Cyllene

Cyllene (1895–1925) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a racing career that lasted from 1897 until 1899, Cyllene won nine of his eleven starts, winning major races and being regarded as the best horse of his generation at two, three and four years of age. In a stud career which began in Britain and ended in Argentina, Cyllene became an important and influential stallion. He sired four winners of The Derby and is the direct male-line ancestor of most modern thoroughbreds. Background Cyllene, a chestnut horse with a white stripe and two white socks was bred by his owner, Charles Day Rose at the Hardwicke Stud near Pangbourne in Berkshire. He was a small, late foal, born in May and was never entered in the Classics as he was thought unlikely to be strong or mature enough to compete at the highest level at an early age. Cyllene was trained throughout his racing career by William Jarvis at Waterwitch House stable at Newmarket, Suffolk. Rose thought so highly of Cyllene that he arranged a "luxurious" private train to ensure that the colt returned to Newmarket promptly after his races. Cyllene's most regular rider was the 1899 Champion Jockey Sam Loates. Cyllene's sire, Bona Vista was a high class racehorse who won the 2000 Guineas in 1892. He was considered a failure as a stallion and in the year of Cyllene's birth he was sold and exported to Hungary. Arcadia, Cyllene's dam, won two races and was a half sister to Van Dieman's Land, who ran third in the Derby. Racing career