Golden Fleece the Twelve Olympians. The golden fleece was defended by bulls with hoofs of brass and breath of fire. It was also guarded by a never sleeping dragon with teeth which could become soldiers when planted in the ground. The dragon was at the foot of the tree on which the fleece was placed. Pindar employed the quest for the Golden Fleece in his Fourth Pythian Ode (written in 462 BCE), though the fleece is not in the foreground. When Aeetes challenges Jason to yoke the fire-breathing bulls, the fleece is the prize: "Let the King do this, the captain of
Golden Fleece (horse) best horse I have ever sat on". Golden Fleece had training problems after his win at Epsom and was retired to stud without racing again. In 1981, Golden Fleece was given a rating of 99 by the independent Timeform organisation. In the following year, Golden Fleece was given an end of season rating of 133 by Timeform, placing him fourth behind Ardross, Assert and Green Forest. The official International Classification however, rated him the best European racehorse of the year, a pound ahead of Assert and Kalaglow. Pat Eddery, who later rode such champions as Dancing Brave, El Gran Senor,