Sir Hercules (1826–1855) was an Irish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse, and was later a successful sire.
Pedigree Sir Hercules was by the great sire Whalebone, winner of The Derby, out of Peri (1822) by Wanderer. Peri was bred to Whalebone at the age of three and Sir Hercules, her first foal, was born in 1826 at Petworth Stud. Sir Hercules was a half brother to Langford (by Starch) who was exported as a stallion to America.
Black with white ticking, Sir Hercules was 15 hands 2 inches high, and had a compact build, with identical length "...From the centre of the breast to the hind part of the shoulder, from hind part of shoulder to the hip, and from hip to whirl-bone," with "no more than room for a saddle on his back."
Race record
As a two-year-old: 1828 Undefeated in Ireland where he won one race and a match race.
As a three-year-old: 1829 Sir Hercules was taken to England where he won a Sweepstakes at York on 7 May. In September at Doncaster he finished third to Rowton and Voltaire in the St Leger and won a sweepstakes over one mile three days later.Bloodlines: Sir Hercules Retrieved on 5 September 2009
As a four-year-old: 1830 won the Claret Stakes which appears to have been his only start that season.
As a five-year-old: 1831 He was unplaced in Liverpool's Stand Cup which was his last start.
Stud record
Sir Hercules was purchased by Hercules Landford Rowley, the second Baron Langford of Summerhill in 1831 and was retired to Langford stud at Summer Hill in County Meath, Ireland. Initially he stood for a fee of £10 (). However, few Englishmen wished to breed their mares to him, and the young stallion was moved in 1832 to Rossmore Lodge at the Curragh. Sir Hercules was then sent to England in 1833 with the rest of Rowley's racing stud to be auctioned at Tattersalls. He was sold to America for 750 guineas, but it was decided that it was too late in the season to ship him overseas, and the stallion was resold to H.O. Weatherby.
Weatherby sent him to stand at stud at George Tattersall's stud, Dawley Wall Farm. In 1838, he was sent to East Acton, where he stood for a fee of £30 (). However, Weatherby died and Sir Hercules was sold to Sydney Herbert (later Lord Lea). In 1844, Herbert sent the stallion to Tattersall's Willesden Paddocks, where he was available to public mares. Soon, however, Herbert broke up his stud and sold Sir Hercules to Mr. Phillips of Bushbury Stud, where the stallion eventually died at the age of thirty.
Sir Hercules was influential in siring both flat and steeplechase race horses, including one winner of the Grand National. Both his sons and daughters had a profound impact on the bloodlines of horses in Australia, England, Ireland, the United States, and France.
Notable progeny include: Birdcatcher, his most famous son Coronation: won The Derby Stakes and Ascot Derby Faugh-a-Ballagh, won St. Leger Stakes, Grand Duke Michael Stakes, and Cesarewitch Stakes Gaslight (1850) exported to Australia and produced four stakes-winners for 16 stakes-wins. Gemma di Vergy (1854) won the Fernhill Stakes, the Reading Stakes, the Avon Stakes, the Nursery Handicap, the Whittlebury Stakes and the Racing Stakes, sire of Gemma-di-Vergy (1863) who was exported in utero to Australia where he was a sire. Hyllus, won Goodwood Cup* Paraguay, exported to Australia, dam of Sir Hercules (1843 by Cap-a-Pie, a good sire) and Whalebone (1844, another good sire) Lady Lift (1844), dam of Consul (won FR Two Thousand Guineas and FR Prix du Jockey Club) and Le Marechal (won GB Gimcrack Stakes) The Corsair, won Two Thousand GuineasSir Hercules (GB) 1826 Retrieved 13 March 2010 Venus (1840), dam of Aphrodite (won GB One Thousand Guineas)
Sire line tree
Sir HerculesSire Line: Pot-8-OsJumpers: Darley Arabian Sire LineDarley Arabian Sire Line: Whalebone BranchPortrait: Sir HerculesBiography: Sir Hercules Arthur Birdcatcher Darley Arabian Sire Line: BirdcatcherSire Line: Birdcatcher Jumpers: Darley Arabian Sire Line, Birdcatcher BranchPortrait: BirdcatcherBiography: Birdcatcher Ballinkeele Mickey FreeStudbook: Early M FenianAmerican Classic Pedigree: Fenian Milesian King Fisher The BaronPortrait: The BaronBiography: The Baron Chief Baron Nicholson StockwellDarley Arabian Sire Line: Stockwell BranchSire Line: StockwellPortrait: StockwellBiography: Stockwell St AlbansPortrait: St Albans ThunderboltPortrait: ThunderboltStudbook: Early T Asteroid Ace Of Clubs Citadel The MarquisPortrait: The Marquis Grimston Blair AtholPortrait: Blair AtholStudbook: Early B Bothwell Breadalbane Broomielaw Caterer Knowsley Lord Ronald The Duke Lord LyonPortrait: Lord Lyon Monarch Of The Glen SavernakePortrait: Savernake Historian Uncas Rustic Countryman Belladrum Doncaster Darley Arabian Sire Line: Doncaster BranchPortrait: DoncasterBiography: Doncaster Gang Forward RataplanPortrait: RataplanBiography & sire line: Rataplan Knutsford KettledrumOld Burnley: What happened to Kettledrum the racehorse after famous Epsom win? Rapparee The Miner Elland Blinkhoolie The Drummer Dalnacardoch Drummond Ben Battle Austerlitz Remunerateur Isolier Fort-a-Bras Tonnerre des IndesHorse Catalogue: Tonnerere des Indes Zouave Glaieul Tiralleur Avant Garde Enfant de Troupe Costa Baronella Bryan O'Linn Caurouch ChanticleerPortrait: ChanticleerBiography: Chanticleer Vengeance Cock Robin Marquis Blood Royal Rory O'More Augur Daniel O'RourkePortrait: Daniel O'RourkeBiography: Daniel O'Rourke Sledmere Daniel O'Rourke Dalby Ladykirk Haricot Womersley Amati Black Tommy Condrington General Willams Holderness St GilesPortrait: St Giles Giles The First Wild Huntsman Marignon Le Petit Caporal Provacateur Lord Fauconberg Royal Oak Day Rama Bandy Gamekeeper Grey Plover Sir Robert Peel Golden Plover Knight Of St GeorgePortrait: Knight Of St GeorgeBiography: Knight Of St George Dan O'Connell The Liberator Knight Of St Patrick Moslem Melbourne Jr Bazil Incommode Malvern Knighthood Papageno Master George WarlockBiography: Warlock Vaucresson War Tynedale Border Minstrel Riversdale SauntererBiography: Saunterer Digby Grand Tartar Saunterer Regal Red Eagle OxfordPortrait: OxfordStudbook: Early NO The Student Oxonian Blenheim SterlingSire Line: SterlingPortrait: SterlingStudbook: Early S IsonomyPortrait: Isonomy Sterlingworth Beaudesert Discount Fernandez Geologist Play Actor EnergyPortrait: Energy Keir The Golden Farmer HarvesterPortrait: Harvester Esterling Metal ParadoxPortrait: Paradox Atheling Doubloon Silver Stalwart Cherry Ripe Enterprise Top Gallant Loyalist Enthusiast Gold Endurance Paderewski Encounter Kingsley Wilberforce Nuneham Playfair Chandos Standard Hambledon The Hydra Chief Justice Mark Tapely Hyllus The Corsair Coronation Robert de Gorham Sir Colin Newcourt Cotswold Faugh-a-BallaghPortrait: Faugh-a-BallaghBiography: Faugh-a-Ballagh Goldfinder Le Juif Ethelwolf Father Thames Lucio Morning Star Ethelbert Big Ben King Of Kent Pagnini Adalbert Barrel Fearless Knight Of The Garter LeamingtonPortrait: LeamingtonStudbook: Early LAmerican Classic Pedigree: Leamington EnquirerPortrait: EnquirerAmerican Classic Pedigree: Enquirer FalsettoAmerican Classic Pedigree: Falsetto Emperor Inspector BAmerican Classic Pedigree: Inspector B LongfellowPortrait: LongfellowHall of Fame: LongfellowAmerican Classic Pedigree: LongfellowSmithsonian: LongfellowHistoric Horse Racing: Longfellow and Ten Broeck: The Pride of Old KentuckyAn Old Kentucky Legacy: The Mighty Longfellow and Ten Broeck Leonard Longtaw Passaic Freeland LeonatusAmerican Classic Pedigree: Leonatus The Bard Long Dance Longstreet RileyAmerican Classic Pedigree: Riley Wadsworth Lynchburg Lyttleton Eolus Eole Knight of EllersliePortrait: Knight of Ellerslie St SaviourThe Shohola Accident Morello Reform Azra AristidesPortrait: AristidesHall of Fame: AristidesAmerican Classic Pedigree: AristidesAristides: The original Kentucky Derby Hero Hyder AliPortrait: Hyder Ali SpokaneAmerican Classic Pedigree: Spokane1889 Kentucky Derby Winner Spokane was bred in Macoupin County James A Rhadamanthus ParolePortrait: ParoleHall of Fame: Parole Stratford Foxford HaroldPortrait: Harold SensationPortrait: Sensation Refund Jean Beraud Donnie Democrat IroquoisPortrait #1: IroquoisPortrait #2: IroquoisAmerican Classic Pedigree: Iroquois Cayuga Huron TammanyTammany: A Racehorse Worthy of His Own Castle G W Johnson Saunterer Onandaga Powhattan Burlington The Brewer Master Bagot Lottery The Hadji Terror Ben Brace Blackthorn Knight Of The Blaze Garibaldi Pretendant L'Africain Armagnac Jarnicoton Discount Hagley Hartneitstein Hotspur Landgrave Knight Of The Shire Gemma di Vergy Lucifer Don Juan Rococo Old Buck GrudonImage: Grudon Gunboat Torpedo Lifeboat The Mariner Jolly Tar Jack Tar Cabin Boy Sir Hercules
References
External links Thoroughbred Heritage – Sir Hercules https://web.archive.org/web/20120928205541/http://www.localhistory.scit.wlv.ac.uk/articles/bushbury/families/phillips.htm