Heliopolis (1936–1959) was a British

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. Thoroughbreds are c ...

racehorse and Champion sire.

Background

Heliopolis was bred and raced by

Edward Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby Edward George Villiers Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby, (4 April 1865 – 4 February 1948), styled Mr Edward Stanley until 1886, then The Hon Edward Stanley and then Lord Stanley from 1893 to 1908, was a British soldier, Conservative politician, ...

. As a son of Hyperion and Drift he was a full brother to the double British classic winner Sun Stream.

Racing career

He was raced from age two to four and then exported during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

to the Coldstream Stud of E. Dale Shaffer in

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...

and arrived at the port of New York on August 10, 1941. After limited and less than successful racing on dirt, he was sent to stand at his owner's stud.

Stud record

A sire of

Champions A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the Victory, victor in a challenge, Competition, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and w ...

, Heliopolis was the Leading sire in North America in 1950 and 1954. Among his best progeny were three

American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly The American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually to a female horse in Thoroughbred flat racing. It became part of the Eclipse Awards program in 1971. The award originated in 1936 when both ...

Grecian Queen Grecian Queen (foaled in 1950) was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. She was bred by Dallas, Texas businessman Ben Whitaker and raced under the name of his wife Florence. A consistently good and durable runner at age two and three, sh ...

(1953),

Parlo Parlo (April 12, 1951 – 1978) was an American Thoroughbred Champion racehorse. Background Bred by William du Pont, Jr. at his Walnut Hall Farm near Boyce, Virginia, she was out of the mare Fairy Palace and sired by the good British runner He ...

(1954), and

Berlo Berlo (foaled April 10, 1957 in Virginia) was an American Thoroughbred Champion racehorse. Background Berlo was a brown mare bred by William duPont, Jr. at his Walnut Hall Farm near Boyce, Virginia. She was out of the mare Faberose, a daughter o ...

(1960). Parlo also earned the

American Champion Older Female Horse The Eclipse Award for Champion Older Dirt Female Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually to a filly or mare, four years old and up, for performances on dirt and main track racing surfaces. In 1971, it became part of the ...

title in 1954 and 1955.Thoroughbred Heritage - American Champion Older Female
/ref> He was the sire of the very good runner and sire of Champions, Summer Tan. His other successful sons include

Ace Admiral {{Infobox racehorse , horsename = Ace Admiral , image = , caption = , sire = Heliopolis , grandsire = Hyperion , dam = War Flower , damsire = Man o' War , sex = Stallion , foaled = 1945 , country = United States , colour = Chestn ...

Greek Ship The Greek Ship ( fa, کشتی یونانی, ) is the nickname of a cargo steamship, ''Khoula F'', that has been beached on the southwest coast of Kish Island, Iran, since 1966. She was built in 1943 by the British shipyard of William Hamilton a ...

High Gun High Gun (foaled 1951 in Kentucky) was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. Background His sire, Heliopolis, was a two-time Leading sire in North America. His dam was Rocket Gun whose damsire was Man o' War. Trainer Max Hirsch purchased ...

, the 1954

American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse The American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually in Thoroughbred flat racing. It became part of the Eclipse Awards program in 1971. The award originated in 1936 when both ''Turf & Sport ...

and 1955 American Champion Older Male Horse, and the top caliber sprinter Olympia who became a foundation sire for

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

breeder,

Fred W. Hooper Fred William Hooper (October 6, 1897 – August 4, 2000) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse owner and breeder. He was a member of The Jockey Club, an honorary director of the Breeders' Cup, and one of the founders of the Thoroughbred Owners ...

. Heliopolis is the grandsire of Greek Song,

Pia Star {{Infobox racehorse , horsename = Pia Star , image = , caption = , sire = Olympia , grandsire = Heliopolis , dam = Inquisitive , damsire = Mahmoud , sex = Stallion , foaled = 1961 , country = United States , colour = Bay , bree ...

, and Pucker Up. Heliopolis was the damsire of the 1968

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...

winner,

Forward Pass In several forms of football, a forward pass is the throwing of the ball in the direction in which the offensive team is trying to move, towards the defensive team's goal line. The forward pass is one of the main distinguishers between gridiron ...

, of All Beautiful, the 1969

Kentucky Broodmare of the Year The Kentucky Broodmare of the Year is selected each year by the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association. The title is considered the highest honor an American thoroughbred broodmare can receive, as the majority of American breeding s ...

as well as Iberia who earned Kentucky Broodmare honors in 1971 and who was the dam of 1972

and

Belmont Stakes The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run over 1.5 miles (2,400 m). Colts and geldings carry a weight of ; fillies carry . The race, nicknamed Th ...

winner,

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

inductee,

Riva Ridge Riva Ridge (April 13, 1969 – April 21, 1985) was a Thoroughbred racehorse, the winner of the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes in 1972. Often remembered simply as a stablemate of Secretariat, Riva Ridge was a successful racehorse in his own rig ...

. Heliopolis was also the damsire of Marshua. E. Dale Shaffer sold Coldstream Stud along with Heliopolis in 1951 to Henry Knight who then syndicated the stallion after which he was moved to Almahurst Farm in Nicholasville, Kentucky. An aging Heliopolis suffered from

laminitis Laminitis is a disease that affects the feet of ungulates and is found mostly in horses and cattle. Clinical signs include foot tenderness progressing to inability to walk, increased digital pulses, and increased temperature in the hooves. Seve ...

and in 1959 the twenty-three-year-old horse was humanely

euthanized Animal euthanasia ( euthanasia from el, εὐθανασία; "good death") is the act of killing an animal or allowing it to die by withholding extreme medical measures. Reasons for euthanasia include incurable (and especially painful) conditi ...

Pedigree

Heliopolis was inbred 4S x 3D to Canterbury Pilgrim, meaning this mare appears in the fourth generation of the sire's side of the pedigree and in the third generation of the dam's side. Heliopolis is also inbred 4S x 4D to

St. Simon Simon the Zealot (, ) or Simon the Canaanite or Simon the Canaanean (, ; grc-gre, Σίμων ὁ Κανανίτης; cop, ⲥⲓⲙⲱⲛ ⲡⲓ-ⲕⲁⲛⲁⲛⲉⲟⲥ; syc, ܫܡܥܘܢ ܩܢܢܝܐ) was one of the most obscure among the apostl ...

, with two more crosses to St. Simon in the fifth generation.

References

{{reflist
Heliopolis' pedigree and partial racing stats
1936 racehorse births 1959 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in the United States United States Champion Thoroughbred Sires Thoroughbred family 8-g Chefs-de-Race