Greek mythology next generation of heroes, as well as Heracles, went with Jason in the ship "Argo" to fetch the Golden Fleece. This generation also included Theseus, who went to Crete to slay the Minotaur; Atalanta, the female heroine, and Meleager, who once had an epic cycle of his own to rival the "Iliad" and "Odyssey". Pindar, Apollonius and the "Bibliotheca" endeavor to give full lists of the Argonauts. Although Apollonius wrote his poem in the 3rd century BC, the composition of the story of the Argonauts is earlier than "Odyssey", which shows familiarity with the exploits of Jason (the wandering of
Golden Fleece (horse) to be trained by Vincent O'Brien at Ballydoyle. Golden Fleece was sired by Nijinsky, the Canadian-bred winner of the English Triple Crown in 1970 who went on to become an important stallion, siring horses such as Ferdinand, Lammtarra, Sky Classic, Caerleon, Royal Academy and Shahrastani. Golden Fleece's dam, Exotic Treat, produced at least four other winners. Golden Fleece began his racing career in September 1981 when he contested a one-mile maiden race at Leopardstown Racecourse. Ridden by Pat Eddery, he took the lead in the straight and won decisively from Assert, despite being eased down in the closing stages. Golden