Minoru (horse)

Minoru
Minoru as depicted in Vanity Fair, September 1909
Sire	Cyllene
Grandsire	Bona Vista
Dam	Mother Siegel
Damsire	Friars Balsam
Sex	Stallion
Foaled	1906
Country	Ireland
Colour	Bay
Breeder	Lord Wavertree
Owner	King Edward VII (Lessee)
Trainer	Richard Marsh
Record	13: 7-2-2,
Earnings	£16,180
Major wins
July Stakes (1908) Coventry Stakes (1908) Sussex Stakes (1909) Greenham Stakes (1909) St. James's Palace Stakes (1909) British Classic Race wins: 2,000 Guineas (1909) Epsom Derby (1909)
Honours
Minoru - British Rail Locomotive #60062
Horse (Equus ferus caballus)

Minoru (foaled 1906 in Ireland) was a Thoroughbred racehorse who won two British Classic Races. He was bred by Lord Wavertree at his stud farm in Tully, Kildare town in County Kildare which today is the Irish National Stud.

Minoru was a son of Cyllene, winner of the 1899 Ascot Gold Cup who sired three other Epsom Derby winners. His dam was Mother Siegel, a daughter of the highly regarded multiple stakes winner, Friars Balsam.

Leased by King Edward VII, Minoru was conditioned for racing by Richard Marsh. He won important races at age two and although still lightly regarded, at three he won two Classics in which he beat the great Bayardo. His first Classic win came in the 2,000 Guineas Stakes and was followed by a victory in England's most prestigious race, the Epsom Derby. Minoru missed the chance to win the British Triple Crown when he finished off the board in the St. Leger Stakes.

For jockey Herbert Jones, it was his second Derby win and fourth in the 2,000 Guineas, and for trainer Marsh, it was his fourth Derby victory and his third 2,000 Guineas.

Minoru's performances in 1909 was the key factor in his sire Cyllene being the 1909 Leading sire in Great Britain & Ireland.

As a sire

Sent to stud at his owner's Tully Stud in Ireland, Minoru prouduced the excellent broodmare Serenissima before being sold in 1913 to a breeding operation in Russia. Her foals included:

• Selene (b. 1919) - outstanding broodmare, dam of Britain's Hyperion, and stallions Sickle and Pharamond II who were successful sires in the United States
• Tranquil (b. 1920) - won the 1,000 Guineas Stakes and St. Leger Stakes
• Bosworth (b.1926) - winner of the Ascot Gold Cup

Minoru disappeared during the turmoil of the 1917 Russian Revolution and although there is speculation that he survived, no trace of him was ever actually found.

References

• Minoru's pedigree and partial racing stats
• Minoru's profile at Thoroughbred Heritage