U. S. Army by the Quartermaster. He was also the last horse to carry the U. S. brand that all army horses wore. Black Jack was named after General John J. “Black Jack” Pershing, a World War I Commander. Black Jack (the horse) paraded in the funerals of Presidents Johnson, Kennedy, and Hoover, during which he was fully tacked and carried a saddle with a black saddle cloth and boots turned backwards in the stirrups. Black Jack was retired on June 1, 1973 and was twenty nine when he died on February 6, 1976.


Information courtesy of Black Jack
Photos courtesy of: Blackjack United States Army Horse