Sir Hercules

Sir Hercules
SireWhalebone
GrandsireWaxy
DamPeri
DamsireWanderer
SexStallion
Foaled1826 (1826)
Died1855 (aged 28–29)
CountryIreland
ColourBlack
BreederMr. Lang
OwnerHercules Landford Rowley
Major wins
Claret Stakes (1830)
Last updated on 5 September 2009

Sir Hercules (1826–1855) was an Irish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse, and was later a successful sire.

Pedigree

Sir Hercules was by the great sire Whalebone, winner of The Derby, out of Peri (1822) by Wanderer. Peri was bred to Whalebone at the age of three and Sir Hercules, her first foal, was born in 1826 at Petworth Stud. Sir Hercules was a half brother to Langford (by Starch) who was exported as a stallion to America.

Black with white ticking, Sir Hercules was 15 hands 2 inches high, and had a compact build, with identical length "...From the centre of the breast to the hind part of the shoulder, from hind part of shoulder to the hip, and from hip to whirl-bone," with "no more than room for a saddle on his back."

Race record

As a two-year-old: 1828

  • Undefeated in Ireland where he won one race and a match race.

As a three-year-old: 1829

Sir Hercules was taken to England where he won a Sweepstakes at York on 7 May. In September at Doncaster he finished third to Rowton and Voltaire in the St Leger and won a sweepstakes over one mile three days later.[1]

As a four-year-old: 1830

  • won the Claret Stakes which appears to have been his only start that season.

As a five-year-old: 1831

He was unplaced in Liverpool's Stand Cup which was his last start.

Stud record

Thorngrove (left) and Sir Hercules (right) in their stable, painted by Charles Hancock and engraved in 1838 by Henry S. Beckwith.

Sir Hercules was purchased by Hercules Landford Rowley, the second Baron Langford of Summerhill in 1831 and was retired to Langford stud at Summer Hill in County Meath, Ireland. Initially he stood for a fee of £10 (equivalent to £900 in 2025). However, few Englishmen wished to breed their mares to him, and the young stallion was moved in 1832 to Rossmore Lodge at the Curragh. Sir Hercules was then sent to England in 1833 with the rest of Rowley's racing stud to be auctioned at Tattersalls. He was sold to America for 750 guineas, but it was decided that it was too late in the season to ship him overseas, and the stallion was resold to H.O. Weatherby.

Weatherby sent him to stand at stud at George Tattersall's stud, Dawley Wall Farm. In 1838, he was sent to East Acton, where he stood for a fee of £30 (equivalent to £2,880 in 2025). However, Weatherby died and Sir Hercules was sold to Sydney Herbert (later Lord Lea). In 1844, Herbert sent the stallion to Tattersall's Willesden Paddocks, where he was available to public mares. Soon, however, Herbert broke up his stud and sold Sir Hercules to Mr. Phillips of Bushbury Stud, where the stallion eventually died at the age of thirty.

Sir Hercules was influential in siring both flat and steeplechase race horses, including one winner of the Grand National. Both his sons and daughters had a profound impact on the bloodlines of horses in Australia, England, Ireland, the United States, and France.

Notable progeny include:

  • Birdcatcher, his most famous son
  • Coronation: won The Derby Stakes and Ascot Derby
  • Faugh-a-Ballagh, won St. Leger Stakes, Grand Duke Michael Stakes, and Cesarewitch Stakes
  • Gaslight (1850) exported to Australia and produced four stakes-winners for 16 stakes-wins.
  • Gemma di Vergy (1854) won the Fernhill Stakes, the Reading Stakes, the Avon Stakes, the Nursery Handicap, the Whittlebury Stakes and the Racing Stakes, sire of Gemma-di-Vergy (1863) who was exported in utero to Australia where he was a sire.[2]
  • Hyllus, won Goodwood Cup* Paraguay, exported to Australia, dam of Sir Hercules (1843 by Cap-a-Pie, a good sire) and Whalebone (1844, another good sire)
  • Lady Lift (1844), dam of Consul (won FR Two Thousand Guineas and FR Prix du Jockey Club) and Le Marechal (won GB Gimcrack Stakes)
  • The Corsair, won Two Thousand Guineas[3]
  • Venus (1840), dam of Aphrodite (won GB One Thousand Guineas)

Sire line tree

References

  1. ↑ Bloodlines: Sir Hercules Retrieved on 5 September 2009
  2. ↑ Barrie, Douglas M. (1956). The Australian Bloodhorse. Sydney: Angus & Robertson.
  3. ↑ Sir Hercules (GB) 1826 Retrieved 13 March 2010
  4. ↑ "Darley Arabian Line". www.tbheritage.com.
  5. ↑ Sire Line: Pot-8-Os
  6. ↑ Jumpers: Darley Arabian Sire Line
  7. ↑ Darley Arabian Sire Line: Whalebone Branch
  8. ↑ Portrait: Sir Hercules
  9. ↑ Biography: Sir Hercules
  10. ↑ Darley Arabian Sire Line: Birdcatcher
  11. ↑ Sire Line: Birdcatcher
  12. ↑ Jumpers: Darley Arabian Sire Line, Birdcatcher Branch
  13. ↑ Portrait: Birdcatcher
  14. ↑ Biography: Birdcatcher
  15. ↑ Studbook: Early M
  16. ↑ American Classic Pedigree: Fenian
  17. ↑ Portrait: The Baron
  18. ↑ Biography: The Baron
  19. ↑ Darley Arabian Sire Line: Stockwell Branch
  20. ↑ Sire Line: Stockwell
  21. ↑ Portrait: Stockwell
  22. ↑ Biography: Stockwell
  23. ↑ Portrait: St Albans
  24. ↑ Portrait: Thunderbolt
  25. 1 2 Studbook: Early T
  26. ↑ Portrait: The Marquis
  27. ↑ Portrait: Blair Athol
  28. 1 2 3 Studbook: Early B
  29. ↑ Portrait: Lord Lyon
  30. ↑ Portrait: Savernake
  31. ↑ Darley Arabian Sire Line: Doncaster Branch
  32. ↑ Portrait: Doncaster
  33. ↑ Biography: Doncaster
  34. ↑ Portrait: Rataplan
  35. ↑ Biography & sire line: Rataplan
  36. ↑ Old Burnley: What happened to Kettledrum the racehorse after famous Epsom win?
  37. ↑ Horse Catalogue: Tonnerere des Indes
  38. ↑ Portrait: Chanticleer
  39. ↑ Biography: Chanticleer
  40. ↑ Portrait: Daniel O'Rourke
  41. ↑ Biography: Daniel O'Rourke
  42. 1 2 3 Portrait: St Giles
  43. ↑ Portrait: Knight Of St George
  44. ↑ Biography: Knight Of St George
  45. ↑ Biography: Warlock
  46. ↑ Biography: Saunterer
  47. ↑ Portrait: Oxford
  48. ↑ Studbook: Early NO
  49. ↑ Sire Line: Sterling
  50. ↑ Portrait: Sterling
  51. ↑ Studbook: Early S
  52. ↑ Portrait: Isonomy
  53. ↑ Portrait: Energy
  54. ↑ Portrait: Harvester
  55. ↑ Portrait: Paradox
  56. ↑ Portrait: Faugh-a-Ballagh
  57. ↑ Biography: Faugh-a-Ballagh
  58. ↑ Portrait: Leamington
  59. 1 2 3 4 Studbook: Early L
  60. ↑ American Classic Pedigree: Leamington
  61. ↑ Portrait: Enquirer
  62. ↑ American Classic Pedigree: Enquirer
  63. ↑ American Classic Pedigree: Falsetto
  64. ↑ American Classic Pedigree: Inspector B
  65. ↑ Portrait: Longfellow
  66. ↑ Hall of Fame: Longfellow
  67. ↑ American Classic Pedigree: Longfellow
  68. ↑ Smithsonian: Longfellow
  69. ↑ Historic Horse Racing: Longfellow and Ten Broeck: The Pride of Old Kentucky
  70. ↑ An Old Kentucky Legacy: The Mighty Longfellow and Ten Broeck
  71. ↑ American Classic Pedigree: Leonatus
  72. ↑ American Classic Pedigree: Riley
  73. ↑ Portrait: Knight of Ellerslie
  74. ↑ The Shohola Accident
  75. ↑ Portrait: Aristides
  76. ↑ Hall of Fame: Aristides
  77. ↑ American Classic Pedigree: Aristides
  78. ↑ Aristides: The original Kentucky Derby Hero
  79. ↑ Portrait: Hyder Ali
  80. ↑ American Classic Pedigree: Spokane
  81. ↑ 1889 Kentucky Derby Winner Spokane was bred in Macoupin County
  82. ↑ Portrait: Parole
  83. ↑ Hall of Fame: Parole
  84. ↑ Portrait: Harold
  85. ↑ Portrait: Sensation
  86. ↑ Portrait #1: Iroquois
  87. ↑ Portrait #2: Iroquois
  88. ↑ American Classic Pedigree: Iroquois
  89. ↑ Tammany: A Racehorse Worthy of His Own Castle
  90. ↑ Image: Grudon
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.