Ribot (GB)

February 27, 1952 – April 28, 1972

Tenerani (ITY) x Romanella (ITY), by El Greco (ITY)

Family 4-l

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Universally considered one of the finest European racehorses of the 20th century, Ribot was master breeder Federico Tesio's masterpiece. Unbeaten in 16 starts, he won over distances ranging from 1000 meters (about 5 furlongs) to 3000 meters (about 15 furlongs). Although he was not entered for the Italian Classics due to his small size as a yearling, his mastery in other races was such that he was acknowledged as the best horse in Italy. Sent to France for two runnings of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and to England for the 1956 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, he was equally dominant against the best horses all Europe could offer. He was a great success at stud in England and the United States.


Race record:

16 starts, 16 wins, 0 seconds, 0 thirds, US$294,414 (converted from earnings in England, France and Italy)

1954:
  • Won Gran Criterium (ITY, 1500mT, San Siro)
  • Won Criterium Nazionale (ITY, 1200mT, San Siro)
  • Won Premio Tramuschio (ITY, 1000mT, San Siro)

1955:
  • Won Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (FR, 2400mT, Longchamp)
  • Won Premio del Jockey Club (ITY, 2400mT, San Siro)
  • Won Premio Emanuele Filiberto (ITY, 2000mT, San Siro)
  • Won Premio Pisa (ITY, 1500mT, Pisa)
  • Won Premio Besana (ITY, 2400mT, San Siro)

1956:
  • Won Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (FR, 2400mT, Longchamp)
  • Won King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (ENG, 12FT, Ascot)
  • Won Premio del Piazzale (ITY, 1800mT, San Siro)
  • Won Gran Premio di Milano (ITY, 3000mT, San Siro)
  • Won Premio Giulio Venino (ITY, 2000mT, San Siro)
  • Won Premio Vittuone (ITY, 2400mT, San Siro)
  • Won Premio Garbagnate (ITY, 2000mT, San Siro)


Honors
  • European Horse of the Year (1955, 1956)
  • Italian champion 2yo male (1954)
  • French champion 3yo male (1955)
  • Italian champion 3yo male (1955)
  • English champion older male (1956)
  • Italian champion older male (1956)


Assessments

Earned Timeform ratings of 133 pounds at 3 and 142 pounds at 4. His rating at 4 was the highest given to any horse in 1956 and at that time ranked behind only the 144 pounds assigned to Tudor Minstrel in 1947 as the highest ever given to any racehorse. Sea-Bird was later rated at 145 pounds in 1965 and Brigadier Gerard was assigned 144 pounds in 1972, placing Ribot in a tie for fourth with the brilliant juveniles Abernant and Windy City II among 20th-century racehorses.

In their book A Century of Champions (1999, Portway Press Ltd), British experts John Randall and Tony Morris rated Ribot as the third best racehorse of the 20th century.


As an individual

Ribot's height has been variously reported at 16 hands and 16.1 hands. He was generally described as a short-backed and short-coupled bay horse, with a strong, compact body and clean legs. He had an exceptionally deep girth. He could handle any footing although he really did not care for heavy going. Darby Dan Farm manager Olin Gentry said of him, "He's a million-dollar-looking horse if I've ever seen one—a real picture horse. He's got good feet, the most impressive eyes you've ever seen, and stands 16 hands—and he's not beefy." Ribot reportedly had a perfect disposition during his racing days, but his temperament deteriorated while he was at stud at Darby Dan to the point that he could not safety be shipped back to Europe when the five-year lease of his services expired. Some experts believed that the horse's erratic and dangerous behavior may have been related to a brain tumor or another organic problem but this was never proven.


As a stallion

According to The Jockey Club, Ribot sired 237 winners (55.4%) and 64 stakes winners (15.0%) from 428 named foals; Peerage of Racehorses (Ulbrich) credits him with 67 stakes winners (15.7% of named foals). He proved a notable source of stamina but tended to pass on temperament problems, particularly to his fillies. Ribot is a Classic/Professional chef-de-race in the Roman-Miller dosage system.


Sire rankings

Per the American Racing Manual (Daily Racing Form) series:
  • 5th on the American general sire list in 1965; 9th in 1969.

Per The Blood-Horse:
  • 5th on the American general sire list in 1965.

​Per Great Thoroughbred Sires of the World (2006, Churchill, Reichard, and Rogers):
  • 9th on the American general sire list in 1969.
  • Led the combined English/Irish general sire list in 1963, 1967, and 1968; 2nd in 1972; 6th in 1964; 8th in 1965.
  • 6th on the combined English/Irish broodmare sire list in 1977.
  • 3rd on the French general sire list in 1961; 6th in 1964.
  • 2nd on the Italian general sire list in 1964.

​Per Thoroughbred Heritage (www.tbheritage.com):
  • Led the combined English/Irish general sire list in 1963, 1967, and 1968.
  • Led the Irish general sire list in 1963, 1967, and 1968.


Notable progeny

Alice Frey (ITY), Arts and Letters (USA), Boucher (USA), Con Brio II (GB), Epidendrum (USA), Filiberto (USA), Graustark (USA), His Majesty (USA), Long Look (USA), Molvedo (ITY), Prince Royal II (GB), Queen Sucree (USA), Ragusa (GB), Regal Exception (USA), Ribero (USA), Ribocco (USA), Ribofilio (GB), Romulus (GB), Sette Bello (USA), Tom Rolfe (USA)


Notable progeny of daughters

Amelia Bearhart (USA), Bireme (GB), Buoy (GB), Cannonade (USA), Cascapedia (USA), Dactylographer (USA), Dancers Countess (USA), Dark Lomond (IRE), Flying Water (FR), Majestic Light (USA), Mi Selecto (USA), Orban (USA), Oui Mon Capitaine (USA), Prima Voce (USA), Roo Art (USA), Treizieme (USA), Vicereine (SAF)


Connections

Ribot was bred by Federico Tesio and the Marchese Mario Incisa della Rochetta in the name of their Razza Dormello-Olgiata. Though he was conceived in Italy, he was foaled at the English National Stud near Newmarket, where his dam was revisiting Tenerani. He was owned by Lydia Tesio (Tesio's widow, who inherited her husband's share of the horse after Tesio's death in May 1954) and the Marchese Mario Incisa della Rochetta. He was trained by Ugo Penco.

Ribot entered stud in England in 1957 and moved to Italy in 1958. He was leased to Darby Dan Farm for the 1961-1965 breeding seasons at a price of US$1.35 million for the lease but by the end of the term had grown too temperamental to be safely shipped back to Europe and remained in America. He died of an intestinal torsion at Darby Dan on April 28, 1972, and was buried in the farm's equine cemetery.


Pedigree notes

Ribot is outcrossed through five generations. He is a half brother to Raeburn (by Botticelli), winner of the 1967 Premio Parioli (Italian Two Thousand Guineas); to multiple Italian stakes winner Radowska (by Airborne); to Premio Dormello winner Rosalba Bernini (by Niccolo dell'Arca; dam of Italian stakes winner Rubina, by Tenerani); and to Rossellina (by Niccolo dell'Arca), winner of the 1960 Premio Elena (Italian One Thousand Guineas) and dam of 1967 Derby Italiano winner Ruysdael (by Right Royal V). Rossellina is also the dam of English stakes winner Realgar (by Right Royal V) and of Rabesina (by Alcide), dam of French Group 2 winner Tipperary Fixer (by Targowice). Another half sister to Ribot, Roderiga (by My Love), produced multiple Italian stakes winner Romanino (by Tissot).

Romanella, the dam of Ribot, was the champion Italian juvenile filly of 1945 but could not be trained after her juvenile season due to a ringbone; she also had a nasty temperament. She was the only important produce of her dam Barbara Burrini, a winning daughter of 1923 Derby Stakes winner Papyrus. Barbara Burrini, in turn, was produced from the winning Buchan mare Bucolic, a half sister to the good English stakes winners Cyclonic and Typhonic (both by Hurry On).


Books and media
  • Ribot: Racing and Breeding Performance of an Exceptional Horse/Ribot: Die Renn-Zuchleistungen Eines Wunderbaren Hengstes was written by John Aiscan and was released by the West German publisher L. B. Ahnert-Verlag, Echzell in 1972.
  • Ribot is profiled in Part Three of Edward Bowen's Dynasties: Great Thoroughbred Stallions (2000, Eclipse Press) and in Chapter 86 of Abram S. Hewitt's Sire Lines (1977, The Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association; updated and re-released in 2006 by Eclipse Press).
  • Ribot is one of 205 stallions whose accomplishments at stud are profiled in Great Thoroughbred Sires of the World (2006, The Australian Bloodhorse Review), a massive reference work written by Jennifer Churchill, Andrew Reichard and Byron Rogers.


Fun facts
  • Ribot was named after 19th-century artist Theodore Augustin Ribot.
  • As a yearling, Tesio referred to Ribot as “il piccolo” (“the little one”) because of his small size.
  • Ribot was known to his adoring Italian fans as “il cavallo super” (“The Super Horse”) and was later selected as Italy's “Horse of the Century.”
  • When John Galbreath leased Ribot for five years of stud duty, the event was considered so significant that it was covered by an article in the June 1, 1959, issue of Sports Illustrated.
  • Ribot's back-to-back Arc wins rated at #71 in Horse Racing's Top 100 Moments, a review of racing in the 20th century compiled by The Blood-Horse and released in 2006.
  • Ribot was rated the 4th-best Italian athlete of the 20th century by La Gazetta dello Sport.
  • Ribot is honored by the annual running of the Group 2 Premio Ribot at Rome's Capannelle race course. The race is for horses aged 3 and up and is contested over 1600 meters (about 1 mile) on turf.
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Photo credit

Photographer unknown. From the collection of Quarter Horse Record (Susan Larkin); used by permission.



Last updated: September 15, 2023