Although Himyar was talented, he never raced on the fashionable New York circuit and so got relatively little notice from Eastern horsemen. Assessing his true merit relative to other cracks of his time is problematic, but he was probably the best horse of his year racing in “the West” (a designation that then included Kentucky and Tennessee) at 2 and 3 and is generally considered to have split honors as the champion American juvenile male of 1877 with Duke of Magenta. Himyar is the connecting link for two sire lines that, though tenuous, have survived into the 21st century: that of Domino, which extends through Ack Ack and his best son Broad Brush to Include, and that of Plaudit, which survives through Holy Bull and his sons and grandsons.
Race record
27 starts, 14 wins, 6 seconds, 4 thirds, US$11,650
1877:
1878:
1880:
Honors
American co-champion 2-year-old male (1877)
As an individual
A bay horse, Himyar was described by Daily Racing Form writer Charles Hatton as "light-boned, sickle-hocked [and] heavy-quartered." Contemporary accounts indicate that he may have been a bit weak in the coupling but agree that he had exceptionally powerful hindquarters with muscling extending well down into his gaskins. He was a nervous horse and was difficult to train as he was inclined to fret himself out of condition.
As a stallion
Although Himyar won at up to two miles himself, he appeared to transmit more of the miler speed of his sire Alarm. Clio Hogan's Index to Stakes Winners 1865-1967 credits him with 15 stakes winners.
Sire rankings
Per The Blood-Horse:
Per Thoroughbred Heritage (www.tbheritage.com):
Notable progeny
Correction (USA), Domino (USA), Ivory Bells (USA), Plaudit (USA)
Notable progeny of daughters
Adana (USA), Old Rosebud (USA), Yankee (USA)
Connections
Himyar was bred by Major B. G. Thomas at his Dixiana Stud near Lexington, KY. He entered stud at Dixiana in 1882. In 1897, Major Thomas was forced to sell some of his stock to meet financial obligations, and Himyar was sold to Edward S. Gardner for $2,500. He was relocated to Gardner's Avondale Stud in Sumner County, Tennessee, and remained there until his death in 1905. He was buried on the property.
Pedigree notes
Himyar is outcrossed through five generations. He is a full brother to the stakes-winning filly Sis Himyar, dam of multiple stakes winner The Musketeer (by Masetto). He is also a half brother to the stakes-winning filly Highflight (by King Ban). His dam Hira was produced from Hegira (by Ambassador), who set a track record of 3:34-1/4 at Metairie, Louisiana, in 1850.
Books and media
Himyar is one of 50 stallions profiled in Joe Palmer's Names in Pedigrees (1939, The Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders' Association; re-released in 1974).
Fun facts
Last updated: June 15, 2022
Race record
27 starts, 14 wins, 6 seconds, 4 thirds, US$11,650
1877:
- Won Colt Stakes (USA, 6FD, Lexington)
- Won Colt and Filly Stakes (USA, 8FD, Lexington)
- Won Belle Meade Stakes (USA, Louisville)
- 3rd Colt and Filly Sweepstakes (USA, 5FD, Lexington)
- 3rd Sanford Stakes (USA, Louisville)
1878:
- Won Phoenix Hotel Stakes (USA, 14FD, Lexington)
- Won Belle Meade Stakes (USA, 12FD, Nashville)
- Won January Stakes (USA, 1-mile heats, St. Louis)
- 2nd Kentucky Derby (USA, 10FD, Churchill Downs)
- 2nd Elkhorn Stakes (USA, 16FD, Lexington)
1880:
- Won Merchants' Stakes (USA, 9FD)
- Won Turf Stakes (USA)
Honors
American co-champion 2-year-old male (1877)
As an individual
A bay horse, Himyar was described by Daily Racing Form writer Charles Hatton as "light-boned, sickle-hocked [and] heavy-quartered." Contemporary accounts indicate that he may have been a bit weak in the coupling but agree that he had exceptionally powerful hindquarters with muscling extending well down into his gaskins. He was a nervous horse and was difficult to train as he was inclined to fret himself out of condition.
As a stallion
Although Himyar won at up to two miles himself, he appeared to transmit more of the miler speed of his sire Alarm. Clio Hogan's Index to Stakes Winners 1865-1967 credits him with 15 stakes winners.
Sire rankings
Per The Blood-Horse:
- Led the American general sire list in 1893; 3rd in 1897; 5th in 1895 and 1898.
Per Thoroughbred Heritage (www.tbheritage.com):
- Led the American general sire list in 1893; 2nd in 1894; 5th in 1898; 7th in 1895.
Notable progeny
Correction (USA), Domino (USA), Ivory Bells (USA), Plaudit (USA)
Notable progeny of daughters
Adana (USA), Old Rosebud (USA), Yankee (USA)
Connections
Himyar was bred by Major B. G. Thomas at his Dixiana Stud near Lexington, KY. He entered stud at Dixiana in 1882. In 1897, Major Thomas was forced to sell some of his stock to meet financial obligations, and Himyar was sold to Edward S. Gardner for $2,500. He was relocated to Gardner's Avondale Stud in Sumner County, Tennessee, and remained there until his death in 1905. He was buried on the property.
Pedigree notes
Himyar is outcrossed through five generations. He is a full brother to the stakes-winning filly Sis Himyar, dam of multiple stakes winner The Musketeer (by Masetto). He is also a half brother to the stakes-winning filly Highflight (by King Ban). His dam Hira was produced from Hegira (by Ambassador), who set a track record of 3:34-1/4 at Metairie, Louisiana, in 1850.
Books and media
Himyar is one of 50 stallions profiled in Joe Palmer's Names in Pedigrees (1939, The Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders' Association; re-released in 1974).
Fun facts
- Himyar supposedly got his name via an employee of Major Thomas', who when asked which of the youngsters in a pasture was the best, pointed to the Alarm—Hira colt and said “Him yar [there].” The truth was that Himyar's name was related to that of his dam Hira, who had been named for an ancient city of Arabia. Himyar, in turn, was named for the eponymous chieftain of the Himyarites, a tribe of that region.
- In the course of his long life, Himyar outlived both his best son, Domino, and his best grandson, Commando. The epitaph on his tombstone read, “From his ashes speed springs eternal.”
- Himyar, an unincorporated community in Knox County, Kentucky, is named for the champion.
Last updated: June 15, 2022