Hermis (foaled 1899 in

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

) was an American

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 Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

Background

Hermis was a chestnut horse bred by Hiram Berry: H. A. Engman owned his dam, Katy of the West. He was purchased as a two-year-old by

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

man

Henry M. Ziegler Henry may refer to: People * Henry (given name) *Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal ...

and was trained by Charles Hughes. Hermis would be sold to Louis V. Bell who turned him over to Jack McCormack to train. Sold in 1903 to banker Edward R. Thomas, Hermis would then be trained by Alexander Shields who later would acquire a part ownership and then full ownership in 1906.

Racing career

Beginning at age three, Hermis was a dominant force in racing and would be awarded 1902 American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse and

American Horse of the Year The American Award for Horse of the Year, one of the Eclipse Awards, is the highest honor given in American thoroughbred horse racing. Because Thoroughbred horse racing in the United States has no governing body to sanction the various awards, "Hor ...

honors. At age four he was the 1903

American Champion Older Male Horse The title of American Champion Older Dirt Male Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually to a stallion or gelding, four years old and up, for performances on dirt and main track racing surfaces. In 1971, it became part of ...

and repeated as American Horse of the Year. At his final race during the 1904 World's Fair Handicap in St. Louis, Hermis received an injury to his leg due to being kicked by 1903

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

Judge Himes Judge Himes (1900 – after 1908) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse that was foaled in Kentucky and was the winner of the 1903 Kentucky Derby. He was a chestnut colt sired by imported Esher out of the mare Lullaby (by the great racer Longfel ...

during the start. As a result of the injury, Hermis never raced again. However, for 1904 Hermis was again selected as the American Champion Older Male Horse. At the time such Champion designations were espoused by various racing media but these designated honors were selected retrospectively by a panel of experts as published by ''

The Blood-Horse magazine ''BloodHorse'' is a multimedia news organization covering Thoroughbred racing and breeding that started with a newsletter first published in 1916 as a monthly bulletin put out by the Thoroughbred Horse Association.

''.

Stud record

Hermis was retired to stud duty. On January 3, 1912, the ''New York Times'' reported that he had been sold to

Edmond Blanc Edmond Blanc (22 February 1856 – 12 December 1920) was a horse breeder as well a French politician. He served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies from 1893 to 1894, and from 1898 to 1902, representing Hautes-Pyrénées. He also served as ...

, a prominent French breeder and owner of

Haras de Jardy Haras de Jardy was a Thoroughbred horse breeding operation established in 1890 in Marnes-la-Coquette France by the statesman Edmond Blanc (1856-1920). The stud farm became home to many important stallions, including one of the leading sires in Fra ...

Marnes-la-Coquette Marnes-la-Coquette () is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. Located from the centre of Paris, the town is situated in the Hauts-de-Seine department on the departmental border with Yvelines between the Parc de Saint-Cloud and the ...

in what is today the western suburbs of

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

References

June 17, 1904 ''New York Times'' article on Hermis

1899 racehorse births Racehorses trained in the United States Racehorses bred in Kentucky Thoroughbred family A2 American Thoroughbred Horse of the Year {{Racehorse-stub