Phalaris (horse)
Encyclopedia
Phalaris was a British
bred Thoroughbred
racehorse
, later a Leading sire in Great Britain and Ireland and a Leading broodmare sire in Great Britain & Ireland
. He appears in the sireline (stallion to stallion) of all nine racehorses which were winners of more than $10 million.
Phalaris was sired by the Champion Stakes
winner Polymelus
out of Bromus by the Epsom Derby winner Sainfoin, she being closely inbred in the second and third removes to Springfield
. Bromus, also foaled Hainault by Swynford. Phalaris was from a long line of successful sires. The conformation of Phalaris was typical of a sprinter, upstanding in build, but he was slightly back at the knee.
. At three years he was not up to the classic standard at a mile but he did win over 10 furlongs (2,000 metres). At four and five years old he was a very good sprinter, able to carry more than 10 stone (63.5 kilograms) and win on three occasions. Phalaris only raced at Newmarket where he won 16 of his 24 starts and was placed on another three occasions. He was the winner of the Champion Stakes
(twice); Stud Produce Stakes; Redmere Nursery Stakes; Beaufort Stakes; St. George Stakes; Bretby Handicap; Chesterfield Stakes; St. Ives Handicap; Bury St. Edmunds Plate; Snailwell Stakes; Challenge Stakes
(twice); Abingdon Plate; July Stakes
and Lanwades Plate. Phalaris was the top sprinter in 1917 and 1918 when racing was restricted due to World War I
. Phalaris was kept in training for four seasons, and was retired to Lord Derby's stud.
He was the Leading sire in Great Britain and Ireland in 1925, 1928, once second and third and was the Leading broodmare sire in Great Britain & Ireland
in 1937, 1941 and 1942.
Among his notable progeny, Phalaris sired five Classic race winners plus the following horses:
Phalaris’ major tail-male descendants in the USA include, Bold Ruler
, Secretariat
, Affirmed
, Alydar
, Seattle Slew
, and of course the great Northern Dancer. among many others. His tail-male line British descendants, or those that raced in Britain or Ireland, include such champions as Arkle
(steeplechaser), Blue Peter
, Fair Trial, Nasrullah
, Royal Palace
, Nijinsky
, Sir Ivor
, Roberto
, Brigadier Gerard, Mill Reef
, Shergar
, Troy
, Grundy
, Galileo
, Sea Bird II
, Sea the Stars
and High Chaparral
.
Phalaris dropped dead after covering a mare on 28 February 1931 at the age of 16 years.
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...
bred 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...
, later a Leading sire in Great Britain and Ireland and a Leading broodmare sire in Great Britain & Ireland
Leading broodmare sire in Great Britain & Ireland
The list below shows the leading sire of broodmares in Great Britain and Ireland for each year since 1899. This is determined by the amount of prizemoney won during the year by racehorses which were foaled by a daughter of the sire.-----References:*...
. He appears in the sireline (stallion to stallion) of all nine racehorses which were winners of more than $10 million.
Phalaris was sired by the Champion Stakes
Champion Stakes
The Champion Stakes is a Group 1 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 1 mile and 2 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in October...
winner Polymelus
Polymelus
Polymelus was a British Thoroughbred racehorse who was the leading sire of racehorses in Great Britain and Ireland for five years . Among his most famous descendants are Secretariat and Northern Dancer. However, it was through his son Phalaris that he will forever be remembered...
out of Bromus by the Epsom Derby winner Sainfoin, she being closely inbred in the second and third removes to Springfield
Springfield (horse)
Springfield was a successful English Thoroughbred racehorse that won 14 consecutive races and was a useful sire of the late 19th century. He was the grandsire of two English Triple Crown winners: Galtee More, who was exported to Russia, and later Germany and Rock Sand, who was exported to the...
. Bromus, also foaled Hainault by Swynford. Phalaris was from a long line of successful sires. The conformation of Phalaris was typical of a sprinter, upstanding in build, but he was slightly back at the knee.
Racing career
At two years old he was rated 9 lbs (4 kg) below the champion filly FifinellaFifinella (horse)
Fifinella was a British Thoroughbred who is the last racemare to ever win both the Epsom Derby and Epsom Oaks and the last filly to ever win the Epsom Derby....
. At three years he was not up to the classic standard at a mile but he did win over 10 furlongs (2,000 metres). At four and five years old he was a very good sprinter, able to carry more than 10 stone (63.5 kilograms) and win on three occasions. Phalaris only raced at Newmarket where he won 16 of his 24 starts and was placed on another three occasions. He was the winner of the Champion Stakes
Champion Stakes
The Champion Stakes is a Group 1 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 1 mile and 2 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in October...
(twice); Stud Produce Stakes; Redmere Nursery Stakes; Beaufort Stakes; St. George Stakes; Bretby Handicap; Chesterfield Stakes; St. Ives Handicap; Bury St. Edmunds Plate; Snailwell Stakes; Challenge Stakes
Challenge Stakes
The Challenge Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 7 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in October.The event was established in 1878, and the...
(twice); Abingdon Plate; July Stakes
July Stakes
The July Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and geldings. It is run on the July Course at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in July....
and Lanwades Plate. Phalaris was the top sprinter in 1917 and 1918 when racing was restricted due to World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Phalaris was kept in training for four seasons, and was retired to Lord Derby's stud.
Stud record
Phalaris was one of the most influential sires to serve Lord Derby's interests, and he had a major influence on modern Thoroughbred pedigrees the world over. He is today the most influential patriarch of the Bend Or dynasty and arguably the world's most influential sire of the 20th century. Nearly all runners in the main races of the leading racing nations are now from the Phalaris sire-line. He appears in the tail-male line (those coming straight through father to son to grandson etc.) of all nine horses that have earned more than $10 million.He was the Leading sire in Great Britain and Ireland in 1925, 1928, once second and third and was the Leading broodmare sire in Great Britain & Ireland
Leading broodmare sire in Great Britain & Ireland
The list below shows the leading sire of broodmares in Great Britain and Ireland for each year since 1899. This is determined by the amount of prizemoney won during the year by racehorses which were foaled by a daughter of the sire.-----References:*...
in 1937, 1941 and 1942.
Among his notable progeny, Phalaris sired five Classic race winners plus the following horses:
- Carpet Slipper, dam of Windsor Slipper (Irish "Triple Crown" and £4,643)
- Chatelaine, won the 1933 Epsom OaksEpsom OaksThe Oaks Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 10 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in early June....
and £8,332 - ColoradoColorado (horse)Colorado was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He won the 2000 Guineas in 1926 and the Eclipse Stakes in 1927. He was also noted for his rivalry with the Derby winner Coronach whom he defeated on three of their four meetings.-Background:...
, won the 2,000 Guineas Stakes (1926), Eclipse StakesEclipse StakesThe Eclipse Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Sandown Park over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 7 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in early July.-History:The event is named after Eclipse, a...
(1927), Princess of Wales's StakesPrincess of Wales's StakesThe Princess of Wales's Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run on the July Course at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile and 4 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in July.-History:The event is named in...
(1927) and £30,358 - Fair Isle, winner of the 1933 1,000 Guineas Stakes
- FairwayFairway (horse)Fairway was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. Fairway was the best horse of his generation in Britain at two, three and four years old, winning the St Leger Stakes, the Champion Stakes and the Eclipse Stakes...
, won the St. Leger StakesSt. Leger StakesThe St. Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over a distance of 1 mile, 6 furlongs and 132 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in September.Established in 1776, the St. Leger...
, Champion StakesChampion StakesThe Champion Stakes is a Group 1 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 1 mile and 2 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in October...
, Jockey Club CupJockey Club CupThe 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...
and four times Leading Sire in England - Knockando, 2nd Two Thousand Guineas, sent to Venezuela. Sire.
- MannaManna (horse)Manna was a British Thoroughbred racehorse an sire. In a career which lasted from summer 1922 until September 1923, Manna ran four times, winning eight races. As a three-year-old in 1925 he won the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket and the Epsom Derby by a record margin of eight lengths...
, won 2,000 Guineas Stakes, Epsom DerbyEpsom DerbyThe Derby Stakes, popularly known as The Derby, internationally as the Epsom Derby, and under its present sponsor as the Investec Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies...
and £11,210 - Phaona, dam of Easton (winner in England, France and Belgium and £3,669);
- Pharamond (£3,695, successful sire in USA);
- PharosPharos (horse)Pharos was a British bred Thoroughbred racehorse and a Leading sire in Great Britain & Ireland.-Pedigree:Bred and raced by Edward Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby, he was a brother to the stakeswinners, Fair Isle and Fairway who won 31 races and ₤71,635 between them...
won Champion Stakes, 2nd in the Epsom Derby; sire of NearcoNearcoNearco was an Italian bred Thoroughbred racehorse described by Thoroughbred Heritage as "one of the greatest racehorses of the Twentieth Century" and "one of the most important sires of the century." He was not only unbeaten, winning 14 races at distances from 5 furlongs to 1 mile 7 furlongs ,...
(won Grade Prix de Paris, grandsire of the Kentucky DerbyKentucky DerbyThe Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
winner Northern DancerNorthern DancerNorthern Dancer was a Canadian-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and the most successful sire of the 20th Century. The National Thoroughbred Racing Association calls him "one of the most influential sires in Thoroughbred history"....
) - SickleSickle (horse)Sickle was an English Thoroughbred racehorse who was later exported to the US where he was twice the Leading sire in North America...
, Leading sire in North AmericaLeading sire in North AmericaThe list below shows the leading sire of Thoroughbred racehorses in North America for each year since 1830. This is determined by the amount of prizemoney won by the sire's progeny during the year...
in 1936 and 1938. - Village Green, won Llangibby Stakes, October Nursery Stakes, Milton Plate.
- Warden Of The Marches, won Waterford Stakes, Chesterfield Cup, City and Suburban Handicap, Champion Stakes, 3rd St. Leger Stakes.
Phalaris’ major tail-male descendants in the USA include, Bold Ruler
Bold Ruler
Bold Ruler was an American Thoroughbred Hall of Fame racehorse.Bred by the Wheatley Stable of Gladys Mills Phipps, Bold Ruler was foaled on April 6, 1954 at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentucky to Nasrullah and Miss Disco by Discovery...
, Secretariat
Secretariat (horse)
Secretariat was an American Thoroughbred racehorse, that in 1973 became the first U.S. Triple Crown champion in 25 years, setting new race records in two of the three events in the Series—the Kentucky Derby , and the Belmont Stakes —records that still stand today.Secretariat was sired by Bold...
, Affirmed
Affirmed
Affirmed was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who was the eleventh and most recent winner of the United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing...
, Alydar
Alydar
Alydar was a chestnut colt and an American thoroughbred race horse who was most famous for finishing a close second to Affirmed in all three races of the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, a feat not achieved before or repeated since.-Racing career:Trained by John M...
, Seattle Slew
Seattle Slew
Seattle Slew was an American Thoroughbred race horse who won the United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing in 1977, the tenth of eleven horses to accomplish the feat. He remains the only horse to win the Triple Crown while undefeated. In the Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 U.S...
, and of course the great Northern Dancer. among many others. His tail-male line British descendants, or those that raced in Britain or Ireland, include such champions as Arkle
Arkle
Arkle was a famous Irish Thoroughbred racehorse. A bay gelding by Archive out of Bright Cherry, his grandsire was the unbeaten flat racehorse and prepotent sire Nearco. Arkle was bred at Ballymacoll Stud, County Meath by Mrs. Mary Alison Baker of Malahow House, near Naul, County Dublin...
(steeplechaser), Blue Peter
Blue Peter III
Blue Peter was a British bred Thoroughbred racehorse whose career was cut short by the outbreak of World War II. He won the Epsom Derby and was later a Leading broodmare sire in Great Britain & Ireland....
, Fair Trial, Nasrullah
Nasrullah
Nasrullah was an Irish thoroughbred racehorse, and sire of 15 champions.Bred by the Aga Khan III in Ireland, and owned by Joseph McGrath of Brownstown Stud in County Kildare, Nasrullah was a good, but temperamental horse. Out of the 10 starts, he won 5 races; Great Bradley Stakes, Coventry...
, Royal Palace
Royal Palace (horse)
Royal Palace was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. In 1967 he won the first two legs of the Triple Crown, the 2000 Guineas and the Epsom Derby...
, Nijinsky
Nijinsky II
The racehorse Nijinsky was one of the greatest horses in Thoroughbred horse-racing history. He won the U.K. Triple Crown of racing. Retired to stud he became the Leading sire in Great Britain & Ireland and the Leading broodmare sire in North America.He was bred at E. P...
, Sir Ivor
Sir Ivor
Sir Ivor was an American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who competed from a base in Ireland. Owned by American businessman and U.S. Ambassador to Ireland, Raymond R...
, Roberto
Roberto (horse)
Roberto was an American-bred Thoroughbred Champion racehorse who competed in Ireland and England.-Background:Roberto was bred by Galbreath at his Darby Dan Farm near Lexington, Kentucky. The son of the successful sire Hail To Reason out of the dam Bramalea, Roberto's grandsire was Turn-To, a...
, Brigadier Gerard, Mill Reef
Mill Reef
Mill Reef was a Champion Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He was bred in the United States but was trained in the United Kingdom throughout his racing career which lasted from 1970 to 1972. Mill Reef won twelve of his fourteen races and finished second in the other two...
, Shergar
Shergar
Shergar was an acclaimed Irish racehorse, and winner of the 1981 Epsom Derby by a record 10 lengths, the longest winning margin in the race's 226-year history. This victory earned him a spot in The Observer newspaper's 100 Most Memorable Sporting Moments of the Twentieth Century...
, Troy
Troy (horse)
Troy was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. Owned by industrialist Sir Michael Sobell and his son-in-law Lord Weinstock, under trainer Dick Hern the colt notably won the 1979 Epsom and Irish Derbys en route to earning 3-Year-Old Champion honors as well as the British flat racing Champion Owner...
, Grundy
Grundy (horse)
Grundy was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred Champion racehorse. He was a leading two-year-old in 1974 and went on to win the Epsom Derby in 1975...
, Galileo
Galileo (horse)
Galileo is a retired Irish Thoroughbred racehorse and active sire. He is best known for winning the Epsom Derby, Irish Derby Stakes, and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes in 2001 and for his rivalry with the Godolphin champion Fantastic Light...
, Sea Bird II
Sea Bird II
Sea Bird II is considered by many to be the greatest post-war European flat racehorse. His Timeform rating of 145 is still the highest ever flat figure awarded by that publication. Sea Bird II is most famous for his breathtaking victories in two of Europe's most prestigious races: the Epsom Derby...
, Sea the Stars
Sea the Stars
Sea The Stars is a champion Irish Thoroughbred colt racehorse. Regarded by many as one of the greatest racehorses of all time, he is best known for winning the 2,000 Guineas, the Epsom Derby, the Eclipse Stakes, - the first colt to accomplish this treble since 1989 champion Nashwan - the...
and High Chaparral
High Chaparral
High Chaparral is a racehorse, winner of the Epsom Derby in 2002, and the winner of the Breeders' Cup Turf in 2002 and 2003 .-2001: Two-year-old season:...
.
Phalaris dropped dead after covering a mare on 28 February 1931 at the age of 16 years.
Tabulated pedigree
Reference
- Designing Speed in the Racehorse by Ken McLean (2005) ISBN 978-0-929346-80-9