Phalaris

Born 1913 / died 1931 - breeder - Lord Derby

Race record – 24 races, 16 wins, three times placed.
Total winnings £5,476
Surprisingly for a horse that has had such an influence on performance horses, particularly jumpers, Phalaris was a sprinter, winning all his 16 races over short distances at the Newmarket racecourse. Many of these races were won carrying huge weights – Phalaris won carrying more than 130 pounds in seven races, and with more than 140 pounds three times, including once with 147 pounds. He also won from ten furlongs to a mile but was at his best in five and six furlong races.
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In the words of Thoroughbred-Breeding of the World, (Editor-in chief, Rainer L. Ahnert, 1970) Phalaris “in confirmation was the typical sprinter, upstanding in build, and very well balanced when moving. He was back at the knee; however it looks as if this flaw did not stop the son of Bromus, of earning more than his keep. In fact it earned him the stallion’s box at Lord Derby’s stud. The daughters of Phalaris foaled the winners of four English ‘classic’ and one Irish ‘Triple Crown’ winner.”
So successful was Phalaris as a sire that his male line was the dominant line of the twentieth century through his stallion descendents Nearco, Nasrullah, Bold Rule, Royal Charger, Northern Dancer, Native Dancer and Buckpasser.
Phalaris’ sire was Polymelus, who was by Cyllene and out of a daughter of Hampton – sire of that pillar of jumping breeding, Bay Ronald.
Phalaris at stud was a huge success, his offspring quickly proved they had inherited his brilliant speed. He was the leading sire of 2 year olds in 1925, 1926 and 1927, and twice the leading overall sire. He was second in 1926, third in 1927 and fourth in 1930.
He died in 1931, covering a mare at the young age of 16 but his legacy lived on through the full brothers, Fairway and Pharos, both out of the Scarborough Stakes winner, Scapa Flow by Chaucer.

Fairway, born 1925

Here was the classic sprinter / stayer cross - Scapa Flow won three times at a mile and a half, once as a two year old. Pharos was the more successful sire, while Fairway had greater success on the track.

Fairway has perhaps been even more influential to the students of jumping blood through his son, Blue Peter – winner of the 2,000 Guineas and the Derby Stakes.
Blue Peter was another extraordinarily influential jumping progenitor – his grandson, Ladykiller being perhaps the most influential Thoroughbred jumping sire in Germany of all time, through his two great sons, Lord and Landgraf. Again, refer to the entry for Ladykiller for details.

The Phalaris influence spread to the USA through two full brothers – Sickle and Pharamond II – both out of Selene, by Chaucer. Sickle was a champion two year old, and exported to the States, became a leading sire. His year younger brother, Pharamond was not so good a racehorse but proved an excellent sire in America.
Pharamond II has 20 listed descendents in the General Index of Pete Birdsall’s Bloodlines of Hunters & Jumpers in North America. Phalaris produces 31 entries, while Pharos produces a massive 83.
Entries in this valuable index are determined by show ring records, The American Horse Shows Year-end Awards in all Hunter and Jumper divisions, Grand Prix records, International and Olympic team selections, as well as successes in Combined Events, and Steeplechase – and where possible, pedigrees have been traced four generations to give a more complete picture of the influential bloodlines.
Phalaris may have died in 1931 but his name on a pedigree should still warm the heart of anyone looking for jumping potential…