Hellenic (25 April 1987 – 15 July 2011) was an Irish-bred, British-trained

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

broodmare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four ...

bred by the

Ballymacoll Stud Ballymacoll Stud is a Thoroughbred stud farm of 300 acres in County Meath, Ireland. It is located in the townland of Ballymacoll, approximately two miles from the village of Dunboyne and four miles (6 km) from the town of Maynooth. Under th ...

. After finishing unplaced in her only start as a juvenile, she improved to become a top-class stayer in the summer and autumn of 1990. She won both the

Ribblesdale Stakes The Ribblesdale Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 211 yards (2,406 metres), and it i ...

and the

Yorkshire Oaks The Yorkshire Oaks is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at York over a distance of 1 mile 3 ...

before finishing second when favourite for the

St Leger The St Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over a ...

and being the first filly home in 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 ...

. She later became an outstanding broodmare, producing

Islington Islington () is a district in the north of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the ar ...

, and several other major winners. She was retired from breeding in 2010 and died a year later.

Background

Hellenic was a bay mare with no white markings bred in

County Meath County Meath (; gle, Contae na Mí or simply ) is a county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. It is bordered by Dublin to the southeast, Louth to the northeast, Kildare to the south, Offaly to the sou ...

by the

. She was sired by

Darshaan Darshaan (18 April 1981 – 21 May 2001) was a British-bred, French-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and a Champion sire and broodmare sire. Background Darshaan was a brown horse bred by his owner Aga Khan IV. He was sired by the British stallion ...

who won the

Prix du Jockey Club The Prix du Jockey Club, sometimes referred to as the French Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Chantilly over a ...

for the

Aga Khan Aga Khan ( fa, آقاخان, ar, آغا خان; also transliterated as ''Aqa Khan'' and ''Agha Khan'') is a title held by the Imām of the Nizari Ismāʿīli Shias. Since 1957, the holder of the title has been the 49th Imām, Prince Shah Karim ...

in 1984 before becoming a successful breeding stallion. The best of his other offspring included

Dalakhani Dalakhani (16 February 2000 – 15 January 2021) was an Irish thoroughbred race horse owned and bred by Aga Khan IV and trained by Alain de Royer-Dupré. He was sired by Darshaan covering Daltawa (Miswaki) and was therefore half-brother to Dayla ...

, Mark of Esteem and Kotashaan. Hellenic's dam Grecian Sea won one minor race and produced several other winners. She was descended from Knighton House, a full-sister to

Reform Reform ( lat, reformo) means the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The use of the word in this way emerges in the late 18th century and is believed to originate from Christopher Wyvill#The Yorkshire Associati ...

and a distant relative of

North Light North Light (foaled March 1, 2001) is a retired Thoroughbred racehorse, and active sire, bred in Ireland but trained in the United Kingdom. He is best known as the winner of The Derby in 2004. He currently stands at the Adena Springs Stud ...

and

Golan Golan ( he, גּוֹלָן ''Gōlān''; ar, جولان ' or ') is the name of a biblical town later known from the works of Josephus (first century CE) and Eusebius (''Onomasticon'', early 4th century CE). Archaeologists localize the biblical ...

. During her racing career the filly was trained at Freemason Lodge in

Newmarket, Suffolk Newmarket is a market town and civil parish in the West Suffolk district of Suffolk, England. Located (14 miles) west of Bury St Edmunds and (14 miles) northeast of Cambridge. It is considered the birthplace and global centre of thoroughbred hor ...

by Michael Stoute and ran in the colours of Ballymacoll's part-owner Arnold Weinstock. She was ridden in all but one of her races by

Walter Swinburn Walter Robert John Swinburn (7 August 1961 – 12 December 2016) was a flat racing jockey and trainer who competed in Great Britain and internationally. Biography Swinburn was born in Oxford. He was the son of Wally Swinburn, who won ...

Racing career

1989: two-year-old season

Hellenic made her only appearance as a two-year-old on 7 November 1989 when she ran in a

maiden race In horse racing a maiden race is an event for horses that have not won a race. Horses that have not won a race are referred to as maidens. Maiden horse races are held over a variety of distances and under conditions with eligibility based on the se ...

over one mile at

Leicester Racecourse Leicester Racecourse is a horse racing course in Oadby, Leicestershire, about three miles south of the city centre. History of horse racing in Leicester The earliest evidence suggests that racing took place at Abbey Meadow, Leicester on 23 Mar ...

. She started at odds of 11/4 and finished fourth of the seventeen runners behind Lover's Moon, Sanglamore and Visage.

1990: three-year-old season

Hellenic began her second season in the Middleton Stakes at

York Racecourse York Racecourse is a horse racing venue in York, North Yorkshire, England. It is the third biggest racecourse in Britain in terms of total prize money offered, and second behind Ascot Racecourse, Ascot in prize money offered per meeting. It att ...

on 16 May. The race is now a Group Two race for older fillies and mares but was then a Graduation race, restricted to three-year-old fillies with no more than one previous win. Starting favourite in a seven-runner field she took the lead approaching the last quarter mile and won by two lengths from the outsider Ballet Classique. On her next appearance, Hellenic was sent to

Royal Ascot Ascot Racecourse ("ascot" pronounced , often pronounced ) is a dual-purpose British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. It hosts 13 of Britain's 36 annual Flat Group 1 horse races and ...

and moved up in class and distance for the Group Two Ribblesdale Stakes over one and a half miles and started the 6/1 third favourite behind Line of Thunder, a filly who had not run since being narrowly beaten in the 1989

Cheveley Park Stakes The Cheveley Park Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it i ...

and Pharian (winner of the Cheshire Oaks). Hellenic turned into the straight in fourth place, took the lead approaching the final furlong and drew away to win by six lengths from Ivrea, with gaps of seven and five lengths back to Gharam and Spode's Blue in third and fourth. In the Group One Yorkshire Oaks on 22 August, Hellenic started 100/30 second favourite behind her stablemate Kartajana, the winner of the

Nassau Stakes The Nassau Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 1 mile, 1 furlong ...

. Swinburn opted to ride Kartajana whilst the veteran Scottish jockey

Willie Carson William Fisher Hunter Carson, OBE (born 16 November 1942) is a retired jockey in thoroughbred horse racing. Life and career Best known as "Willie", Carson was born in Stirling, Scotland in 1942. He was apprenticed ...

took the mount on Hellenic. The other four runners were Wajd (

Prix Minerve The Prix Minerve is a Group 3 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Deauville over a distance of 2,500 metres (about 1 mile and 4½ furlongs), and it is scheduled to t ...

), Game Plan ( Pretty Polly Stakes, runner-up in The Oaks), Cruising Height (runner-up in the

Lancashire Oaks The Lancashire Oaks is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Haydock Park over a distance of 1 mile, 3 furlongs and 175 yards (2 ...

) and Ruby Tiger (later to win the E. P. Taylor Stakes). Hellenic was towards the rear of the field in the early stages as Cruising Height set the pace from Kartajana and began to come under pressure at half way. Kartajana took the lead approaching the last quarter mile but Hellenic, switched to the outside by Carson, began to make progress before overtaking her stable companion inside the final furlong and winning by one and a half lengths. On 15 September at

Doncaster Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...

, Hellenic was the only filly in an eight-runner field for the St Leger and started the 2/1 favourite ahead of the colts River God (

Queen's Vase The Queen's Vase is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old horses. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 6 furlongs and 34 yards (2,847 metres), and it is schedul ...

) and

Snurge Snurge (12 March 1987 – November 2006), was an Irish-bred British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career which lasted from September 1989 until September 1994, he ran thirty-four times and won seven races. He recorded his most im ...

. Hellenic took the lead in the straight but was overtaken by Snurge two furlongs out. The pair drew away from their rivals in the closing stages with the colt prevailing by three quarters of a length. Three weeks later, Hellenic was sent to France to contest Europe's most prestigious

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 ...

race, the

over 2400 metres at

Longchamp Racecourse The Longchamp Racecourse (french: Hippodrome de Longchamp) is a 57 hectare horse-racing facility located on the Route des Tribunes at the Bois de Boulogne in Paris, France. It is used for flat racing and is noted for its variety of interlaced tr ...

. She finished eighth of the twenty-one runners, seven lengths behind the winner Saumarez, and achieved the best placing of the three-year-old fillies, ahead of In the Groove and Salsabil.

Breeding record

Hellenic was retired from racing for become a broodmare for the Ballymacoll Stud. She was a great success in the breeding paddocks, producing at least nine winners from fourteen foals including the Group One winners

, Greek Dance and Mountain High: *Election Day, a bay colt, foaled in 1992, sired by

Sadler's Wells Sadler's Wells Theatre is a performing arts venue in Clerkenwell, London, England located on Rosebery Avenue next to New River Head. The present-day theatre is the sixth on the site since 1683. It consists of two performance spaces: a 1,500-sea ...

. Won two races including the Listed

Aston Park Stakes The Aston Park Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Newbury over a distance of 1 mile and 4 furlongs (). Up until 2014 it was ...

and finished third in the Ascot Gold Cup. *Desert Beauty, bay filly, 1994, by

Green Desert ''Green Desert'' is the twenty-seventh major release and the fifteenth studio album by Electronic music, electronic artists Tangerine Dream. The music was recorded in Berlin in 1973, during a period when Peter Baumann had temporarily left Germany ...

. Won two races. *Greek Dance, bay colt, 1995, by Sadler's Wells. Won four races including the Bayerisches Zuchtrennen. *Greek Academy, bay colt, 1996, by

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...

. Unraced. *Welsh Star, chestnut colt, 1997, by

Caerleon Caerleon (; cy, Caerllion) is a town and community in Newport, Wales. Situated on the River Usk, it lies northeast of Newport city centre, and southeast of Cwmbran. Caerleon is of archaeological importance, being the site of a notable Roman ...

. Unraced. *

, bay filly, 1999, by Sadler's Wells. Won six races including the

Nassau Stakes The Nassau Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 1 mile, 1 furlong ...

Yorkshire Oaks The Yorkshire Oaks is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at York over a distance of 1 mile 3 ...

and

Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf The Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race on turf for fillies and mares, three years old and up. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States as part of the Breeders' Cup World Champion ...

*Olympienne, bay filly, 2000, by Sadler's Wells. Unraced. *New Morning, bay filly, 2001, by Sadler's Wells. Won three races including

Brigadier Gerard Stakes The Brigadier Gerard Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Sandown Park over a distance of 1 mile 1 furlong and 209 yards (), and i ...

. *Mountain High, bay colt, 2002, by Danehill. Won four races including the

Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud The Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Saint-Cloud over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), and it is ...

. *Greek Well, bay colt (later gelded), 2003, by Sadler's Wells. Won three races. *Praxiteles, bay colt (later gelded), 2004, by Sadler's Wells. Won six races. *Thespis of Icaria, bay colt, 2006, by Sadler's Wells. Won two races. *La Divina, bay filly, 2007, by Sadler's Wells. Unplaced in only start. *Just Look Don'tTouch, filly, 2008, by

Galileo Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de' Galilei (15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642) was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer, sometimes described as a polymath. Commonly referred to as Galileo, his name was pronounced (, ). He was ...

. Unraced. She was retired from breeding in 2010 at the age of 23. The Ballymacoll Stud manager Peter Reynolds said "She's in perfect health and looks brilliant. She has only missed one year since she retired, but can't go on forever. She is a wonderful character, very easy to do anything with, a proper lady." She was

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 ...

at Ballymacoll in July 2011. Reynolds commented "she has had trouble with chronic

arthritis Arthritis is a term often used to mean any disorder that affects joints. Symptoms generally include joint pain and stiffness. Other symptoms may include redness, warmth, swelling, and decreased range of motion of the affected joints. In som ...

. It is one thing to be dealing with in July but it would have been a lot harder for her in the winter months and the one thing you don't want to see is a horse suffer, so we did what we felt was the kindest thing for her."

Pedigree

References

{{reflist, 2 1987 racehorse births 2011 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Ireland Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 5-h