Helissio is a 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...

 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...

 sired by Fairy King and a grandson of Northern Dancer

Northern Dancer

Northern Dancer was a Canadian-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and the most successful sire of the 20th Century. The National Thoroughbred Racing Association calls him "one of the most influential sires in Thoroughbred history"....

. Owned by the Spanish

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

 businessman Enrique Sarasola

Enrique Sarasola

Enrique Sarasola was a Spanish industrialist, a major figure in his country's transition to democracy, and an owner and breeder of Thoroughbred racehorses....

, he was voted the European Horse of the Year

European Horse of the Year

European Horse of the Year is an award in European Thoroughbred horse racing. Since 1991 the honor has been part of the Cartier Racing Awards. It is presented annually by Cartier SA to a horse of any age racing in Europe.-Honorees:...

 for 1996

His career highlight was winning the 1996 running of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamps by five lengths and earned a Timeform rating of 136. He failed to reproduce that form the following year finishing 7¾ lengths behind the winner Peintre Celebre.

Retired after his four-year-old campaign, Helissio stood at stud

Horse breeding

Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. Planned matings can be used to produce specifically desired characteristics in domesticated horses...

 at the Widden Stud in Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

 and Shadhai Farm in Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. He currently stands at The National Stud

The National Stud

The National Stud is a United Kingdom Thoroughbred horse breeding farm located two miles from Newmarket. The Stud originated in 1916 as a result of a gift by William Hall Walker of the entire bloodstock of his stud farm in Tully, Kildare town in County Kildare, Ireland...

 in Newmarket, 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...

. He has sired Helenus, a top class Australian three-year-old stayer; the brilliant Japanese horse Pop Rock

Pop Rock (horse)

is a Japanese racehorse trained by Katsuhiko Sumii. Pop Rock is best known for having placed second in the 2006 Melbourne Cup, ridden by Damien Oliver. It was Damien Oliver's 17th time racing in the Melbourne Cup....

; and Weekend Beauty, the dam of six-time Group One winner Weekend Hussler.

Detailed information, including pedigree analysis and progeny performance, can be found at the Scarvagh Stud/Sandley Stud website.