Sea Hero Statue
Oct 20, 2013 19:53:09 GMT -5
Post by racinggal on Oct 20, 2013 19:53:09 GMT -5
Since it's my avatar, I felt I had to see what I could find out as this came up in another thread!
From the NYT
The bronze statue of Sea Hero, the 1993 Kentucky Derby and Travers Stakes winner, in its grassy center is a nod not only to the history of this racetrack, but to its aristocracy as well.
Sea Hero was owned by Paul Mellon, a man of letters, a philanthropist, an art connoisseur and a sportsman of the kind that are rare these days. In 1971, his colt Mill Reef had captured the Epsom Derby and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, and Sea Hero made him the first owner to conquer horse racing’s three most prestigious races
From Louisville Courier Journal
Sea Hero ended a 41-year drought for Derby champions in the Travers, a winless skein during which only seven Derby winners even made the Saratoga classic. Orb is only the fourth Derby winner to tackle the Travers since Sea Hero, with Thunder Gulch (’95) and Street Sense (‘2007) winning and Super Saver 10th in 2010.
From Yahoo
Sea Hero's victory in the 1993 Kentucky Derby was the culmination of a lifetime of racing Thoroughbreds for two of the classiest men in Thoroughbred racing.
Paul Mellon, member of the Jockey Club, scion of the Mellon banking family, philanthropist who with his sister Ailsa Mellon-Bruce was largely responsible for bringing the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC into being, raced under the name Rokeby Stable. He raced such great champions as Horse of the Year Fort Marcy; Arts and Letters, whose victory in the Belmont Stakes deprived Majestic Prince of the Triple Crown; Belmont Stakes winner Quadrangle, whose victory deprived Northern Dancer of the Triple Crown; champion 3-year-old male Key to the Mint; Epsom Derby and Arc de Triomphe winner and immortal champion Mill Reef; and many, many, many, many more stakes winners.
But he had never won the Kentucky Derby.
In a long lifetime as master of Rokeby Stable, he had a number of trainers, including Hall of Famer Elliot Burch, and Mack Miller.
Mackenzie "Mack" Miller trained racehorses for 46 years. He trained *Snow Knight to an Eclipse Award as champion turf horse after Windfields imported the Epsom Derby winner to the USA. He trained champion 2-year-old filly Leallah; champion turf horses *Hawaii and Assagai; handicap triple crown winner Fit to Fight; stakes winners Halo, Tentam and Mr. Leader, who all went on to become prominent sires. He trained more than 70 stakes winners.
But he had never won the Kentucky Derby.
Paul Mellon was 86 in 1993. Mack Miller was 72. And they had a colt, a son of Polish Navy and Glowing Tribute, who had won the Champagne Stakes the previous year.
From the NYT
The bronze statue of Sea Hero, the 1993 Kentucky Derby and Travers Stakes winner, in its grassy center is a nod not only to the history of this racetrack, but to its aristocracy as well.
Sea Hero was owned by Paul Mellon, a man of letters, a philanthropist, an art connoisseur and a sportsman of the kind that are rare these days. In 1971, his colt Mill Reef had captured the Epsom Derby and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, and Sea Hero made him the first owner to conquer horse racing’s three most prestigious races
From Louisville Courier Journal
Sea Hero ended a 41-year drought for Derby champions in the Travers, a winless skein during which only seven Derby winners even made the Saratoga classic. Orb is only the fourth Derby winner to tackle the Travers since Sea Hero, with Thunder Gulch (’95) and Street Sense (‘2007) winning and Super Saver 10th in 2010.
From Yahoo
Sea Hero's victory in the 1993 Kentucky Derby was the culmination of a lifetime of racing Thoroughbreds for two of the classiest men in Thoroughbred racing.
Paul Mellon, member of the Jockey Club, scion of the Mellon banking family, philanthropist who with his sister Ailsa Mellon-Bruce was largely responsible for bringing the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC into being, raced under the name Rokeby Stable. He raced such great champions as Horse of the Year Fort Marcy; Arts and Letters, whose victory in the Belmont Stakes deprived Majestic Prince of the Triple Crown; Belmont Stakes winner Quadrangle, whose victory deprived Northern Dancer of the Triple Crown; champion 3-year-old male Key to the Mint; Epsom Derby and Arc de Triomphe winner and immortal champion Mill Reef; and many, many, many, many more stakes winners.
But he had never won the Kentucky Derby.
In a long lifetime as master of Rokeby Stable, he had a number of trainers, including Hall of Famer Elliot Burch, and Mack Miller.
Mackenzie "Mack" Miller trained racehorses for 46 years. He trained *Snow Knight to an Eclipse Award as champion turf horse after Windfields imported the Epsom Derby winner to the USA. He trained champion 2-year-old filly Leallah; champion turf horses *Hawaii and Assagai; handicap triple crown winner Fit to Fight; stakes winners Halo, Tentam and Mr. Leader, who all went on to become prominent sires. He trained more than 70 stakes winners.
But he had never won the Kentucky Derby.
Paul Mellon was 86 in 1993. Mack Miller was 72. And they had a colt, a son of Polish Navy and Glowing Tribute, who had won the Champagne Stakes the previous year.
