Today, we give an ODD nod to the war against speciesism , as we report the death of the legendary American Thoroughbred race horse Cigar who passed on to that great paddock in the sky. In 195 and 1996 he won 16 consecutive races against topnotch competition. During his career he earned over $9 million dollars.

He missed $10 million by $185. (Dare we say, “Close but no cigar?”) Top lifetime Thoroughbred racing earnings go to Curlin who won over $10 million.

Lest you think his name came from a tobacco product, be advised that it came from a aeronautical term pre-takeoff check-offs: Controls, Instruments, Gasoline, Attitude, Runup. It was bestowed upon him by his owner, Allen Paulson who owned the Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, maker of Gulfstream private jets.

Psst, for those of you with double digit multiples of Cigar’s winnings, Gulfstream has a new, super secret jet in the offing – code name P-42.

Alas, Cigar was sterile. (We ask ODDly, if Cigar had produced progeny, would they have been known as “Cigar-ettes”? Sorry.) In contrast to the tragedy of Ferdinand, Cigar was retired to the Kentucky Horse Park.

He died October 8, 2014 following complications of surgery for severe osteoarthritis. Cigar was 24 years old.