Sea Hero

American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse

Sea Hero

Statue of Sea Hero at Saratoga Race Course

Sire| Polish Navy
Grandsire| Danzig
Dam| Glowing Tribute
Damsire| Graustark
Sex| Stallion
Foaled| March 3, 1990
Died| July 2019 (age 29)
Country| United States
Colour| Bay
Breeder| Paul Mellon
Owner| Rokeby Stables. Silks: Dark Gray, Yellow Braid, Sleeves and Cap.
Trainer| MacKenzie Miller
Record| 24: 6-3-4
Earnings| $2,929,869[1]
Major wins
Champagne Stakes (1992)
Travers Stakes (1993) American Classic Race wins:
Kentucky Derby (1993)
Honours
Life-size statue at Saratoga Race Course
Sea Hero Road, Frankfort, Kentucky
Sea Hero Court in Napa, California
Bronze statue at National Sporting Library
Last updated on December 9, 2007

Sea Hero (foaled March 4, 1990 – July 12, 2019) was an American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 1993 Kentucky Derby and Travers Stakes. Beginning in 2011, Sea Hero was the oldest living winner of the Kentucky Derby until his death in 2019.[2]

## Background

[edit]

Sea Hero was bred in Virginia by Paul Mellon and raced for Mellon's Rokeby Stables. Sea Hero was by Polish Navy, who was a good racehorse but otherwise a disappointment as a sire.[3] Sea Hero's dam was Glowing Tribute, who descended from one of the most distinguished thoroughbred families in North America – that of La Troienne. Glowing Tribute was named Kentucky Broodmare of the Year in 1993 after she had produced not only Sea Hero but graded stakes winners Hero's Honor, Wild Applause and Glowing Honor.[2]

In 1992, Mellon, then aged 84, started dispersing most of his stock but kept Sea Hero, who was in training with MacKenzie Miller.[2] Sea Hero was considered somewhat temperamental and had a habit of getting his tongue over the bit, forcing Miller to experiment with different equipment.[4]

## Racing career

[edit]

Sea Hero made his racing debut on July 13, 1992, in a maiden special weight race at Belmont Park, in which he finished fourth. He did not win his first race until September 7 in what was his fourth start, racing over 1 mile on the turf. He next won an allowance race on the turf then switched to dirt to win the Grade I Champagne Stakes. He finished the year with a seventh-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.[1]

At the start of his three-year-old campaign, Sea Hero was winless in his first three starts.[1] His best result was a fourth-place finish in the Blue Grass Stakes to Prairie Bayou, who then became the lukewarm favorite for the Kentucky Derby. Sea Hero entered the Derby as a 13-1 longshot and pulled off the upset by 2+1⁄2 lengths over Prairie Bayou.[5] It marked the first Derby win for jockey Jerry Bailey and for 71-year-old trainer Miller. It was also the first Derby win for Mellon, who became the only person to ever win the Kentucky Derby, The Derby, and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, having captured the latter two with Mill Reef in 1971.[2]

Following his Derby win, Sea Hero finished fifth in the Preakness and seventh in the Belmont but still earned a $1 million bonus for leading the Triple Crown points standings after Prairie Bayou's breakdown in the Belmont. He then finished fourth in the Jim Dandy Stakes, thus entering the Travers with a three-race losing streak.[6]

In the $1 million Travers Stakes, Sea Hero displayed an "uncanny sense of timing" by reverting to his form in the Kentucky Derby. He tracked behind the early pace, then angled wide to get running room. In the stretch, he sprinted to the lead for a two-length win over Kissin Kris, with Belmont Stakes winner Colonial Affair in fourth. Sea Hero became the first Derby winner to also win the Travers since Shut Out in 1942. It was the fifth Travers win for Rokeby Stable.[6]

Sea Hero then shipped to Woodbine racetrack for the Molson Export Million, where he finished third to Canadian Triple Crown winner Peteski.[7] He finished second in the Eclipse Award balloting for Champion three-year-old to Prairie Bayou, who had been more consistent in his brief career.[8]

At age four, Sea Hero had one win from eight starts, plus a second-place finish in the Bowling Green Handicap on the turf.[1]

### Race statistics

[edit]

Date  | Track  | Race  | Grade  | Distance  | Finish  | Time

|
|
|
|
|
|

7/13/1992  | Belmont Park | Maiden Special Weight  |  | 5+1⁄2 furlongs  | 4  |
8/2/1992  | Saratoga  | Maiden Special Weight  |  | 6 furlongs  | 5  |
8/21/1992  | Saratoga  | Maiden Special Weight  |  | 7 furlongs  | 2  |
9/7/1992  | Belmont Park | Maiden Special Weight  | (turf)  | 1 mile  | 1  | 1:35.42
9/21/1992  | Belmont Park | Allowance  | (turf)  | 1 mile  | 1  | 1:34.60
10/10/1992  | Belmont Park | Champagne Stakes | I  | 1 mile  | 1  | 1:34.87
10/31/1992  | Belmont Park | Breeders' Cup Juvenile | I  | 1+1⁄16 miles  | 7  |
2/7/1993  | Gulfstream Park | Palm Beach Stakes | III  | 1+1⁄16 miles  | 9  |
2/25/1993  | Gulfstream Park | Allowance  |  | 1+1⁄16 miles  | 3  |
4/10/1993  | Keeneland | Blue Grass Stakes | II  | 1+1⁄8 miles  | 4  |
5/1/1993  | Churchill Downs | Kentucky Derby | I  | 1+1⁄4 miles  | 1  | 2:02.42
5/15/1993  | Pimlico  | Preakness Stakes | I  | 1+3⁄16 miles  | 5  |
6/5/1993  | Belmont Park | Belmont Stakes | I  | 1+1⁄2 miles  | 7  |
8/1/1993  | Saratoga  | Jim Dandy Stakes | II  | 1+1⁄8 miles  | 4  |
8/21/1993  | Saratoga Race Course | Travers Stakes | I  | 1+1⁄4 miles  | 1  | 2:01.95
9/19/1993  | Woodbine  | Molson Export Million | II  | 1+1⁄8 miles  | 3  |
5/17/1994  | Belmont Park | Allowance  |  | 7 furlongs  | 1  | 1:22.79
5/30/1994  | Belmont Park | Allowance  | (turf)  | 1+1⁄16 miles  | 2  |
6/18/1994  | Belmont Park | Brooklyn Handicap | II  | 1+1⁄8 miles  | 3  |
7/2/1994  | Belmont Park | Bowling Green Handicap  | IIT  | 1+1⁄8 miles  | 2  |
7/30/1994  | Saratoga  | Sword Dancer Invitational  | IT  | 1+1⁄2 miles  | 7  |
8/20/1994  | Saratoga  | Handicap  | (turf)  | 1+1⁄8 miles  | 3  |
9/3/1994  | Belmont Park | Belmont Breeders' Cup Handicap | IIIT  | 1+1⁄16 miles  | 5  |
10/15/1994  | Keeneland  | Fayette Stakes | IIT  | 1+1⁄8 miles  | 5  |

## Retirement and stud career

[edit]

Sea Hero was retired to stud at Lane's End Farm in 1995 but was considered a disappointment. Sea Hero did not sire a stakes winner until his second-crop became of racing age.[9] In 1999, he was sold to Karacabey Pension Stud in Izmit, Turkey[4] where he had better results, becoming the seventh all-time leading sire in Turkey by progeny earnings.[10] He was a top 10 stallion for many years, ranking as high as #3 in 2007. He is the sire of fifteen stakes winners and has also proved a successful broodmare sire.[2] Sea Hero was pensioned from stud duty in 2015.

According to statistics from the Jockey Club of Turkey, Sea Hero's progeny won 730 races and placed another 1,653 times in that country, amassing total earnings of 32,890,013 lira ($5,750,160). His lifetime progeny earnings worldwide total $19,165,928. Sea Hero sired 15 black-type winners and 23 black-type-placed runners, including two champions – one in Turkey and one in the Dominican Republic.[9]

### Top progeny

[edit]

#### United States

[edit]

* Cindy's Hero - Won Del Mar Debutante Stakes (G1)
* Hero's Tribute - Won Gulfstream Park Handicap, Peter Pan Stakes
* Desert Hero - Won San Rafael Stakes
* Hero's Pleasure - Won Manitoba Derby

#### Turkey

[edit]

* Confidence - Won Caldiran Stakes (TURK - G1)
* Aeneas - Won Buyuk Taaruz Stakes (TUR - G2)
* Big Trouble - Won Uzunyayla Stakes (TUR - G3), F.L. Karaosmanoðlu (TUR - G3)
* Akdeniz Atesi - Won Büyük Taarruz Stakes (TUR - G3), Sait Akson (TUR - G3); finished second in 2010 Gazi Derby

## Honors

[edit]

A bronze statue of Sea Hero stands in the paddock at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. In 2015, another statue by Tessa Pullan was installed at the National Sporting Library & Museum in Middleburg, Virginia. Sea Hero Road in Frankfort, Kentucky is named for the horse, as is Sea Hero Court in Napa, California.[2] Sea Hero Place in Austin ,Texas is also named for the Kentucky Derby Winner.

## Death

[edit]

Sea Hero died in July 2019 in Turkey at the age of 29, where he had lived since 1999. His death was attributed to infirmities of old age.[11] At the time of his death, he had held the title of oldest living Kentucky Derby winner for 8 years.

## Pedigree

[edit]

Pedigree of Sea Hero, bay horse, 1990[12] Sire
Polish Navy
1984  | Danzig
1977  | Northern Dancer (CAN)  | Nearctic

|
|
|

Natalma
Pas de Nom  | Admiral's Voyage
Petitioner
Navsup
1966  | Tatan  | The Yuvaraj (GB)
Valkyrie (GB)
Busanda | War Admiral
Businesslike
Dam
Glowing Tribute
1973  | Graustark
1963  | Ribot | Tenerani
Romanella
Flower Bowl | Alibhai
Flower Bed
Admiring
1962  | Hail to Reason | Turn-to
Nothirdchance
Searching | War Admiral
Big Hurry (family: 1-x)

Sea Hero is inbred 4 × 4 to War Admiral, meaning War Admiral appears twice in the fourth generation of Sea Hero's pedigree. He is also inbred 5 × 5 to La Troienne through her daughters Businesslike and Big Hurry.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d "Horse Profile: Sea Hero". www.equibase.com. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
2. ^ a b c d e f Avalyn Hunter. "Sea Hero (horse)". American Classic Pedigrees. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
3. ^ Avalyn Hunter. "Polish Navy (horse)". American Classic Pedigrees. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
4. ^ a b Beauchamp, Juliette (4 March 2016). "This Week in Horse History - Sea Hero". Horse Talk Magazine. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
5. ^ Rees, Jennie. "Derby countdown - Sea Hero, 1993". courier-journal.com. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
6. ^ a b Durso, Joseph (22 August 1993). "Sea Hero Turns the Travers Into a Rerun of Kentucky Derby". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
7. ^ Christine, Bill (20 September 1993). "Peteski Wins Again, in Woodbine Million : Horse racing: He defeats Sea Hero, Colonial Affair, further muddying the 3-year-old picture". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
8. ^ Durso, Joseph (21 January 1994). "Eclipse Winners: Now They're Off for Horse of the Year". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
9. ^ a b "Oldest Living Derby Winner Sea Hero Dies at 29". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 2019-07-13.
10. ^ MacDonald, Michele. "Victory Gallop: A Star In Growing Turkish Industry". cs.bloodhorse.com. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
11. ^ "We Lost Our Stallion Sea Hero". The Jockey Club of Turkey. 2019. Archived from the original on July 11, 2019. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
12. ^ "Sea Hero's Pedigree". www.equineline.com. Retrieved 5 August 2016.

* Sea Hero photo at Thoroughbred Memories Gallery of Champions
* Sea Hero's pedigree and stats

* v
* t
* e

Kentucky Derby winners

* 1875 Aristides
* 1876 Vagrant
* 1877 Baden-Baden
* 1878 Day Star
* 1879 Lord Murphy
* 1880 Fonso
* 1881 Hindoo
* 1882 Apollo
* 1883 Leonatus
* 1884 Buchanan
* 1885 Joe Cotton
* 1886 Ben Ali
* 1887 Montrose
* 1888 Macbeth II
* 1889 Spokane
* 1890 Riley
* 1891 Kingman
* 1892 Azra
* 1893 Lookout
* 1894 Chant
* 1895 Halma
* 1896 Ben Brush
* 1897 Typhoon II
* 1898 Plaudit
* 1899 Manuel
* 1900 Lieut. Gibson
* 1901 His Eminence
* 1902 Alan-a-Dale
* 1903 Judge Himes
* 1904 Elwood
* 1905 Agile
* 1906 Sir Huon
* 1907 Pink Star
* 1908 Stone Street
* 1909 Wintergreen
* 1910 Donau
* 1911 Meridian
* 1912 Worth
* 1913 Donerail
* 1914 Old Rosebud
* 1915 Regret ♥
* 1916 George Smith
* 1917 Omar Khayyam
* 1918 Exterminator
* 1919 Sir Barton ₩
* 1920 Paul Jones
* 1921 Behave Yourself
* 1922 Morvich
* 1923 Zev
* 1924 Black Gold
* 1925 Flying Ebony
* 1926 Bubbling Over
* 1927 Whiskery
* 1928 Reigh Count
* 1929 Clyde Van Dusen
* 1930 Gallant Fox ₩
* 1931 Twenty Grand
* 1932 Burgoo King
* 1933 Brokers Tip
* 1934 Cavalcade
* 1935 Omaha ₩
* 1936 Bold Venture
* 1937 War Admiral ₩
* 1938 Lawrin
* 1939 Johnstown
* 1940 Gallahadion
* 1941 Whirlaway ₩
* 1942 Shut Out
* 1943 Count Fleet ₩
* 1944 Pensive
* 1945 Hoop Jr.
* 1946 Assault ₩
* 1947 Jet Pilot
* 1948 Citation ₩
* 1949 Ponder
* 1950 Middleground
* 1951 Count Turf
* 1952 Hill Gail
* 1953 Dark Star
* 1954 Determine
* 1955 Swaps
* 1956 Needles
* 1957 Iron Liege
* 1958 Tim Tam
* 1959 Tomy Lee
* 1960 Venetian Way
* 1961 Carry Back
* 1962 Decidedly
* 1963 Chateaugay
* 1964 Northern Dancer
* 1965 Lucky Debonair
* 1966 Kauai King
* 1967 Proud Clarion
* 1968 Forward Pass (Dancer's Image disqualified)
* 1969 Majestic Prince
* 1970 Dust Commander
* 1971 Canonero II
* 1972 Riva Ridge
* 1973 Secretariat ₩
* 1974 Cannonade
* 1975 Foolish Pleasure
* 1976 Bold Forbes
* 1977 Seattle Slew ₩
* 1978 Affirmed ₩
* 1979 Spectacular Bid
* 1980 Genuine Risk ♥
* 1981 Pleasant Colony
* 1982 Gato Del Sol
* 1983 Sunny's Halo
* 1984 Swale
* 1985 Spend a Buck
* 1986 Ferdinand
* 1987 Alysheba
* 1988 Winning Colors ♥
* 1989 Sunday Silence
* 1990 Unbridled
* 1991 Strike the Gold
* 1992 Lil E. Tee
* 1993 Sea Hero
* 1994 Go for Gin
* 1995 Thunder Gulch
* 1996 Grindstone
* 1997 Silver Charm
* 1998 Real Quiet
* 1999 Charismatic
* 2000 Fusaichi Pegasus
* 2001 Monarchos
* 2002 War Emblem
* 2003 Funny Cide
* 2004 Smarty Jones
* 2005 Giacomo
* 2006 Barbaro
* 2007 Street Sense
* 2008 Big Brown
* 2009 Mine That Bird
* 2010 Super Saver
* 2011 Animal Kingdom
* 2012 I'll Have Another
* 2013 Orb
* 2014 California Chrome
* 2015 American Pharoah ₩
* 2016 Nyquist
* 2017 Always Dreaming
* 2018 Justify ₩
* 2019 Country House (Maximum Security disqualified)
* 2020 Authentic
* 2021 Mandaloun (Medina Spirit disqualified)
* 2022 Rich Strike
* 2023 Mage
* 2024 Mystik Dan
* 2025 Sovereignty

Legend – ₩ = Triple Crown winners, ♥ = Filly
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template