Heroic (1921–1939) was an Australian

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 ...

who won 21 races from 5 furlongs (1,000 metres) to 2 miles (3,200m) and was a

leading sire in Australia The list below shows the leading sire of Thoroughbred racehorses in Australia for each season since 1883–84. This is determined by the amount of prize money won by the sire's progeny during the season. List * 2021/22 – I Am Invincible (1) * 20 ...

Breeding

Heroic was sired by Valais (by the 1905

Epsom Derby The Derby Stakes, also known as the Epsom Derby or the Derby, and as the Cazoo Derby for sponsorship reasons, is a Group 1 flat horse race in England open to three-year-old colts and fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs Racecourse in Surrey o ...

winner,

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the estab ...

), his dam was Chersonese (GB) by Cyglad. This made him inbred twice in the 3rd generation to Cyllene and in the 3rd and 4th generations (4x3) to Illuminata through the half sisters Gas, dam of Cicero and Chelandry. Heroic was a brother to the useful sire, Thracian and a half-brother to the stakeswinner, Cimbrian. Heroic was an outstanding type of yearling that fetched the top price of 1,800 guineas at the Inglis’ bloodstock sales.

Racing record

He was trained by Jack Holt who posthumously would become part of the 2001 inaugural class inducted in the

Australian Racing Hall of Fame The Australian Racing Hall of Fame is part of the Australian Racing Museum which documents and honours the horseracing legends of Australia. The museum officially opened in 1981 and created the Hall of Fame in 2000. The numbers in brackets afte ...

At two years: 1923-1924

Heroic’s stakes wins were: *1923 AJC Breeders Plate 5 furlongs *1923 VRC

Maribyrnong Plate The Maribyrnong Plate is a Victoria Racing Club Group 3 Thoroughbred horse race for two-year-olds, at set weights, over a distance of 1000 metres, at Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne, Australia on the Oaks day of the VRC Spring Carnival in Novembe ...

5 furlongs *1924 AJC Champagne Stakes 6 f *1924 VRC

Ascot Vale Stakes The Coolmore Stud Stakes, registered as the Ascot Vale Stakes, is a Victoria Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds, at set weights, run over 1200 metres at Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne, Australia on Victoria Derby Day ...

6 furlongs During this season he had a total of 10 race starts for 6 wins and 2 thirds.Pring, Peter; "Analysis of Champion Racehorses", The Thoroughbred Press, Sydney, 1977,

At three years: 1924-1925

His stakes wins were: *1924 AJC

Australian Derby Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Au ...

12 furlongs *1924

Chelmsford Stakes The Chelmsford Stakes is a Tattersalls Club Group 2 Thoroughbred horse race run over 1600 metres at Weight for Age at Randwick Racecourse, Sydney, Australia in September. Prize money is A$250,000. History The race was first run in 1895. ...

over 9 furlongs, defeating

Gloaming Gloaming may refer to: * Twilight, the period after sunset and before the darkness of night * The Gloaming, an Irish traditional music group ** ''The Gloaming'' (album), their first album * Gloaming (horse) (1915–1932), a Thoroughbred racehorse ...

by 1½ lengths. *1924 VATC

Caulfield Guineas The Caulfield Guineas is a Melbourne Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held over 1600 metres (1 mile) at set weights for three-year-old horses at Caulfield Racecourse, Melbourne, Australia. Total prize money is A$3 million. The race ...

8 furlongs Following this race Heroic’s nominations for the

VRC Derby The Victoria Derby, also known as the Penfolds Victoria Derby, is a Victoria Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held under Set Weights conditions over a distance of 2,500 metres at Flemington Racecourse, in Melbour ...

and

Melbourne Cup The Melbourne Cup is a Thoroughbred horse race held in Melbourne, Australia. It is a 3200-metre race for three-year-olds and over, conducted by the Victoria Racing Club on the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Victoria as part of the Melbou ...

were rejected. This was as a result of Heroic’s connections being disqualified because of their failure to allow a stable-mate to race on his merits. In February 1925, C.B. Kellow paid 16,000 guineas, a record price, for the great Heroic, who won a number of races for him afterwards including his only other win for the season, the

weight for age {{use dmy dates, date=October 2022 Weight for Age (WFA) is a term in thoroughbred horse racing which is one of the conditions for a race. History The principle of WFA was developed by Admiral Rous, a handicapper with the English Jockey Club. Rous ...

(w.f.a.) AJC Autumn Stakes over 12 furlongs.

At four years: 1925-1926

Heroic’s principal wins for this season were: *1925 VATC

Memsie Stakes The Memsie Stakes is a Melbourne Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held under weight for age conditions, for horses aged three years old and upwards, over a distance of 1400 metres. It is held at Caulfield Racecourse, Melbourne, Australi ...

9F *1925 w.f.a.

Caulfield Stakes The Might and Power, registered as the Caulfield Stakes is a Melbourne Racing Club Group One, Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race run under weight-for-age conditions, for three-year-olds and upwards, run over a distance of 2,000 metres at Caulfield R ...

9F *1926 VRC

Newmarket Handicap The Newmarket Handicap is a Victoria Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred open handicap horse race over a distance of 1200 metres, at Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne, Australia on Super Saturday in March during the VRC Autumn Racing Carnival. Prize ...

with 9 st 8 lbs (61 kg) *1926 w.f.a. AJC Cumberland Stakes over 14 furlongs defeating the good horse, Windbag. During this season Heroic had 18 starts for 4 wins and 9 placings.

At five years: 1926-1927

Starting his five-year-old racing season in Melbourne Heroic won his first six starts against top horses. These wins were: *1926 w.f.a. Williamstown

Underwood Stakes The Underwood Stakes is a Melbourne Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race, run over 1800 metres under weight-for-age conditions, held at Caulfield Racecourse, Melbourne, Australia in late September each year. Total prize money for the ra ...

8 furlongs *1926 VATC

over 9F carrying 9 st 11 lbs (62 kg) and beating Manfred. *1926 w.f.a. W. S. Cox Plate 10F *1927 MVRC

William Reid Stakes The William Reid Stakes is a horse race of Moonee Valley Racing Club Group 1 thoroughbred racing at Weight for Age, for three year olds and older, run over a distance of 1200 metres at Moonee Valley Racecourse, Melbourne, Australia in the autumn. T ...

6F *1927 Wmtn RC

C F Orr Stakes The C F Orr Stakes is a Melbourne Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race at Weight for Age, run over a distance of 1400 metres at Caulfield Racecourse, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia in February. Total prize money is A$750,000. Histo ...

8F *1927 VATC

St George Stakes The Peter Young Stakes, registered as the St George Stakes, is a Melbourne Racing Club Group 2 Thoroughbred horse race held under weight for age conditions over a distance of 1800 metres at Caulfield racecourse, Melbourne, Australia in late Febru ...

9F He was then unplaced in the VRC Newmarket Handicap before he finished second to Spearfelt in the VRC Governors Plate. At his next start he won the VRC King's Plate. Taken to Sydney he failed to place in his next four starts and was retired.

Stud record

Heroic was leased from Kellow by H.S. Thompson and stood at his Tarwyn Park Stud at

Bylong, New South Wales Bylong is a village in New South Wales, Australia, in the Mid-Western Regional Council. It is located on the Bylong Valley Way. The area is home to numerous horse studs. The champion racehorse and sire Heroic was born in the area. Bylong hosts ...

. He was no less dominating as a sire, leading the Australian sire list continuously from the 1932/1933 season through the 1938/1939 season. During his seasons at stud he sired 29 stakes-winners that had 110 stakes-wins between them earning £293,849 in Australia and New Zealand, including: *

Ajax II Ajax was a champion Australian bred Thoroughbred racehorse and sire, who won 18 consecutive races before he was defeated at the odds of 40/1 on, causing a huge racing sensation. He had wins from 5 furlongs (1,000 metres) to 1½ m ...

(31 stakes-wins, including 18 consecutive race wins) *Cereza (AJC Adrian Knox Stakes, AJC CW Cropper Plate (twice), VRC Standish Handicap) *D'Artagnan (WATC CB Cox Stakes, WATC Sires' Produce Stakes etc.) *Gallantic (NZ ) (VRC Oaks Stakes, AJC Adrian Knox Stakes) *

Hall Mark A hallmark is an official mark or series of marks struck on items made of metal, mostly to certify the content of noble metals—such as platinum, gold, silver and in some nations, palladium. In a more general sense, the term ''hallmark'' can als ...

(15 stakes-wins including

) *Hua (VRC Victoria Derby, VRC Sires' Produce Stakes,

, VRC St Leger Stakes,

etc.) *Heroic Prince (VRC Essendon Stakes, VRC

Australian Cup The Australian Cup is a Victoria Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for horses three years old and older, held under Weight for Age conditions, over a distance of 2000 metres, at Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne, Australia in March du ...

) *Heroic's Double (

Stradbroke Handicap The Stradbroke Handicap is a Brisbane Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred open handicap horse race, run over a distance of 1,400 metres at Eagle Farm Racecourse, Brisbane in June during the Queensland Winter Racing Carnival. It is one of the highligh ...

) *Herolage (QLD Tattersall's Cup,

Brisbane Cup The Brisbane Cup is a Brisbane Racing Club Group 2 The term Group 2 may refer to: * Alkaline earth metal, a chemical element classification * Astronaut Group 2, also known as The New Nine, the second group of astronauts selected by NASA in 1962 ...

) *Heros (AUS) (

(twice), VATC Futurity Stakes) *Nuffield (VRC Sires' Produce Stakes,

, AJC Sires' Produce Stakes, VRC Victoria Derby, AJC Derby,

*The Marne (Canterbury Stakes, AJC Challenge Stakes, NSW Tramway, AJC The Shorts) *Valiant Chief (VRC C.M. Lloyd Stakes, Moonee Valley Stakes, Linlithgow Stakes, VATC Memsie Stakes) Heroic died on 12 December 1939 at age seventeen and was buried at Growee Gulf Station, near

Rylstone, New South Wales Rylstone is a small town in New South Wales, Australia, in the Central Tablelands region within the Mid-Western Regional Council local government area. It is located on the Bylong Valley Way road route. At the , Rylstone had a population of 9 ...

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Pedigree

References

{{reflist
Australian Racing Hall of Fame
1921 racehorse births 1939 racehorse deaths Thoroughbred family 1-n Racehorses bred in Australia Racehorses trained in Australia Australian Racing Hall of Fame horses Cox Plate winners Champion Thoroughbred Sires of Australia