Marsyas II was a French

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...

 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...

 foaled at Marcel Boussac's

Marcel Boussac

Marcel Boussac was a French entrepreneur best known for his ownership of the Maison Dior and one of the most successful thoroughbred race horse breeding farms in European history....

 Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard

Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard

Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard was a Thoroughbred horse breeding farm in Neuvy-au-Houlme in the Orne department in Lower Normandy purchased by Marcel Boussac in 1919. Widely respected, Marcel Boussac was called "the greatest of French breeders" by John P. Sparkman, an editor with Thoroughbred Times....

 in Neuvy-au-Houlme

Neuvy-au-Houlme

Neuvy-Au-Houlme is a commune in the Orne department in north-western France.Neuvy-Au-Houlme is home to the historic Thoroughbred horse breeding farm, Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard and the standardbred farm, Haras du Ribardon.-References:*...

 in Lower Normandy. Sired by two time Ascot Gold Cup

Ascot Gold Cup

The Gold Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 2 miles and 4 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in June....

 winner Trimdon, he was out of the very important mare, Astronomie. A descendant of Galopin

Galopin

Galopin was a good British Thoroughbred racehorse and a prominent sire.-Pedigree:Galopin's sire, Vedette, had a very good racing career, winning the Great Yorkshire Stakes, the Doncaster Cup , and the 1857 2,000 Guineas Stakes. Vedette's value as a stallion had declined to such an extent that he...

 on his sire's

Father

A father, Pop, Dad, or Papa, is defined as a male parent of any type of offspring. The adjective "paternal" refers to father, parallel to "maternal" for mother...

 side and U.K. Triple Crown

Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing

The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing consists of three races for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses. Winning all three of these Thoroughbred horse races is considered the greatest accomplishment of a Thoroughbred racehorse...

 winner Flying Fox on his dam's side, Marsyas is best known for winning four consecutive editions of the 4,000 meter Prix du Cadran

Prix du Cadran

The Prix du Cadran is a Group 1 flat horse race in France which is open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 4,000 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in early October....

 between 1944 and 1947.

Considered one of the best stayer

Stayer (horse)

In horse racing, a stayer refers to a horse that may be a better performer over a longer distance, such as more than 1-1/2 miles. Sometimes, the term may also refer to a horse that is not able to quicken or speed up.-External links:*...

's ever to compete in France, Marsyas had an extraordinarily successful career both there and in England

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

. Of his seventeen career starts, he was unplaced only once and that was in the 1944 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe

Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe

The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is a Group 1 flat horse race in France which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,400 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year, usually on the first Sunday in October.Popularly referred to as the...

. Having won many of France's other prominent races, including the 6,200 meter Prix Gladiateur

Prix Gladiateur

The Prix Gladiateur is a Group 3 flat horse race in France which is open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 3,100 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in September....

, in 1946 his owner sent him to race in England where he won five important races in a row. After claiming victory in his sixth English race, less than a week later Marsyas competed in the Jockey Club Cup

Jockey Club Cup

The British Champions Long Distance Cup, formerly known as the Jockey Club Cup, is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 2 miles...

 where he finished third.

Retired to stud

Horse breeding

Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. Planned matings can be used to produce specifically desired characteristics in domesticated horses...

, Marsyas met with good success but none of his progeny achieved his own level of racing success. He died on May 30, 1964.