Rebec purchased for stud

Press, 7 October 1988, Page 28

Rebec purchased for stud

By

DAVID McCARTHY

The Manorshire Stud of Dromore has purchased the underused and underrated sire, Rebec, which has arrived in Canterbury and will stand the season here. Rebec joins Sir Fleet and Silver Blaze at Manorshire, both those stallions being well patronised. The stud is operated by Robert Moriarty. Rebec is the sire of the smart galloper Classic Bay, another top horse in Melleck, Sandboy, winner of six races from 11 starts, Maestri and others.

He was in the top 50 sires in New Zealand last season with just 17 runners, Kobec and Sobec being among his other winners. Sandboy went from maiden to open-class company in that period while Classic Bay’s latest win, his ninth from 25 starts, came in the Beamish Bloodstock Stakes at Hawke’s Bay. Rebec has never had great patronage. He left 30 foals from his first crop in 1978, 11 of 17 runners from that being winners. He has left only one bigger crop. In 1983

he was bred with less than 10 mares, 11 the next season, 14 in 1985 and less than 10 again in 1986, a lack of patronage his breeding and performance hardly deserves. Rebec was a good racehorse in England winning two races at one mile including the Listed race, the Frail Handicap. Each season he encouraged observers such as the respected “Timeform” to believe he would stay much further than the mile but was lightly raced. Rebec is by Tudor

Melody a champion juvenile in England and twice champion two-year-old sire there. Rebec’s dam, Parmelia, (by Ballymoss) was third on the 1970 English Free Handicap for three-year-olds and a half-sister to St Paddy, the Derby and St Leger winner of 1960, which was later a most successful sire. Earlier good winners by Rebec, whose stud fee has not yet been decided, included Ace Harmony, Tudor Gold, Tarbec, String Fantasy and Lyme Regis.