Heliopolis (horse)

Heliopolis
Heliopolis
Sire	Hyperion
Grandsire	Gainsborough
Dam	Drift
Damsire	Swynford
Sex	Stallion
Foaled	1936
Country	United States
Colour	Bay
Breeder	Lord Derby
Owner	Lord Derby
Trainer	Walter Earl
Major wins
	Imperial Produce Stakes (1938); Chester Vase (1939); Gratwicke Produce Stakes (1939); Prince of Wales's Stakes (1939); Princess of Wales's Stakes (1939)
Awards
	Leading sire in North America; (1950, 1954)

Heliopolis (1936–1959) was a British thoroughbred racehorse and Champion sire.

Background

Heliopolis was bred and raced by Edward Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby. As a son of Hyperion and Drift he was a full brother to the double British classic winner Sun Stream.

Racing career

He was raced from age two to four and then exported during World War II to the Coldstream Stud of E. Dale Shaffer in Lexington, Kentucky and arrived at the port of New York on August 10, 1941. After limited and less than successful racing on dirt, he was sent to stand at his owner's stud.^[1]

Stud record

A sire of Champions,^[2] Heliopolis was the Leading sire in North America in 1950 and 1954. Among his best progeny were three American Champion Three-Year-Old Fillys, Grecian Queen (1953), Parlo (1954), and Berlo (1960).^[3] Parlo also earned the American Champion Older Female Horse title in 1954 and 1955.^[4] He was the sire of the very good runner and sire of Champions, Summer Tan. His other successful sons include Ace Admiral, Greek Ship, High Gun, the 1954 American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse and 1955 American Champion Older Male Horse, and the top caliber sprinter Olympia who became a foundation sire for Florida breeder, Fred W. Hooper. Heliopolis is the grandsire of Greek Song, Pia Star, and Pucker Up.

Heliopolis was the damsire of the 1968 Kentucky Derby winner, Forward Pass, of All Beautiful, the 1969 Kentucky Broodmare of the Year as well as Iberia who earned Kentucky Broodmare honors in 1971 and who was the dam of 1972 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner, Hall of Fame inductee, Riva Ridge. Heliopolis was also the damsire of Marshua.

E. Dale Shaffer sold Coldstream Stud along with Heliopolis in 1951 to Henry Knight who then syndicated the stallion after which he was moved to Almahurst Farm in Nicholasville, Kentucky.

An aging Heliopolis suffered from laminitis and in 1959 the twenty-three-year-old horse was humanely euthanized.

Pedigree

Pedigree of Heliopolis ,bay stallion, 1936^[5]
Sire Hyperion (GB) Chestnut 1930	Gainsborough (GB) Bay 1915	Bayardo	Bay Ronald
		Bayardo	Galicia
		Rosedrop	St. Frusquin
		Rosedrop	Rosaline
	Selene (GB) Bay 1919	Chaucer	St.Simon
		Chaucer	Canterbury Pilgrim
		Serenissima	Minoru
		Serenissima	Gondolette
Dam Drift (FR) Brown 1926	Swynford (GB) Brown 1907	John o'Gaunt	Isinglass
		John o'Gaunt	La Fleche
		Canterbury Pilgrim	Tristan
		Canterbury Pilgrim	Pilgrimage
	Santa Cruz (GB) chestnut 1916	Neil Gow	Marco
		Neil Gow	Chelandry
		Santa Brigida	St. Simon
		Santa Brigida	Bridget ^[6](Family No. 8-g)

Heliopolis was inbred 4S x 3D to Canterbury Pilgrim, meaning this mare appears in the fourth generation of the sire's side of the pedigree and in the third generation of the dam's side. Heliopolis is also inbred 4S x 4D to St. Simon, with two more crosses to St. Simon in the fifth generation.