Sea Hero (foaled March 4, 1990 – July 12, 2019) was an
American-bred 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 ...
racehorse best known for winning the 1993
Kentucky Derby and
Travers Stakes
The Travers Stakes is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. It is nicknamed the "Mid-Summer Derby" and is the third-ranked race for American three-year-olds acco ...
. Beginning in 2011, Sea Hero was the oldest living winner of the Kentucky Derby until his death in 2019.
Background
Sea Hero was bred in Virginia by
Paul Mellon and raced for Mellon's
Rokeby Stables
Rokeby Stables was an American thoroughbred racehorse breeding farm in Upperville, Virginia, involved with both steeplechase and flat racing. The operation was established in the late 1940s by Paul Mellon (1907–1999) who won the Eclipse Award ...
. Sea Hero was by Polish Navy, who was a good racehorse but otherwise a disappointment as a sire. Sea Hero's dam was Glowing Tribute, who descended from one of the most distinguished thoroughbred families in North America – that of
La Troienne
La Troienne (1926–1954) was one of the most famous and influential Thoroughbred broodmares in twentieth century America. She produced 10 winners including two Hall of Fame inductees while at stud, while her daughters in turn produced many nota ...
. Glowing Tribute was named
Kentucky Broodmare of the Year in 1993 after she had produced not only Sea Hero but
graded stakes winners
Hero's Honor, Wild Applause and Glowing Honor.
In 1992, Mellon, then aged 84, started dispersing most of his stock but kept Sea Hero, who was in training with
MacKenzie Miller
MacKenzie "Mack" Todd Miller (October 16, 1921 – December 10, 2010) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer and owner/breeder. During his forty-six-year career, he conditioned seventy-two stakes winners, including four Eclipse Award cha ...
.
Sea Hero was considered somewhat temperamental and had a habit of getting his tongue over the bit, forcing Miller to experiment with different equipment.
Racing career
Sea Hero made his racing debut on July 13, 1992 in a maiden special weight race at Belmont Park, in which he finished fourth. He did not win his first race until September 7 in what was his fourth start, racing over 1 mile on the turf. He next won an allowance race on the turf then switched to dirt to win the Grade I
Champagne Stakes. He finished the year with a seventh-place finish in the
Breeders' Cup Juvenile
The Breeders' Cup Juvenile is a Thoroughbred horse race for 2-year-old colts and geldings raced on dirt. It is held annually in late October or early November at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup W ...
.
At the start of his three-year-old campaign, Sea Hero was winless in his first three starts.
His best result was a fourth-place finish in the
Blue Grass Stakes
The Blue Grass Stakes, currently the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes due to sponsorship by the Toyota Motor Corporation, is a horse race for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds held annually in April at Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington, Kentucky. The race is ru ...
to
Prairie Bayou, who then became the lukewarm favorite for the Kentucky Derby. Sea Hero entered the Derby as a 13-1 longshot and pulled off the upset by lengths over Prairie Bayou. It marked the first Derby win for
jockey Jerry Bailey
Jerry D. Bailey (born August 29, 1957 in Dallas, Texas) is an NBC Sports thoroughbred racing analyst and a retired American Hall of Fame jockey.
Early years
Bailey was born in Dallas but raised in El Paso. He had a pony as a child and became ...
and for 71-year-old trainer Miller. It was also the first Derby win for Mellon, who became the only person to ever win the Kentucky Derby,
The Derby, and the
Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris, France, over a distance ...
, having captured the latter two with
Mill Reef
Mill may refer to:
Science and technology
*
* Mill (grinding)
* Milling (machining)
* Millwork
* Textile mill
* Steel mill, a factory for the manufacture of steel
* List of types of mill
* Mill, the arithmetic unit of the Analytical Engine ear ...
in 1971.
Following his Derby win, Sea Hero finished fifth in the
Preakness Preakness may refer to:
* The Preakness or Preakness Stakes, an American flat thoroughbred horse race held in Baltimore, Maryland
* Preakness (horse), an American thoroughbred racehorse from Preakness Stables
* Preakness, New Jersey, a section of W ...
and seventh in the
Belmont but still earned a $1 million bonus for leading the
Triple Crown points standings after Prairie Bayou's breakdown in the Belmont. He then finished fourth in the
Jim Dandy Stakes
The Jim Dandy Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race. The Grade II race has been held annually since 1964 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. The race is open to horses age three over one and one-eighth miles on the dirt. ...
, thus entering the Travers with a three-race losing streak.
In the $1 million
Travers Stakes
The Travers Stakes is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. It is nicknamed the "Mid-Summer Derby" and is the third-ranked race for American three-year-olds acco ...
, Sea Hero displayed an "uncanny sense of timing" by reverting to his form in the Kentucky Derby. He tracked behind the early pace, then angled wide to get running room. In the stretch, he sprinted to the lead for a two-length win over Kissin Kris, with Belmont Stakes winner
Colonial Affair
Colonial Affair (April 19, 1990 – April 23, 2013) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. He was best known for winning the Belmont Stakes in 1993.
Background
He was sired by 1981 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner Pleasant Colony, out ...
in fourth. Sea Hero became the first Derby winner to also win the Travers since
Shut Out Shut Out may refer to:
* Shutout, a game in which one team prevents the opposing team from scoring
* ''Shut Out'' (album), a 1977 album by Paul Jabara
* "Shut Out" (song), a 1977 song by Paul Jabara and Donna Summer
* "Shutout", a song by The Walk ...
in 1942. It was the fifth Travers win for Rokeby Stable.
Sea Hero then shipped to
Woodbine racetrack
Woodbine Racetrack is a race track for Thoroughbred horse racing in the Etobicoke area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Owned by Woodbine Entertainment Group, Woodbine Racetrack manages and hosts Canada's most famous race, the King's Plate. The tra ...
for the
Molson Export Million, where he finished third to
Canadian Triple Crown winner
Peteski
{{Infobox racehorse
, horsename = Peteski
, image =
, caption =
, sire = Affirmed
, grandsire = Exclusive Native
, dam = Vive
, damsire = Nureyev
, sex = Stallion
, foaled = 1990
, country = Canada
, colour = Chestnut
, breeder = ...
. He finished second in the Eclipse Award balloting for Champion three-year-old to Prairie Bayou, who had been more consistent in his brief career.
At age four, Sea Hero had one win from eight starts, plus a second-place finish in the
Bowling Green Handicap
The Bowling Green Stakes is a Grade II American thoroughbred horse race for horses age four years old and older over a distance of miles on the turf held annually in late July at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York.
History
The i ...
on the turf.
Race statistics
Retirement and Stud Career
Sea Hero was retired to
stud
Stud may refer to the following terms:
Animals
* Stud (animal), an animal retained for breeding
** Stud farm, a property where livestock are bred
Arts and entertainment
* Stud (band), a British progressive rock group
* The Stud (bar), a gay ba ...
at
Lane's End Farm in 1995 but was considered a disappointment. Sea Hero did not sire a stakes winner until his second-crop became of racing age.
In 1999, he was sold to Karacabey Pension Stud in
Izmit,
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
where he had better results, becoming the seventh all-time leading sire in Turkey by progeny earnings. He was a top 10 stallion for many years, ranking as high as #3 in 2007. He is the sire of fifteen stakes winners and has also proved a successful broodmare sire.
Sea Hero was pensioned from stud duty in 2015.
According to statistics from the Jockey Club of Turkey, Sea Hero's progeny won 730 races and placed another 1,653 times in that country, amassing total earnings of 32,890,013 lira ($5,750,160). His lifetime progeny earnings worldwide total $19,165,928. Sea Hero sired 15 black-type winners and 23 black-type-placed runners, including two champions – one in Turkey and one in the Dominican Republic.
Top Progeny
United States
* Cindy's Hero - Won
Del Mar Debutante Stakes (G1)
* Hero's Tribute - Won
Gulfstream Park Handicap
The Gulfstream Park Mile Stakes (formerly known as the Gulfstream Park Handicap) is a race for thoroughbred horses run at Gulfstream Park each year. The race is open to horses age four and up, willing to race one mile on the dirt. A Grade II even ...
,
Peter Pan Stakes
The Peter Pan Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds over a distance of miles (nine furlongs) run annually during the second week of May at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York.
History
The race is run in honor o ...
* Desert Hero - Won
San Rafael Stakes
The San Rafael Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race run at Santa Anita Park, located in Arcadia, California. The race was a Grade III event with a purse of $150,000 and was open to three-year-olds willing to race one mile (8 furlongs) ...
* Hero's Pleasure - Won
Manitoba Derby
Turkey
* Confidence - Won Caldiran Stakes (TURK - G1)
* Aeneas - Won Buyuk Taaruz Stakes (TUR - G2)
* Big Trouble - Won Uzunyayla Stakes (TUR - G3), F.L. Karaosmanoðlu (TUR - G3)
* Akdeniz Atesi - Won Büyük Taarruz Stakes (TUR - G3), Sait Akson (TUR - G3); finished second in 2010
Gazi Derby
Honors
A bronze statue of Sea Hero stands in the paddock at
Saratoga Race Course
Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track located on Union Avenue in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. Opened in 1863, it is often considered to be the oldest major sporting venue of any kind in the country, but is actu ...
in
Saratoga Springs, New York
Saratoga Springs is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area, which has made Saratoga a popular resort destination for over 2 ...
. In 2015, another statue was installed at the
National Sporting Library & Museum in
Middleburg, Virginia
Middleburg is a town in Loudoun County, Virginia, United States, with a population of 673 as of the 2010 census. It is the southernmost town along Loudoun County's shared border with Fauquier County.
Middleburg is known as the "Nation's Horse ...
. Sea Hero Road in
Frankfort, Kentucky is named for the horse, as is Sea Hero Court in
Napa, California
Napa is the largest city and county seat of Napa County and a principal city of Wine Country in Northern California. Located in the North Bay region of the Bay Area, the city had a population of 77,480 as of the end of 2021. Napa is a major t ...
.
Sea Hero Place in Austin Texas is also named for the Kentucky Derby Winner.
Death
Sea Hero died in July 2019 in Turkey at the age of 29, where he had lived since 1999. His death was attributed to infirmities of old age.
At the time of his death, he had held the title of oldest living Kentucky Derby winner for 8 years.
Pedigree
Sea Hero is
inbred
Inbreeding is the production of offspring from the mating or breeding of individuals or organisms that are closely related genetically. By analogy, the term is used in human reproduction, but more commonly refers to the genetic disorders and o ...
4 × 4 to
War Admiral
War Admiral (May 2, 1934 – October 30, 1959) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who is the fourth winner of the American Triple Crown. He was also the 1937 Horse of the Year and well known as the rival of Seabiscuit in the 'Match ...
, meaning War Admiral appears twice in the fourth generation of Sea Hero's pedigree. He is also inbred 5 × 5 to
La Troienne
La Troienne (1926–1954) was one of the most famous and influential Thoroughbred broodmares in twentieth century America. She produced 10 winners including two Hall of Fame inductees while at stud, while her daughters in turn produced many nota ...
through her daughters Businesslike and Big Hurry.
References
Sea Hero photo at Thoroughbred Memories Gallery of ChampionsSea Hero's pedigree and stats
{{Kentucky Derby Winners
1990 racehorse births
2019 racehorse deaths
Racehorses bred in Virginia
Racehorses trained in the United States
Kentucky Derby winners
Horse monuments
Thoroughbred family 1-x