[1] Owned by Edward Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby, Hyperion won GBP £29,509 during his racing career—a considerable sum at the time.

[3] He was by the good Thoroughbred sire Gainsborough, who was one of three wartime Triple Crown winners in the United Kingdom.

The colt was bred and owned by Edward Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby, who hired George Lambton to train him.

He was a thoroughly lazy horse at work, which was unfortunate as he needed a good deal of training to get into top condition, but was a determined performer on the race course.

In Australia and New Zealand, Hyperion's descendants have exerted a profound influence on the racing and breeding industry.

A lifesize statue modelled by John Skeaping in bronze of Hyperion stands at the front of the Jockey Club headquarters on Newmarket High Street.

[3][5] When Hyperion died, Lord Derby and associates toasted him from a bottle of cognac that had been opened in honor of Winston Churchill, and drank to "The two greatest Grand Old Men of our time.