The most notable horses from this era included Rothschild's founding stallion King Tom and his offspring Favonius and Hannah who between them won the Epsom Derby, 1,000 Guineas, Oaks, and St Leger in 1871.
It sometimes appears as Zephyrus, the ancient Greek name, probably derived from "zopho" (meaning dark, gloomy, a reference to the sunset rather than the quality of the wind.) Romans also called it Favonius, probably meaning "favorable", as the westerly wind in the Mediterranean was regarded as a mild wind that brought relief from the summer heat and some useful moisture for crops.