Eole was an American Thoroughbred

Thoroughbred

The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...

 Champion racehorse

Horse racing

Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...

 who was one of the last of the great long distance runners.

Eole was bred by at Ellerslie Stud in Albemarle County, Virginia

Albemarle County, Virginia

As of the census of 2000, there were 79,236 people, 31,876 households, and 21,070 families residing in the county. The population density was 110 people per square mile . There were 33,720 housing units at an average density of 47 per square mile...

 by owner Richard J. Hancock, the father of Arthur B. Hancock

Arthur B. Hancock

Arthur Boyd Hancock was an American breeder of Thoroughbred racehorses who established the renowned Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentucky....

 who later founded Claiborne Farm

Claiborne Farm

Claiborne Farm is a thoroughbred Horse breeding operation in near Paris, Kentucky. It was established in 1910, by Arthur B. Hancock, owner of Ellerslie Farm in Albemarle County, Virginia, and has been operated by members of his family ever since.-Owners:...

 in Kentucky

Kentucky

The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...

. Unraced at age two, Eole was then purchased by Frederic Gebhard and raced at age three.

Conditioned for racing by Evert Snedecker

Evert V. Snedecker

Evert V. "Eph" Snedecker was an American Thoroughbred horse racing trainer and owner.Born on Long Island, New York, Evert Snedecker grew up in a family involved with the sport of horse racing.His grandparents owned racehorses and one of his uncles was a trainer. In 1852 he went to work at the...

, in 1881 Eole's best major race results were second-place finishes in the Dixie Stakes, Gravesend Handicap and in the Classic, Belmont Stakes

Belmont Stakes

The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes Thoroughbred horse race held every June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is a 1.5-mile horse race, open to three year old Thoroughbreds. Colts and geldings carry a weight of 126 pounds ; fillies carry 121 pounds...

. At age four, Eole was one of the top long distance runners in the United States, winning the Champion Stakes

Champion Stakes (United States)

The Champion Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in August at the Monmouth Park Association's racetrack in Long Branch, New Jersey...

 and the Great Metropolitan Stakes at 1½ miles, the Jockey Club Handicap at 2 miles, the Monmouth Cup at 2¼ miles, and the Autumn Cup at 3 miles at Sheepshead Bay Race Track

Sheepshead Bay Race Track

Sheepshead Bay Race Track was an American Thoroughbred horse racing facility built on the site of the Coney Island Jockey Club at Sheepshead Bay, New York...

. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9F04E0D91E3EE433A25753C1A96F9C94639FD7CF http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9804E1D7113EE433A25752C3A9639C94639FD7CF

1883 Championship year

At age five, Eole's wins included the first of his two consecutive victories in the 1½ mile Freehold Stakes

Freehold Stakes

The Freehold Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in early August at the Monmouth Park Association's racetrack in Long Branch, New Jersey...

 at the Monmouth Park Association's Long Branch Racetrack and his second straight win of the 3 mile Autumn Cup. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9507E4DA133BE033A2575AC0A96F9C94629FD7CF Eole's performances that year earned him retrospective American Champion Older Male Horse honors from Thoroughbred Heritage. http://www.tbheritage.com/TurfHallmarks/Champs/AmChampOlderMale.html

At age six in 1884, Eole won his second edition of the Freehold Stakes and in 1885 was sent to race in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 where he ran second in the prestigious 2½ mile Ascot Gold Cup

Ascot Gold Cup

The Gold Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 2 miles and 4 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in June....

 to Epsom Derby

Epsom Derby

The Derby Stakes, popularly known as The Derby, internationally as the Epsom Derby, and under its present sponsor as the Investec Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies...

 winner, St. Gatien

St. Gatien

St. Gatien was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In 1884 he was involved in the second and final dead heat in the history of the Epsom Derby, part of an unbeaten sequence of twelve races. St...

. For 1886, Eole returned home to the United States where he raced through age nine, notably winning the 1887 Kearney Stakes at Saratoga Race Course

Saratoga Race Course

Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. It opened on August 3, 1863, and is the oldest organized sporting venue of any kind in the United States. It is typically open for racing from late July through early September.-History:John...

.

Retired to stud

Stud (animal)

A stud animal is a registered animal retained for breeding. The terms for the male of a given animal species usually imply that the animal is entire—that is, not castrated—and therefore capable of siring offspring...

 duty for the 1888 season, on August 13 Eole was being shipped aboard an Erie Railroad

Erie Railroad

The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in New York State, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, originally connecting New York City with Lake Erie...

 express train from New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 bound for Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

 when it derailed at Shohola, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

 at 1:40 in the morning. The railcar filled with horses rolled down an 80 foot embankment and burst into flames. One person died in the fire along with Eole and fourteen other horses belonging to Fred Gebhard and his companion, the actress Lily Langtry. http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E1DA1230E633A25756C1A96E9C94699FD7CF