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Originally Posted by Dunbar
There is a broader view of "greatness" that doesn't rely wholly on speed. I think it's appropriate to factor in durability and consistency. It's pretty clear that Cigar was about as consistent as they come. Bravado's list shows 16 races with Beyer's of 111 or above. How many different tracks did Cigar win at?
I love a horse like Ghostzapper, too. But if we imagine a hypothetical year in which Cigar faced Ghostzapper 10 times at a 3-4 week spacing, each race at a different track, who do you think would have won the most races? I'd bet on Cigar. Ghostzapper would certainly have beaten Cigar when both ran their best race, but Cigar ran close to his best race over and over again, and it was pretty damn good no matter where it was. He ran Beyers of 117-121 six times. And how about that race in Dubai? I would call Cigar a "great" horse.
--Dunbar
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I would agree that Cigar's one truly exceptional quality was the ability to perform at a very high level with true consistency. He was obviously a terrific horse but he was nowhere close to an all-time great.
I'm sure Ghostzapper had issues, but I'm also sure having a trainer that seems to consider scratching better than winning didn't help his career resume, and Cigar was obviously more durable. So, he certainly rated to make more money than Ghostzapper, but his best race was not good enough to beat Ghostzapper on a normal day. Not that far off however.