The New York herald., 1922-06-18
CYLLENE'S PLACE
AS RACING SIRE
His Descendants Predominate
in England's Turf Classics
This Season.

The prominence OF the blocA OF CYL
ssSe In ;..e winners and contsscers OF
the classic races in England this season
affords new proof that Argentine breed
ers acquired one of the greatest sires OF
modern times when the son of Bona
Vista and Arcadia was taken to South
America in 1908. Cyllene was then is
years old, but he had been in the stud
only eight seasons in his native land,
and the number of his offspring was
consequently small by comparison with
many of his contemporaries that lived
and died in Britain. Cicero. the Derby
winner of 1906, was among his colts
that were old enough to race. and no
sooner had Cyllene been lost TO Eng
land than three more winners-Minoru.
Lemberg and Tagalie-fashed to the
front within four years in the EPSON
classic, giving their sire a record never
matched by any other horse.
The family is breeding on with mighty
power in both the male and female
lines. Lemberg got both Pogrom and
SobriQuet, the frst two past the win
ming post in this years Oaks. while the
winner of the Derby, Capt. Cutie. was
out OF a daughter of Cyllene. and Ia
mar, the runner up. has another dauSh-
ter for his granddam. In last years
classics every one OF the three placed
horses In the Derby was a grandson OF
Cyllene, and the same thing was true OF
the Two Thousand Guineas. Pole
march, the winner of the st. Leger, was
out OF a daughter of Polymelus, son Of
Cyllene. while Petrea, runner up in the
n,,o 1, nj mi, Fvn
by Cyllene.
Out of fifty-eight leading winners in
Great Britain and Ireland IN 1921 twen-
ty-two had the blood OF the great sire.
And fourteen years after he had left the
country his sons in England got 134
winners OF 1913 races. worth S44S,O0O.
One OF these sons Polymelus. led the list
of winning sires, as he has done over
and over again since 1914.
At the ripe age of 81 Cyllene was
still living, at last accounts, on Argen-
tina's famed Ojo de Aqua stud farm.
whose two-year-blds topped the annual
sales last season with an average of
$500 for forty-nine head. Cyllene's
son Pulgarin was the best three-year-old
of the season on the Argentine turf, and
it was close race between Cyllene and
Diamond Jubilee for first place among
winning sires.
Cyllene is a chestnut horse foaled In
1895 and bred by G. d. Rose, an English
turfman who contributed much time and
money in combating the tendency to
short races a generation ago. He did
not run In any of the classics. He won
nine out of eleven races and SIPS, 1o0 in
money. He took the Ascot Gold Cup
from good field with extraordinary
ease as a four-year-old and was recog-
nized as a very great racehorse. 1t was
hoped he would meet Flying Fox In one
of the ten thousand pound races for all
ages but he went wrong in training just
when the excitement of such contest
was beginning to make itself felt. 1t
was not Until he had been lost TO British
breeders that his greatness as sire
came to light. In the light Of what his
few immediate descendants accom-
plished 1t now looks as IL he might have
been another St Simon had he spent
his long life in England In this con-
nection 1t is noteworthy and significant
that Cyllene's sire, Bona Vista. by the
great Bend Or, was sold to go abroad
and be buried" in Hungary, while
Minoru, winner OF the Derby in 1903
and one of Cyllene'st best sons. shared
like fate In Russia; also that Flying
Fox. the great rival and near relative
OF Cyllene, and the greater Ormonde.
grandsre of Flying Fox, were both sold
for export and lost to British breeders.
Arcadia, the dam of Cyllene. was a
daughter of Isonomy, winner OF the
Ascot Gold Cup and sire OF 1singlass,
the largest money winner in turf his
tory Distant Shore. the granddam OF
Cyllene. was one of the many great pro-
ducing daughters of the Derby winner
Hermit She is closely related to st.
Alvere, the fourth dam OF Omar Khay-
yam. and to Fairy Gold. the dam OF
Fair Play.