Sea Hero, oldest living Kentucky Derby champ, dies in Turkey at 29

Sea Hero, the oldest-living Kentucky Derby winner, has died at 29, The Jockey Club of Turkey announced Wednesday on Twitter.

The 1993 Derby champ enjoyed a long stud career in Turkey before retiring in 2015. The Jockey Club of Turkey’s tweet called Sea Hero “our pensioned stallion.”

Sea Hero was a Grade 1 winner as a 2-year-old in 1992, taking Belmont Park’s Champagne Stakes. The following May, he entered the 1993 Kentucky Derby for owner Paul Mellon and trainer Mac Miller on a four-race losing streak and as a 13-1 shot.

Under jockey Jerry Bailey, Sea Hero ran eighth a mile into the race before making a late move in the stretch. The Virginia-bred son of Polish Navy ducked toward the rail, powered by leader Personal Hope and thundered on to a 2 ½-length victory over favorite Prairie Bayou.

Sea Hero then added a third Grade 1 victory to his resume in August 1993, scoring by two lengths over Kissin Kris in the Travers Stakes. A statue of Sea Hero sits at Saratoga, where he scored that victory.