While Heliopolis was a good racehorse in England, he was some 10 pounds inferior to the best colts from his crop, and he failed to make the transition to American racing. Fortunately for Charles Shaffer and his Coldstream Stud, that didn't matter when it came to Heliopolis' stud career. One of Hyperion's best sire sons, Heliopolis led the American sire list twice. He sired several important daughters and begot a worthy successor as a sire in his son Olympia.
Race record
15 starts, 5 wins, 2 seconds, 4 thirds, £14,793
1938:
1939:
1940:
Assessments
Rated at 10 pounds below the top of his division on the Free Handicap for English juveniles of 1938.
Rated at 11 pounds below champion Blue Peter on the Free Handicap for English 3-year-olds of 1939.
As an individual
A bay horse standing 15.3 hands at maturity, Heliopolis was described by Daily Racing Form writer Charles Hatton as having straight hind legs and shelly feet. Other writers noted that Heliopolis had a plain head, rather upright shoulders and a forehand that seemed light in contrast to his large, powerful quarters. He was slightly upright in his pasterns.
As a stallion
According to records kept by The Jockey Club, Heliopolis sired 262 winners (75.7%) and 53 stakes winners (15.3%) from 346 named foals. Heliopolis is a Brilliant chef-de-race in the Roman-Miller dosage system.
Sire rankings
Per The Blood-Horse:
Notable progeny
Ace Admiral (USA), Athene (USA), Aunt Jinny (USA), Berlo (USA), Globemaster (USA), Grecian Queen (USA), Greek Ship (USA), Helioscope (USA), High Gun (USA), Iberia (USA), Itsabet (USA), Marine Victory (USA), Olympia (USA), Parlo (USA), Princess Turia (USA), Rose Trellis (USA), Summer Tan (USA)
Notable progeny of daughters
By Zeus (USA), Forward Pass (USA), Gold and Myrrh (USA), Marshua (USA), Missile (USA), Mr. Brick (USA), Native Charger (USA), Riva Ridge (USA), Royal Living (USA), Rube the Great (USA), Summer Guest (USA), Thinking Cap (USA), Troilus (USA)
Connections
Heliopolis was bred and owned by the 17th Earl of Derby. Following his 4-year-old season, Lord Derby sold Heliopolis to Charles B. Shaffer for a price reported as the equivalent to US$20,000. Heliopolis was imported to the United States but remained in training. He made one start at 5 in allowance company, finishing last in a field of five, and was retired to Shaffer's Coldstream Stud in Kentucky. He remained at Coldstream until the farm was sold to Henry Knight in 1951. At that time, Heliopolis was syndicated and moved to Knight's Almahurst Farm near Nicholasville, Kentucky. Heliopolis died there of laminitis in 1959.
Pedigree notes
Heliopolis is inbred 4x3 to 1896 Oaks Stakes winner Canterbury Pilgrim. He is a full brother to 1945 English champion 3-year-old filly Sun Stream, winner of the One Thousand Guineas and Oaks Stakes. He is also is a half brother to multiple stakes winner Fairhaven (by Fairway) and 1936 One Thousand Guineas winner Tide-way (by Fairway), whose son Gulf Stream (by Hyperion) was the English champion 2-year-old male of 1945. Gulf Stream trained on to win the 1946 Eclipse Stakes at 3 before being exported to Argentina, where he was champion sire three times.
Drift, the dam of Heliopolis, won the 1929 Caledonian Hunt Cup as a 3-year-old. She is a full sister to stakes winner Melanesia, third dam of Schwartzgold-Rennen winner Musketblute, and a half sister to Santa Barbara (by Sansovino), dam of 1945 Rothmans July Handicap winner St. Seiriol (by Caerleon). Drift was produced from Liverpool Spring Cup winner Santa Cruz (by Neil Gow), a half sister to the important Argentine sire Bridge of Canny (by Love Wisely) and to 1909 Newbury Autumn Cup winner Bridge of Earn (by Cyllene), who was a good sire in England, particularly of broodmares. The next dam in the tail-female line, Santa Brigida (by St. Simon), won the 1901 Yorkshire Oaks and is also the ancestress of champions or Classic winners Brown Betty, Manitoba, Menow, Alcibiades, Mid-day Sun, Shannon II and Sir Ivor.
Books and media
Fun facts
Photo credit
Photographer unknown. From the collection of Quarter Horse Record (Susan Larkin); used by permission.
Last updated: April 25, 2023
Race record
15 starts, 5 wins, 2 seconds, 4 thirds, £14,793
1938:
- Won Imperial Produce Stakes (ENG, 6FT, Kempton Park)
- 2nd Prince of Wales's Stakes (ENG, 5FT, York)
1939:
- Won Chester Vase (ENG, about 12.25FT, Chester)
- Won Prince of Wales's Stakes (ENG, 13FT, Ascot)
- Won Gratwicke Produce Stakes (ENG, 12FT, Goodwood)
- Won Princess of Wales's Stakes (ENG, 12FT, Newmarket)
- 3rd Derby Stakes (ENG, 12FT, Epsom)
1940:
- 2nd Stonehenge Plate (ENG, Newmarket)
Assessments
Rated at 10 pounds below the top of his division on the Free Handicap for English juveniles of 1938.
Rated at 11 pounds below champion Blue Peter on the Free Handicap for English 3-year-olds of 1939.
As an individual
A bay horse standing 15.3 hands at maturity, Heliopolis was described by Daily Racing Form writer Charles Hatton as having straight hind legs and shelly feet. Other writers noted that Heliopolis had a plain head, rather upright shoulders and a forehand that seemed light in contrast to his large, powerful quarters. He was slightly upright in his pasterns.
As a stallion
According to records kept by The Jockey Club, Heliopolis sired 262 winners (75.7%) and 53 stakes winners (15.3%) from 346 named foals. Heliopolis is a Brilliant chef-de-race in the Roman-Miller dosage system.
Sire rankings
Per The Blood-Horse:
- Led the US general sire list in 1950 and 1954; 2nd in 1949 and 1953; 3rd in 1948 and 1952; 4th in 1955; 6th in 1957; 7th in 1951; 8th in 1956.
- 5th on the US broodmare sire list in 1965; 6th in 1963 and 1964; 8th in 1959; 9th in 1962.
Notable progeny
Ace Admiral (USA), Athene (USA), Aunt Jinny (USA), Berlo (USA), Globemaster (USA), Grecian Queen (USA), Greek Ship (USA), Helioscope (USA), High Gun (USA), Iberia (USA), Itsabet (USA), Marine Victory (USA), Olympia (USA), Parlo (USA), Princess Turia (USA), Rose Trellis (USA), Summer Tan (USA)
Notable progeny of daughters
By Zeus (USA), Forward Pass (USA), Gold and Myrrh (USA), Marshua (USA), Missile (USA), Mr. Brick (USA), Native Charger (USA), Riva Ridge (USA), Royal Living (USA), Rube the Great (USA), Summer Guest (USA), Thinking Cap (USA), Troilus (USA)
Connections
Heliopolis was bred and owned by the 17th Earl of Derby. Following his 4-year-old season, Lord Derby sold Heliopolis to Charles B. Shaffer for a price reported as the equivalent to US$20,000. Heliopolis was imported to the United States but remained in training. He made one start at 5 in allowance company, finishing last in a field of five, and was retired to Shaffer's Coldstream Stud in Kentucky. He remained at Coldstream until the farm was sold to Henry Knight in 1951. At that time, Heliopolis was syndicated and moved to Knight's Almahurst Farm near Nicholasville, Kentucky. Heliopolis died there of laminitis in 1959.
Pedigree notes
Heliopolis is inbred 4x3 to 1896 Oaks Stakes winner Canterbury Pilgrim. He is a full brother to 1945 English champion 3-year-old filly Sun Stream, winner of the One Thousand Guineas and Oaks Stakes. He is also is a half brother to multiple stakes winner Fairhaven (by Fairway) and 1936 One Thousand Guineas winner Tide-way (by Fairway), whose son Gulf Stream (by Hyperion) was the English champion 2-year-old male of 1945. Gulf Stream trained on to win the 1946 Eclipse Stakes at 3 before being exported to Argentina, where he was champion sire three times.
Drift, the dam of Heliopolis, won the 1929 Caledonian Hunt Cup as a 3-year-old. She is a full sister to stakes winner Melanesia, third dam of Schwartzgold-Rennen winner Musketblute, and a half sister to Santa Barbara (by Sansovino), dam of 1945 Rothmans July Handicap winner St. Seiriol (by Caerleon). Drift was produced from Liverpool Spring Cup winner Santa Cruz (by Neil Gow), a half sister to the important Argentine sire Bridge of Canny (by Love Wisely) and to 1909 Newbury Autumn Cup winner Bridge of Earn (by Cyllene), who was a good sire in England, particularly of broodmares. The next dam in the tail-female line, Santa Brigida (by St. Simon), won the 1901 Yorkshire Oaks and is also the ancestress of champions or Classic winners Brown Betty, Manitoba, Menow, Alcibiades, Mid-day Sun, Shannon II and Sir Ivor.
Books and media
- Heliopolis is profiled in Chapter 53 of Abram Hewitt's Sire Lines (1977, The Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association; updated and re-released in 2006 by Eclipse Press).
- Heliopolis is one of 205 stallions whose accomplishments at stud are profiled in Great Thoroughbred Sires of the World (2006, The Australian Bloodhorse Review), a massive reference work written by Jennifer Churchill, Andrew Reichard and Byron Rogers.
Fun facts
- “Heliopolis” means “City of the Sun” in Greek and refers to a city of ancient Egypt. Also known by its biblical name of On and by the Egyptian name of Iune, it was a major center of the cult of the Egyptian sun god, Ra. The city 's temples and buildings were cannibalized for the building of medieval Cairo, so that most of what is known about ancient Heliopolis comes from textual sources.
Photo credit
Photographer unknown. From the collection of Quarter Horse Record (Susan Larkin); used by permission.
Last updated: April 25, 2023