Cyllene (GB)
May 28, 1895 – 1925
Bona Vista (GB) x Arcadia (GB), by Isonomy (GB)
Family 9-e
May 28, 1895 – 1925
Bona Vista (GB) x Arcadia (GB), by Isonomy (GB)
Family 9-e
Small and rather unfashionably bred, Cyllene got little respect as a prospective racehorse. He was not nominated to any of the English Classics but nonetheless forged a reputation of being the best colt of his crop. Sent to stud, he was once again underestimated and once again greatly surpassed expectations. He became a champion sire in both England and Argentina and is the direct male ancestor of the vast majority of modern Thoroughbreds.
Race record
11 starts, 9 wins, 1 second, 1 third
1897:
1898:
1899:
Honors
Generally considered to be the English champion 3-year-old male of 1898.
As an individual
A lengthy, handsome, well-balanced chestnut horse with good legs, Cyllene was small as a youngster but later grew to a more normal size.
As a stallion
Cyllene tended to tramsit his own lengthy build.
Sire rankings
Per Great Thoroughbred Sires of the World (2006, Churchill, Reichard, and Rogers):
Notable progeny
Cicero (GB), Energica (ARG), Gaulois (ARG), Lemberg (GB), Maid of the Mist (GB), Minoru (GB), Polymelus (GB), Pulgarin (ARG), Saint Emilion (ARG), Tagalie (GB)
Notable progeny of daughters
Allenby (GB), Atheling (GB), Beam, Bon Vin (ARG), Captain Cuttle (GB), Craig an Eran (GB), Decamps (ARG), Doniazade (FR), Harriet Graham (GB), He (GB), Henry Lee (ARG), Heredia (ARG), Ix (ARG), Knight of the Garter (GB), Muralla (ARG), Pilmayquen (ARG), Rigal (ARG), Silurico (ARG), Sunny Jane (GB), Tom Pinch (GB)
Connections
Cyllene was bred and owned by Charles Day Rose (who later became a baronet in 1909) and was trained by William Jarvis. He was purchased by Sir William Bass for 30,000 guineas in 1906 and stood at Egerton House Stud in 1907-1908. After the 1908 Northern Hemisphere season, he was sold to Haras Ojo el Agua, which paid a reported 37,000 guineas for him (English authority Sir Charles Leicester gives the price as 25,000 pounds). Cyllene stood at Haras Ojo de Agua for the rest of his life, dying there in 1925.
Pedigree notes
Sired by Two Thousand Guineas winner Bona Vista (a five-time champion sire in Hungary), Cyllene is inbred 4x4 to seven-time English champion sire Stockwell, 5x4 to two-time English champion sire Newminster, and 5x5x5 to the great English matron Pocahontas. He is a full brother to Cyna, dam of 1909 Prix de la Salamandre winner Assouan (by Melton).
Cyllene's dam Arcadia won the Royal Plate at Windsor as a juvenile and is a half sister to Hardwicke Stakes winners Gulliver (by Galliard) and St.. Damien (by St. Simon; a nine-time champion on the French list of steeplechase sires). She is also a half sister to Virginia Shore (by John Davis), dam of 1899 Gimcrack Stakes winner Dusky Queen (by St. Simon), and to Chimera (by Sheen), second dam of 1908 Cesarewitch Stakes winner Yentoi. Arcadia was produced from the minor winner Distant Shore (by Hermit), whose dam Land's End (a granddaughter of the great 19th-century foundation mare Maid of Masham) was sired by Trumpeter.
Books and media
Cyllene 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
Last updated: April 10, 2023
Race record
11 starts, 9 wins, 1 second, 1 third
1897:
- Won Sefton Park Plate (ENG, 5FT, Liverpool)
- Won Worth Stakes (ENG, 5FT, Gatwick)
- Won Triennial Stakes (ENG, 5F+136yT, Ascot)
- Won National Breeders Produce Stakes (ENG, 5FT, Sandown)
- 2nd Imperial Produce Stakes (ENG, 6FT, Kempton)
1898:
- Won Sandown Foal Stakes (ENG, about 10FT, Sandown)
- Won Newmarket Stakes (ENG, 10FT, Newmarket)
- Won Jockey Club Stakes (ENG, 10FT, Newmarket)
- 3rd Column Produce Stakes (ENG, about 8FT, Newmarket)
1899:
- Won Triennial Stakes (ENG, 16FT, Ascot)
- Won Ascot Gold Cup (ENG, 20FT, Ascot)
Honors
Generally considered to be the English champion 3-year-old male of 1898.
As an individual
A lengthy, handsome, well-balanced chestnut horse with good legs, Cyllene was small as a youngster but later grew to a more normal size.
As a stallion
Cyllene tended to tramsit his own lengthy build.
Sire rankings
Per Great Thoroughbred Sires of the World (2006, Churchill, Reichard, and Rogers):
- Led the Argentine general sire list in 1913; 3rd in 1915 and 1916; 4th in 1917 and 1918; 5th in 1914; 6th in 1919; 7th in 1912 and 1920.
- 3rd on the Argentine broodmare sire list in 1927, 1928, and 1935; 4th in 1931.
- Led the English/Irish general sire list in 1909 and 1910; 2nd in 1912; 4th in 1905; 5th in 1904; 7th in 1911; 10th in 1906.
- Led the English/Irish broodmare sire list in 1921; 2nd in 1917 and 1922; 3rd in 1920; 4th in 1919; 6th in 1916.
Notable progeny
Cicero (GB), Energica (ARG), Gaulois (ARG), Lemberg (GB), Maid of the Mist (GB), Minoru (GB), Polymelus (GB), Pulgarin (ARG), Saint Emilion (ARG), Tagalie (GB)
Notable progeny of daughters
Allenby (GB), Atheling (GB), Beam, Bon Vin (ARG), Captain Cuttle (GB), Craig an Eran (GB), Decamps (ARG), Doniazade (FR), Harriet Graham (GB), He (GB), Henry Lee (ARG), Heredia (ARG), Ix (ARG), Knight of the Garter (GB), Muralla (ARG), Pilmayquen (ARG), Rigal (ARG), Silurico (ARG), Sunny Jane (GB), Tom Pinch (GB)
Connections
Cyllene was bred and owned by Charles Day Rose (who later became a baronet in 1909) and was trained by William Jarvis. He was purchased by Sir William Bass for 30,000 guineas in 1906 and stood at Egerton House Stud in 1907-1908. After the 1908 Northern Hemisphere season, he was sold to Haras Ojo el Agua, which paid a reported 37,000 guineas for him (English authority Sir Charles Leicester gives the price as 25,000 pounds). Cyllene stood at Haras Ojo de Agua for the rest of his life, dying there in 1925.
Pedigree notes
Sired by Two Thousand Guineas winner Bona Vista (a five-time champion sire in Hungary), Cyllene is inbred 4x4 to seven-time English champion sire Stockwell, 5x4 to two-time English champion sire Newminster, and 5x5x5 to the great English matron Pocahontas. He is a full brother to Cyna, dam of 1909 Prix de la Salamandre winner Assouan (by Melton).
Cyllene's dam Arcadia won the Royal Plate at Windsor as a juvenile and is a half sister to Hardwicke Stakes winners Gulliver (by Galliard) and St.. Damien (by St. Simon; a nine-time champion on the French list of steeplechase sires). She is also a half sister to Virginia Shore (by John Davis), dam of 1899 Gimcrack Stakes winner Dusky Queen (by St. Simon), and to Chimera (by Sheen), second dam of 1908 Cesarewitch Stakes winner Yentoi. Arcadia was produced from the minor winner Distant Shore (by Hermit), whose dam Land's End (a granddaughter of the great 19th-century foundation mare Maid of Masham) was sired by Trumpeter.
Books and media
Cyllene 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
- Cyllene was named for Mount Cyllene in the Greek province of Arcadia, supposedly the birthplace of the god Hermes.
- Following each of the colt's races at venues other than Newmarket, Cyllene's owner arranged for the colt's transportation back to Newmarket in his own private railway car.
- Cyllene sired four Derby Stakes winners in Cicero (1905), Minoru (1909), Lemberg (1910) and Tagalie (1912). He was the first stallion to sire as many as four Derby winners since Waxy won with Waxy Pope (1809), Whalebone (1810), Blucher (1814) and Whisker (1815).
- Reportedly, the English Government at one point sent Raúl Chevalier of Haras Ojo de Agua a blank check in an attempt to repatriate Cyllene, but the offer was turned down with the words written on the back of the check, "Cyllene has no price."
Last updated: April 10, 2023