Roi Herode gr.c. 1904 (Le Samaritain - Roxelane, by War Dance). Sire Line Buzzard. Family 1-k.

Bred by Monsieur Maurice Caillaut from the French-bred Roxelane (ch f 1894 War Dance), winner of the Prix de Diane and Poule d'Essai des Pouliches, Roi Herode was a half brother to Reine des Naples (ch f 1903 Flying Fox), the ancestress of Case Ace (b c 1934 Teddy) and Bold Reasoning (bbr c 1968 Boldnesian), the latter the sire of the triple crown winner Seattle Slew (bbr c 1974).

His sire, Le Samaritain (gr c 1895 Le Sancy), was a good runner and descended in tail-male from King Herod (b c 1758 Tartar). He was purchased in 1909 by Edward Kennedy of the Straffan Station Stud, County Kildare, Ireland, with the objective of reviving the flagging Herod sire line in the British Isles.

On the turf in France he won the Grand Prix de Vichy, a race over a mile at Chantilly, and finished second in the Prix du President de la Republique. In England he finished unplaced in the St Leger, and second to Amadis (b c 1906 Love Wisely) in the Doncaster Cup, beating Mr Kennedy's own Dark Ronald (bbr c 1905 Bay Ronald), after which Mr Kennedy purchased him for £2000. Kept in training the following year he broke down before his engagement in the Chester Cup. Roi Herode won three of his twenty-four starts.

Hastily retired to the stud, he was bred to one of the few mares Mr Kennedy owned who had foaled late that year, Vahren (ch f 1897 Bona Vista), which union produced possibly the fastest horse ever seen on the English turf, The Tetrarch (gr c 1911). None of Roi Herode's other sons measured up to the remarkable grey The Tetrarch, although King John (ch c 1915) won the Irish Derby and Hari Janos (gr c 1912) won the Magyar St Leger. Royal Canopy (gr c 1914), although unraced, had some success as a stallion in Ireland and America.

However, several of his daughters did well on the turf and in the stud. Cinq a Sept (ch f 1924) won the Irish Oaks, Ebor Handicap and Park Hill Stakes, and became the 5th dam of Secretariat (ch c 1970 Bold Ruler) and Sir Gaylord (bbr c 1959 Turn-to). Judea (ch f 1915) also won the Irish Oaks and produced the Irish Derby winner Zionist (b c 1922 Spearmint). La Grisette (gr f 1915) became the 4th dam of Native Dancer (gr c 1950 Polynesian) and Regal Roman (ch f 1921) the 5th dam of Sir Ivor (b c 1965 Sir Gaylord).

Roi Herode died in June of 1931 and was buried at Straffan Station Stud.