Polymelus was a British

Great Britain

Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...

 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 who was the leading sire of racehorses in Great Britain and Ireland for five years (1914, 1915, 1916, 1920, 1921). Among his most famous descendants are 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...

 and Northern Dancer

Northern Dancer

Northern 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"....

. However, it was through his son Phalaris that he will forever be remembered. His great grandsire was Bend Or

Bend Or

Bend Or was a British Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1880 Epsom Derby. His regular jockey Fred Archer, winner of thirteen consecutive British jockey titles, said Bend Or was probably the greatest horse he had ever ridden....

.

At stud

Polymelus stood 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...

 at Solomon Joel's

Solomon Joel

Solomon Barnato Joel was a South African financier and mining, brewing and railway magnate.-Career:Known as "Solly", he was born into a Jewish family, being one of three sons of Joel Joel , and Kate Isaacs, who was a sister of Barnett Isaacs, later to be called Barney Barnato...

 Maiden Erlegh Stud near Reading, Berkshire

Reading, Berkshire

Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....

 where he died in 1924. Among his progeny, Polymelus sired:

• Pommern
  Pommern (horse)
  Pommern was a British bred Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1915 English Triple Crown and was best racehorse of his generation.-Pedigree:...
  
  , the 1915 English Triple Crown champion
• Fifinella
  Fifinella (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....
  
  , won 1916 Epsom Oaks
  Epsom Oaks
  The 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 Epsom Derby
  Epsom Derby
  The 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...
  
  
• Humorist
  Humorist (horse)
  Humorist was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. He was a leading two-year-old in 1920 and finished third in the 1921 2000 Guineas before winning the Derby at Epsom...
  
  , won 1921 Epsom Derby
• Phalaris
  Phalaris (horse)
  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...
  
  , Leading sire in Great Britain & Ireland (1925, 1928) and 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:*...
  
  (1937, 1941, 1942)