Hermis

Hermis was a chestnut horse bred by Hiram Berry: H. A. Engman owned his dam, Katy of the West. He was purchased as a two-year-old by Cincinnati theatre man Henry M. Ziegler and was trained by Charles Hughes.{{cite web|url=https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1900s/drf1908051501/drf1908051501_1_3 |title=Ziegler Horses To Race In The East |publisher=Daily Racing Form at University of Kentucky Archives |date=1908-05-15 |accessdate=2019-01-26}} Hermis would be sold to Louis V. Bell who turned him over to Jack McCormack to train.{{cite web|url=https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1910s/drf1912040901/drf1912040901_1_6 |title=Career Of Noted Trainer At End: James H. McCormick Dies in Germany |publisher=Daily Racing Form at University of Kentucky Archives |date=1912-04-09 |accessdate=2019-01-26}} Sold in 1903 to banker Edward R. Thomas, Hermis would then be trained by Alexander Shields who later would acquire a part ownership and then full ownership in 1906.{{cite web|url=https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1910s/drf1917021901/drf1917021901_2_3 |title=How the Great Hermis Was Trained: Alex Shields Worked the Great Little Horse between Shafts of a Sulky |publisher=Daily Racing Form at University of Kentucky Archives |date=1917-02-19 |accessdate=2019-01-26}}{{cite web|url=https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1900s/drf1906070801/drf1906070801_2_6 |title=Alex Shields Gets Stalwart and Hermis: Pays $11,000 for Former and $4,000 for Latter |publisher=Daily Racing Form at University of Kentucky Archives |date=1906-07-08 |accessdate=2019-01-26}}

Beginning at age three, Hermis was a dominant force in racing and would be awarded 1902 American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse and American Horse of the Year honors. At age four he was the 1903 American Champion Older Male Horse and repeated as American Horse of the Year. At his final race during the 1904 World's Fair Handicap in St. Louis, Hermis received an injury to his leg due to being kicked by 1903 Kentucky Derby winner Judge Himes during the start. As a result of the injury, Hermis never raced again.{{cite news|last=Staff|title=All sorts|newspaper=Cincinnati Enquirer|date=September 13, 1908}} However, for 1904 Hermis was again selected as the American Champion Older Male Horse. At the time such Champion designations were espoused by various racing media but these designated honors were selected retrospectively by a panel of experts as published by The Blood-Horse magazine.{{Cite web |url=http://www.bloodhorse.com/eclipsewinners/pdf/History_Charts.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=April 21, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120904120526/http://www.bloodhorse.com/eclipsewinners/pdf/History_Charts.pdf |archive-date=September 4, 2012 |url-status=bot: unknown }}

Hermis was retired to stud duty. On January 3, 1912, the New York Times reported that he had been sold to Edmond Blanc, a prominent French breeder and owner of Haras de Jardy at Marnes-la-Coquette in what is today the western suburbs of Paris.{{cite web|author=[ Displaying Abstract ] |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9D01E4D9163CE633A25750C0A9679C946396D6CF |title=HOLMER SECOND IN FOOT RACE - American Ten Yards Behind Kolehmainen at Powderhall. - Article - NYTimes.com |work=New York Times |date=2012-06-10 |accessdate=2014-01-21}}

{{reflist}}

• [https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1904/06/17/120269538.pdf June 17, 1904 New York Times article on Hermis]
• [http://www.tbheritage.com/Portraits/Spendthrift.html Hermis at Thoroughbred Heritage]

{{American Horse of the Year winners}}

Category:1899 racehorse births

Category:Racehorses trained in the United States

Category:Racehorses bred in Kentucky

Category:Thoroughbred family A2

Category:American Thoroughbred Horse of the Year

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