HMS Argo (1758) sea. The frigate was named after the Argo, the ship from Greek mythology upon which Jason and the Argonauts sailed from Iolcos to Colchis to retrieve the Golden Fleece. The Navys choice of this name followed a trend initiated in 1748 by John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, in his capacity as First Sea Lord, of using figures from classical antiquity as descriptors for naval vessels. A total of six "Coventry"-class vessels were named in this manner; a further ten were named after geographic features including regions, English or Irish rivers, or towns. In sailing qualities "Argo" was broadly comparable
Golden Fleece (horse) main rival in the betting, the Henry Cecil-trained Simply Great. Ridden by Pat Eddery, he was held up in the early stages and was still towards the back of the field on the turn into the straight. He was then switched to the outside and began to make rapid progress. Golden Fleece took the lead a furlong from the finish and pulled away to win by three lengths from the future St Leger winner Touching Wood with Silver Hawk third. His winning time of 2:34.27 was the fastest for almost fifty years. After the race, Eddery called Golden Fleece "the