Sir Tristram

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For the Knight of the Round Table, see Tristan. For the ship of the same name see RFA Sir Tristram (L3505)

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Sir Tristram (IRE) is a thoroughbred horse and the sire of Champion racehorses in Australia and New Zealand. His progeny have won the Melbourne Cup on three occasions, and he has sired an extraordinary 45 Group One winners.

By Sir Ivor (Sir Gaylord) out of Isolt, he was foaled in Ireland in 1971, and had a relatively short, and unsuccessful, racing career, following which he was bought by Sir Patrick Hogan of Cambridge Stud in New Zealand. He started his stud career at modest stud fee of $1,200, but the fee had risen to $200,000 at the time of his death in August 1997. "Paddy", as he was affectionately known, had a reputation as a difficult horse to handle, although this is not a trait which seems to have been inherited by his progeny. In fact he was so difficult that his handler was forced to wear protective gear, which remains on display at Cambridge Stud. Sir Tristram is the sire of over 140 stakes winners, including the Melbourne Cup winners Gurner's Lane (1982), Empire Rose (1988), and Brew (2000). He is also the broodmare sire of over 200 stakes winners, including Ethereal, and has earned himself a reputation as a sire of sires. His sire sons include Zabeel (Champion Sire of horses such as Octagonal and Might And Power), who continues to stand at Cambridge Stud at a fee of $95,000, Marauding, Dr Grace, and Grosvenor.

Whilst he was mostly known as a sire of stayers, Sir Tristram's progeny and further descendants have excelled over a wide range of distances. As well as siring winners of the Melbourne Cup (the world's richest handicap over 3,200 metres), Sir Tristram sired Marauding, who won a Golden Slipper (the world's richest two-year-old race, run over 1,200 metres), and several other outstanding two-year-olds.