Hector Protector is an American-bred

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 Thoroughbred

Thoroughbred

The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...

 racehorse

Horse racing

Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...

 who competed primarily in France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

. Owned and bred by Stavros Niarchos

Stavros Niarchos

Stavros Spyros Niarchos was a Greek shipping tycoon, sometimes known as "The Golden Greek." In 1952, Stavros Niarchos built the first supertankers capable of transporting large quantities of oil, and subsequently earned millions of dollars as global demand for his ships increased.- Early life :He...

, he was conditioned for racing by Francois Boutin

François Boutin

François Boutin was a French Thoroughbred horse trainer. The son of a farmer, he was born in the village of Beaunay in the northerly Seine Maritime département. He began riding horses at a young age and competed in show jumping and cross-country equestrianism...

.

At age two, under jockey Freddy Head

Freddy Head

Freddy Head is a retired champion jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing and currently a horse trainer. Known also as "Freddie", his grandfather was a jockey as was his father Alec Head who also became a successful trainer and owner of Haras du Quesnay near Deauville...

, Hector Protector won three Group One

Group One

Group One or Group 1 is the term used for the highest level of Thoroughbred and Standardbred stakes races in many countries. Group One races may be run under handicap conditions in Australia but in Europe weight-for-age conditions always apply. Races may be also restricted to age groups or a...

 races, the 1990 Grand Critérium

Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère

The Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère is a Group 1 flat horse race in France which is open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 1,400 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in early October.It is the oldest and most prestigious race in France...

, Prix Morny

Prix Morny

The Prix Morny is a Group 1 flat horse race in France which is open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Deauville over a distance of 1,200 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in August.-History:...

, and the Prix de la Salamandre

Prix de la Salamandre

The Prix de la Salamandre was a Group 1 flat horse race in France which was open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It was run at Longchamp over a distance of 1,400 metres , and it was scheduled to take place each year in September.-History:The event was established in 1872, and it was...

. Ridden by Head at age three, the colt finished fourth to winner Generous

Generous (horse)

Generous is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse who in 1991 won both Epsom and Irish Derbys. Sired by Caerleon, his grandsire was Nijinsky...

 in the 1991 Epsom Derby

1991 Epsom Derby

The 1991 Epsom Derby was a horse race which took place at Epsom Downs on Wednesday June 5, 1991. It was the 212th running of the Derby, and it was won by Generous. The winner was ridden by Alan Munro and trained by Paul Cole...

 in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. Back in France, he won two more Group Ones, the 1991 Poule d'Essai des Poulains

Poule d'Essai des Poulains

The Poule d'Essai des Poulains, sometimes referred to as the French 2,000 Guineas, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts...

 and the Prix Jacques Le Marois

Prix Jacques le Marois

The Prix Jacques Le Marois is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbred colts and fillies aged three years or older. It is run at Deauville over a distance of 1,600 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in August....

.

Retired from racing, Hector Protector was purchased by Zenya Yoshida, the prominent Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

ese horseman and owner of Shadai Farm

Shadai Stallion Station

is a thoroughbred breeding facility located in Abira on the island of Hokkaido in Japan. The farm was begun in the late 1970s, early 1980s by the late Zenya Yoshida and is now run jointly by his sons , known collectively as the Shadai Group. As of 2006, the brothers own 3,000 horses worldwide...

 in Shiraoi, Hokkaido

Shiraoi, Hokkaido

is a town located in Shiraoi District, Iburi, Hokkaidō, Japan. As of 31 May 2008, the town had a population of 20,371 The town was established in 1867 by the feudal lords of Sendai. Most of the area of the town is forested and parts lie within the Shikotsu-Tōya National Park.-History:Shiraoi like...

. Yoshida brought him to stand at stud

Stud (animal)

A stud animal is a registered animal retained for breeding. The terms for the male of a given animal species usually imply that the animal is entire—that is, not castrated—and therefore capable of siring offspring...

in Japan.