Sir Hercules

1918

14 September 1918

HISTORY OF SIR HERCULES.

Mr. William Lee forwards from Sydney some interesting particulars of Sir Hercules, the sire of Yattendon. In response to an inquiry, Mr. Lee wrote that he did not believe a portrait of Sir Hercules was in existence. The horse, he added, was not thought such a great deal of until after his death, when his greatness as a sire was realised. Mr. Lee's statement is as follows:-
Sir Hercules, a bay or brown horse, was bred by the late Mr. Charles Smith at Clifton, on the Hawkesbury, in the early forties. He was got by Cap-a-pie (imp.) from Paraguay (imp.). Both sire and dam were imported by Mr. Kater. After Mr. Smith's death, all his blood stock went up for sale, when Sir Hercules was bought by Mr. Icely, of Coombing Park, Carcoar. It is" said, that Mr. Icely had Sir Hercules put into training; but the horse not showing any pace, was retired to the stud. Mr. Icely brought out with him from England Manto - said to be the first thoroughbred mare imported to Australia. She had a daughter called Cornelia, who in turn had a daughter by Rous Emigrant (imp.), called Flora McIvor. From the latter Sir Hercules got Cossack and Zoe, two of the greatest racehorses of their day.
In 1852, Mr. Icely sold Sir Hercules, Flora McIvor, and others to Mr. Redwood, of New Zealand and the horses were shipped there in that year. Somewhere about 1858, the same horses, with others, bred by Mr. Redwood - I.O, amongst them - were shipped back to Sydney for sale. I.O., by Sir Hercules from Flora Mclvor, went to Tocal and from her descended Trenton, Sir Hercules was bought by Mr. Tindale, of Ramornie, Clarence River. "Jorrocks" states that Sir Hercules was blind while there; but he was not blind at Bathurst.) While at Ramornie, Sir Hercules sired the great Yattendon from Cassandra, who was by Tros from Alice Grey, full sister to Zohrab, lately discussed.
Mr. John Lee, of Bylong, bought Sir Hercules from Mr. Tindale, and the horse was led to Bylong from Sydney by Mr. George Lee. Sir Hercules' first stud season was 1861, not 1859. Mr. John Lee then sold him to Mr. Tom Tindale, a neighbour at Bylong, after only using him for one season. Strange to say, in that season, Sappho was sired, as was also Gulnare; both raced by Mr. Edward Lee. Mr. Tindale stood Sir Hercules near Bathurst, and there The Barb was sired. My father leased Sir Hercules for a season, after which Mr. Tindale took him back to Bylong Valley, where he served till his death, on December 14, 1864. No foals were registered after 1866, one of the last being The Fop, full brother to Coquette, the dam of Progress, who was a year older. While in Mr. Tom Tindale's possession, Barbelle and Barbarian were also sired, as well as The Barb; but the two formed at Bylong and the last-named at Bathurst. The remarkable thing is that, in spite of horses got by Sir Hercules performing so well, no one owner stuck to him. If Sir Hercules had got Yattendon, and no other horse of note, he would have been entitled to everlasting fame as a sire.
How much more would his memory be held in respect when we can add Cossack, Euroka, and Zoe, I.O. (ancestress of Trenton, Sappho, The Barb, Barbelle, Barbarian, and Coquette, the dam of Progress1 .

1938

10 December 1938

The SPORTSMAN'S SCRAPBOOK
Famous Old Sires: Sir Hercules

IN the last century Australia has been blessed with many notable sires, but few have ranked above Sir Hercules, who was the outstanding sire of the sixties. His success was remarkable in every way, and that he possessed exceptional qualities was proved by the fact that his male line carried on for several generations, which is unusual in this country. Sir Hercules sired Yattendon, who was a great sire, and Yattendon left behind him Chester and Grand Flaneur to carry on the male line of Sir Hercules. Chester was the sire of Carlyon, who did wonderfully well at the stud in South Australia, where he did much toward establishing the reputation of the Richmond Park Stud, of which he was the foundation sire. Active, a son of Carlyon, was used as a sire by Mr. G. G. Auchterlonie at Narracan in Gippsland for a number of years, and he sired a few useful horses. When Active died the male line of Sir Hercules seems to have faded out.

Sir Hercules was bred at Clifton on the Hawkesbury in New South Wales by Mr. Charles Smith, but there appears to be a doubt about the year he was foaled. The first volume of the Australian Stud Book shows that his dam, the imported mare Paraguay, had only two foals, Sir Hercules, by Cap-a-pie and Whalebone, by Speculation, but the year of their foaling is not given. I find I have made an entry in the book beside the name of Sir Hercules giving his foaling year as 1843. Where I got the year I have no recollection, but probably dropped across it during a search through old records.

Shortly after breeding Sir Hercules, Mr. Charles Smith died, and his stud was dispersed. Mr. Thomas Icely, of Coombing Park, near Carcoar, purchased Sir Hercules. There is no record of Sir Hercules having raced. It is said that Mr. Icely put him into training, but as the horse showed no promise, he was not persevered with, and retired to the stud at Coombing Park. There he remained until 1832, when Mr. Icely, who apparently did not set a very high value upon Sir Hercules, sold him with several mares, including Flora McIvor. to the New Zealander, Mr. Henry Red wood, who is said to have paid only 25 guineas for Sir Hercules. The horse remained in the Nelson district in New Zealand until about 1851, when he was sent back to New South Wales. When he learned that Sir Hercules had returned to Sydney, and was for sale, Mr. George Lee rode from Bathurst with the intention of buying him. When he arrived in Sydney he learned that Sir Hercules had in the meantime been purchased by Mr. Tindal and taken to Ramornie. There Sir Hercules remained for some time, and during his stay there he sired Yattendon, the first winner of the Sydney Cup. The year after he sired Yattendon Sir Hercules was purchased from Mr. Tindal by Mr. John Lee, and he was led by Mr. George Lee from Ramomie to Bylong, which was no light undertaking, as Ramornie was in the northern part of New South Wales, and not far from the Queensland border.

Sir Hercules served his first season at Bylong in 1861. Mr. Lee did not keep him long, as at the end of his first season Sir Hercules was sold to Mr. Tom Tindale, a neighbour at Bylong, and Mr. Tindale stood him at Bathurst, where he sired The Barb. During the one season Mr. Lee owned Sir Hercules he sired that great brood mare Sappho. Then Mr. Lee leased Sir Hercules for a season, after which Mr. Tindale took him back to the Bylong Valley, where he remained until his death. There is a doubt about the date of his death. Some of the early records give the date of his death as December 14, 1864, but as there were foals by him in 1860, the date was obviously incorrect. According to Mr. William Lee, who probably was the best informed on the subject. Sir Hercules died in January, 1836. It is surprising that there should be so much uncertainty regarding such a conspicuous individual as Sir Hercules.

Sir Hercules was past his prime when he sired his two greatest performers - The Barb and Yattendon. As previously mentioned, Yattendon was sired during his stay at Ramornie, but it was after leaving Ramornie that he begat The Barb, Barbelle, and Barbarian, who were fully related. Barbelle and Barbarian, who figures in many present-day pedigrees in the back lines, were sired while Sir Hercules was in the Bylong Valley, but The Barb was sired during his sojourn in the Bathurst district. The Barb was probably his greatest performer, and he was beyond question a racehorse of superlative merits. "The Black Demon," as he was known, was regarded as the greatest Australian horse by his admirers until the advent of Carbine, and many of them would not admit the superiority of Carbine. His record, however, is such an impressive one that it is worth setting out in full:-

TWO YEARS - Third. A.J.C. Two-year-old Stakes, six furlongs, 7.12; WON, A.J.C. Nursery, six furlongs, 7.12.

THREE YEARS. - WON, A.J.C. Derby, one mile and a half, 8.10; second. A.J.C. Spring Metropolitan Maiden Stakes, one mile and a half, 7.11; WON, A.J.C. Spring Bruie Stakes, one mile, O.E.; WON, Melbourne Cup, two miles, 6.11; second. V.R.C. All-aged Stakes, one mile. 7.5; WON, Champion Stakes, three miles, 7.1; WON, Homebush Maiden Plate, one mile and a half, 8.9; unplaced, A.J.C. St. Leger Stakes, one mile and three-quarters, 8.10.

FOUR YEARS. - WON. V.R.C. Port Phillip Stakes, three miles, 9.0; unplaced, Champion Stakes, three miles, 8.6; WON, Launceston Town Plate, two and a half miles, 8.6; WON. Sydney Cup, two miles, 8.12; unplaced (disqualified), Queen Plate, three miles, 9.7.

FIVE YEARS. - WON, Metropolitan, two miles, 9.10; WON, Craven Plate, one mile and a quarter, 9.5; WON, Randwick Plate, three miles, 9.9; WON, V.R.C. Royal Park Stakes (walkover), two miles, 9.9: WON. V.R.C. Port Phillip Stakes, three miles, 9.9; WON. Sydney Cup, two miles, 10.8; WON, A.J.C. Queen's Plate, three miles. 9.13.

The Barb had several great battles with the Fisherman horse Fishhook, and the honours were with him. The extent to which he overshadowed his contemporaries was reflected in the handicaps for the Melbourne Cup of 1869, when he was allotted 11.7, the heaviest weight ever given a horse in the Melbourne Cup. After a brief period at the stud The Barb was out into training again, but did not regain his old form, and he was finally retired. He was in the Tocal Stud for years, but was only a moderately successful sire. He passed into the possession of Mr. Henry Bowler, and was at Mitta Mitta for a time, but ultimately Mr. Bowler presented him to Mr. J. Waters, who in turn gave him to Mr. Wheeler, of Corryong, who was his owner when The Barb died there at the end of 1888. The Barb was the sire of Melody, the granddam of Wallace, and it was due to his presence in the pedigree that Wallace and any of his descendants have been barred from the English Stud Book, as, according to English rules, The Barb was a half bred, as his ancestress, Cutty Sark, cannot be traced to the General Stud Book, as her pedigree was lost when she was imported to this country.

Yattendon was the other great son of Sir Hercules, and, although he was not such a high-class racehorse, he was much the superior of The Barb as a sire. Yattendon had the distinction of having won the first Sydney Cup, in which he was successful as a four-year old with 8.4 in I860. At the same meeting he won the City Handicap, but Warwick, another son of Sir Hercules, defeated him on the last day in the Forced Handicap. With 9.8 he was second the following spring to Bylong in the Metropolitan. As a five-year-old he won the All-aged Stakes after failing in the Sydney Cup with 9.9. Fish hook defeated him in the Queen's Plate, and the following spring he finished fourth with 9.10 in the Metropolitan. Then he won the Craven Plate and Randwick Plate. It is as a sire, how ever, that he is best known, and what a host of celebrities he sired, among them being Chester, Grand Flaneur, Barbelle, Bylong, The Barts, Rosebud, Dag worth, Ella, Euclid, Javelin, Respite, Reprieve, Sweetmeat, Viva, Buzz, Calma, Roodee, and Sterling.

Barbelle was a good staying mare and won the Sydney Cup, so Sir Hercules claimed three winners of that race. Bylong, The Barb, and Rose bud were winners of the Metropolitan. When one takes into consideration the manner in which Sir Hercules was moved about during his stud career his record is a remarkable one. Here is a brief summary of his stud achievements:-

SIR HERCULES (3).
A bay or brown horse, bred in 1843 by Mr. Charles Smith, by Cap-a-pie (son of The Colonel) from Paraguay (Imp.), by Sir Hercules (son of Whale bone) from Paradigm, by Partisan (son of Walton) from Bizarre, by Peruvian from Violante, by John Bull.

PRINCIPAL WINNERS
MELBOURNE CUP. - The Barb.
METROPOLITAN. - Bylong, The Barb, Rosebud.
SYDNEY CUP. - Yattendon, The Barb, Barbelle.
A.J.C. DERBY. - The Barb.
A.J.C. SIRES' PRODUCE STAKE. - Coquette.
CHAMPION STAKES - Zoe (twice), The Barb.
RANDWICK PLATE. - Warwick, Yattendon, The Barb.

BROOD MARES
SAPPHO. - Kingsborough, Lecturer, Savanaka, Nellie, Spinningdale.
COQUETTE. - Progress. GITANA. - Calumny.
WAIMEA. - Mauka, Papapa. WETSAIL. - Flying Jib.
SILVERHAIR. - Democrat, Despot.

Kingsborough won the A.J.C. Derby. Champagne Stakes, and A.J.C. Sires' Produce Stakes. Lecturer was successful in the Champagne Stakes and A.J.C. Sires' Produce, and the races won by Savanaka included the Australian Cup and Sydney Cup. Nellie won the A.J.C. Derby, Maribyrnong Plate, and A.J.C. Sires' Produce Stakes. Spiningdale was a brilliant two-year-old, at which age she was successful in the Champagne Stakes, A.J.C. Sires' Produce Stakes, December Stakes, and Tattersall's Mares' Produce Stakes. Progress won the Sydney Cup. Manuka, Calumny, and Papapa won the New Zealand Derby, and Democrat was successful in the Metropolitan and Sydney Cup.

For the East
THOSE two fine English stayers Pound Foolish and Cave Man have been sold by their owner, Lord Astor, to the Anglo-Irish Agency Ltd. Pound Foolish is destined for India, and it is probable that Cave Man will also be sent to the East. Cave Man is a three year-old bay colt by unbeaten Mannamead from the Chaucer mare Miss Cavendish, and was a good performer this season. He won the Chester Vase at Chester over a mile and a half from

(Photo) TWO HAPPY MEN. - Mr. Alex. McGoldrick, secretary of the Ballarat Turf Club, and Mr. O. J. Coghlan, president of the club, which held a most successful cup meeting on November 30 and December 1.

a good field, which included Challenge, who, later in the season, ran Scottish Union to a neck in the St. Leger; and another success gained by Cave Man was in the Jersey Stakes at Ascot. His stable companion, Pound Foolish, narrowly defeated him in the Princess of Wales Stakes at Newmarket, while Cave Man finished third in the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown Park, when Pasch defeated that good horse Fair Copy. On that occasion Scottish Union, who had previously finished second in both the Two Thousand Guineas and the Derby, was unplaced. Like Cave Man, Pound Foolish proved himself to be a good stayer, as, besides winning the Princess of Wales Stakes at Newmarket, he won the Great Northern Stakes at York over a mile and a half, and was fourth in both the Derby and the Jockey Club Stakes at Newmarket. Pound Foolish and Cave Man finished almost on terms behind the placegetters in the Derby, Pound Foolish just being in front of the son of Mannamead when they passed the post. Bred by Lord Astor, Pound Foolish is a bay colt, by Blandford from Pennycomequick, who won the Oaks Stakes in 1929 for Lord Astor.

Gordon Richards's 200th Winner
GORDON RICHARDS, the champion English jockey, rode his 200th winner of the season when he got Satanic home to win the Foston Selling Plate at the Derby meeting on Thursday, November 17. Later in the day he added to the score by winning on Kilt and Smy. This is the fifth time in his career that Gordon Richards has ridden 200 winners in a season. He accomplished the feat in the seasons of 1933, 1934, 1935, and 1937. In his first year after his apprenticeship he rode more than 100 winners. This was in 1925, but the following year illness kept him out of the saddle for the greater part of the season. Richards's best year was 1933, when from 975 mounts he won 259 races. Since he began riding in 1921 to the end of the 1937 season Gordon Richards had had 11,699 mounts and rode the winners of 2,225 races. Richards, who is in sight of the late Fred Archer's great total of 2,748, has already had to date this year 929 mounts. Sam Heapy, who is still riding in Belgium, recently rode his 3,000th winner. He is aged 54 years.

Ranger's 30th Year
MR. FRED BURTON, ranger of the Epsom racecourse, celebrated on Saturday the 30th anniversary of his association with the Epsom Turf Club, and he has reason to be proud not only of that record, but of the present condition of the course. In the last four months Mr. Burton has supervised the regrading of the track from the five furlongs to the winning post, and owners, trainers, and jockeys were loud in their praises of the improvement. Mr. Burton recalled on Saturday that when he first went to Epsom a trotting race was always on the programme. "And," he added, "this day 30 years ago Lou Robertson drove the winner." Robertson, however, was a famous trainer and driver of trotters before he turned his attentions to gallopers.
Grandson of Cornwreath.

MR. M. DRISCOLL, who owns Golden Corn, winner of the Juvenile Handicap at Moonee Valley last week, has farming interests in the north-west of Victoria, and races several horses which he breeds himself. That good mare Cornwreath, a daughter of The Harvester, bred Mr. Driscoll a number of useful gallopers, notably Flying Corn, Last Corn, Sweet Corn, Jack Alone, and Anklet, who were all successful on the racecourse. Anklet, who is the dam of Golden Corn, won a great many races for Mr. Driscoll in the country districts of Victoria, and, in all had 66 starts for 16 wins, 13 seconds, and 7 thirds. She was a daughter of that good performer Footbolt, and besides Golden Corn Anklet has produced Wheat Slump, a winner of many good races for Mr. Driscoll. Golden Corn has plenty of speed, as did his sire, Equator, whom Sir Alan Currie had at Ercildoune for seven years. Equator was imported from England by Sir Alan Currie in 1927, and proved a success at the stud, where he sired that good filly Protea, who won the Wakeful Stakes and the Oaks Stakes at Flemington among other races, Equatorial, Sun Charm, Median, Solfast, Sunraysia, and many others2 .