English Horse Bought For Local Stud

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30234, 12 September 1963, Page 4

English Horse Bought For Local Stud

Ribotlight (above), a son of the unbeaten Italian champion, Ribot, and the One Thousand Guineas winner, Honeylight, has been bought in England for stud duty in Canterbury. He has been purchased by Mr J. G. Alexander, of Wanganui, and has been leased by Mr G. H. Murfitt, Jun., to stand at his Riccarton Stud.

Ribotlight, a rising four-yeair-oid by English time, won twice and was three times placed in a light racing programme. His wins were at a mile and a mile and a half. He left England about 10 days ago, and is expected to arrive at Riccarton early next month. First In N.Z. Ribotlight is the first son of Ribot to come to New Zealand. ' In going through his career unbeaten Ribot was, with considerable justice, once called “the best racehorse in the world.”

Ribot won most of the major Italian events and 30,360,000 lire, two runnings of the Prix de I’Arc de Triomphe and 59,880,000 francs, and the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes and £23,727. He stood his first stud season in England before returning to Italy, and he was serving in his third country in a short space of time wihen he arrived in the United States in 1961. Ribot was retired to the stud in 1967. He has sired winners of 32 races and £30,299, including the stakes winners Romulus, Latin Lover, Orbit, Arivederci, Authorise, Kiskas, and Ragusa; he is also sire of Molvedo, the champion three-year-old of Europe in 1961, winner of the Prix de I’Arc de Triomphe and big races in Italy, and Sir Ribot, a stakes winner in the United States, Million-Dollar Lease Ribot was secured for the United States in one of the most spectacular bloodstock deals in history. Mr John W. Galbreath paid Ih>e Razza Dormello-Olguata 1,350,000 dollars for a fiveyear lease, 1961-65, on the son of Tenerani-Romanella. He stands at Mr Galbraith's Darby Dan farm. Mr Galbreath reserved 15 services each year for his own mares, and five more are held for DormeMo-Olgiata mares. Other breeders are paying 10,000 dollars a service without the usual provisions for a guaranteed live foal or a return season should the mare prove barren. Riibotligiht’s dam, Honey-. Hight, won the One Thousand Guineas, the Free Handicap Stakes at Newmarket, three other races, and £14,899. The second dam, Crepuscle (by Mieuxce) also left Crepeillo, winner of the Two Thousand Guineas, the Derby, the Dewthurst Stakes' and £34,201; Twilight Alley, winner of the Ascot Gold Cup and forced into early retirement when he cracked a pastern bone; and Night Court, winner of the Ebishaib Stakes at Epsom. Crepello is now at the stud at a four-figure fee. Twilight Alley was injured in the King George and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, a race won by Ragusa (son (jf Ribot), which was expected to win today’s St Leger. ' Ribotlight’s darn, Honeylight, traces to Dorina, a winner of six races including the French Cteks and Grand Criterium, and dam of four winners including Astrophel, which took high ranking and was a successful sire.