Nearco facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nearco
Nearco
Sire	Pharos (GB)
Grandsire	Phalaris
Dam	Nogara
Damsire	Havresac II
Sex	Stallion
Foaled	1935
Country	Italy
Colour	Brown
Breeder	Federico Tesio
Owner	Federico Tesio
Trainer	Federico Tesio
Record	14: 14–0–0
Earnings	$86,328 (converted from earnings in Italy and France)
Major wins
Gran Criterium (1937) Premio Tevere (1937) Premio Chiusura (1937) Derby Italiano (1938) Premio Parioli (1938) Gran Premio di Milano (1938) Gran Premio d'Italia (1938) Grand Prix de Paris (1938)
Awards
Italian champion two-year-old (1937) Italian champion three-year-old (1938) Italian Horse of the Year (1938) Leading sire in GB & Ireland (1947, 1948) Leading broodmare sire in Britain & Ireland (1955, 1956)

Nearco (born January 24, 1935 – died June 27, 1957) was an amazing Italian Thoroughbred racehorse. Many experts call him "one of the greatest racehorses of the 1900s." He was also "one of the most important fathers" (sires) of future champions.

Nearco was special because he never lost a single race! He won all 14 of his races. These wins were over different distances, from short sprints (1000 meters) to long races (3000 meters). His big wins included the Derby Italiano and the Grand Prix de Paris.

After his racing career, Nearco was sold for a huge amount of money. He went to England to become a breeding stallion. There, he became the ancestor of many of the most successful horse families in racing history.

Nearco's Early Life and Breeding

Nearco was born in Italy. His breeder was Federico Tesio, a famous horse expert. Tesio also bred other amazing horses, like the undefeated champion Ribot.

Nearco's mother was a great racehorse named Nogara. She had won important races in Italy. In 1934, Tesio wanted Nogara to breed with a top English stallion named Fairway. But he couldn't arrange it. So, Tesio chose Fairway's full brother, Pharos, to be Nearco's father.

Nearco was about 16 hands tall. He had a nearly perfect body shape for a racehorse. He was known for being a bit fiery and very fast. These traits were passed on to many of his children and grandchildren. After he stopped racing, only his groom, Ernie Lee, could handle him.

Nearco's Racing Career

Nearco had a perfect racing record. He won every single race he entered!

Two-Year-Old Races (1937)

In 1937, Nearco won all seven of his races. This made him the Italian champion two-year-old. Here are some of the races he won:

Some people, including his breeder Tesio, thought Nearco might not be strong enough for very long races. But Nearco proved them wrong! He won longer races by being super talented and incredibly fast.

Three-Year-Old Races (1938)

In 1938, Nearco won all seven of his races again. He was named the Italian champion three-year-old and the Horse of the Year. Here are some of his important wins:

Nearco's Breeding Career

Nearco retired from racing after his amazing 14 wins. In 1938, his owner Federico Tesio sold him. This was because of the chance of war in Italy. Nearco was sold to Martin H. Benson in Newmarket, England. The price was £60,000, which was a world record for a breeding stallion at that time. People knew he was so important that a special bomb shelter was built for him. This was to keep him safe if there were air raids.

Nearco was one of the top 10 breeding stallions in England for 15 years. He was the leading sire in Great Britain and Ireland in 1947 and 1948. He had 482 foals (baby horses). Out of these, 273 became winners, and 87 won major races. Some of his most famous children include:

• Nasrullah
• Dante, who won the Epsom Derby in 1945
• Masaka, who won the Epsom and Irish Oaks in 1948
• Nimbus, who won the Epsom Derby in 1949
• Nearctic, who was Canadian Horse of the Year in 1958

Nearco also became a great "damsire." This means his daughters had children who became champions. For example, his daughters were the mothers of Epsom Derby winners Arctic Prince (1948) and Tulyar (1952).

Nearco died on June 27, 1957, and was buried at Beech House Stud.

Nearco's Legacy: A Family of Champions

Nearco's biggest impact comes from his sons. Three of his sons, Nasrullah, Royal Charger, and Nearctic, became very important breeding stallions. More than 100 of Nearco's sons became breeding stallions around the world.

Nasrullah's Family Line

Nasrullah was the first of Nearco's sons to become a famous sire. He was important in England and then in America. His sons who became great sires include:

• Bold Ruler: He was the top sire in the United States eight times. His family line includes Triple Crown winners Secretariat and Seattle Slew.
• Never Bend: He was the father of Mill Reef, whose family line includes modern champions like Sir Percy.

Royal Charger's Family Line

Royal Charger's most important son was Turn-To. Turn-To's sons, Halo and Roberto, were also very important. Halo was the father of Sunday Silence, who became the top sire in Japan for many years. Sunday Silence is the father of many Japanese champions, like Deep Impact.

Nearctic's Family Line

Nearctic is most famous for being the father of Northern Dancer. Northern Dancer won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness. He then became one of the most important sires of the late 1900s. Northern Dancer had many sons who also became amazing sires, such as Nijinsky, Lyphard, Nureyev, and Sadler's Wells.

The Northern Dancer sire line has produced hundreds of major winners all over the world. Many modern champions, like Justify, Galileo, Sea the Stars, and Frankel, come from this family line.

Nearco's Influence on Modern Racing

Nearco's family line is incredibly strong. Many of the top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 1900s are his male-line descendants. These include famous names like Secretariat, Seattle Slew, and Spectacular Bid.

His family line also includes eight of the first nine horses to win over $10,000,000 in prize money. These horses include Deep Impact and Makybe Diva.

It's very rare to find a Thoroughbred horse today that doesn't have some of Nearco's blood in its family tree. From 1985 to 2010, every winner of the famous Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe race in France could trace their family back to Nearco. He truly is one of the most important horses in racing history!

Images for kids

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  Nearco