Not only did Ribchester break the course record when he landed the G1 Queen Anne S. over a mile at Royal Ascot in 2017 but he also has the distinction of being a dual Royal winner having displayed his affinity for the track when scoring a decisive victory in the previous year’s G3 Jersey S.
As a son of Iffraaj (GB) – who has been the source of multiple Group 1 winners himself in the Southern Hemisphere through Gingernuts (NZ), Jon Snow (NZ) and Turn Me Loose (NZ) – shuttling down under was also always going to be a viable option for a horse with such a race record and profile as the four-time Group 1 winner.
Something special
Originally sourced by bloodstock agent Aidan ‘Mouse’ O’Ryan in conjunction with Fahey and previous owners David and Emma Armstrong’s Highfield Farm for €105,000 as a yearling at the Goffs Orby Sale, Ribchester was not shy about giving his trainer signals that he could be a little bit out of the ordinary.
“It was very early on, probably March of his 2-year-old season that I thought he could be something special,” recalls Yorkshire based Fahey.
"The only shock was that he then got beaten in his maiden, I couldn't believe it!” - Trainer Richard Fahey
“He could just go very fast quite easily. He then grew a bit after March, so we had to give him some time as we knew he was worth it. The only shock was that he then got beaten in his maiden, I couldn't believe it!”
Trainer Richard Fahey with Ribchester
That surprising reversal when he finished second on debut in a Doncaster maiden did nothing to dampen Fahey’s enthusiasm for the colt and he duly threw him in at the deep end on his next start in the G2 Gimcrack S. at York’s prestigious Ebor Festival. The horse ran a huge race to again finish second and it was a run which caught the attention of the Godolphin talent spotters who did a deal with the Armstrong’s to acquire the colt.
That move by Godolphin was rewarded when Ribchester ‘broke his maiden’ in the G2 Mill Reef S. over six furlongs at Newbury on his next start, a win which left Fahey confident he had a proper Group 1 horse and potential Classic contender on his hands. Fahey chose to bring Ribchester to France for his 2016 seasonal debut in the G3 Prix Djebel over seven furlongs. The exercise proved a bit inconclusive as despite finishing second, Ribchester drifted across the track in the last furlong and was demoted to fifth for causing interference.
Undaunted, Fahey stuck with Plan A and directed Ribchester to the G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas at Newmarket where he finished a solid third to Galileo Gold (GB) (Paco Boy {Ire}). That was his first start over a mile and while it gave connections confidence that he could deliver a big performance over that trip, Fahey also knew he had the requisite speed to drop back in trip if he so wished.
Champion miler
The trainer did indeed go that route on his next start in Royal Ascot’s G3 Jersey S. over seven furlongs not because of the distance but rather he wanted a win on the board and he felt this was the safest route. That proved a wise move by Fahey as Ribchester blitzed his 18 rivals winning by two lengths under William Buick, justifying his trainer’s belief in his rising star.
“I fancied him big time in the Jersey,” Fahey said. “We took the easy option as he could have run in the [G1] St James's Palace S. We just felt for his mental preparation we would take the easy option so I was very confident beforehand.”
“I fancied him big time in the Jersey." - Richard Fahey
A return to the top level then beckoned and it was the G1 Qatar Sussex S. at Glorious Goodwood, where, in a rousing three-way finish Ribchester finished third behind two Classic winning 3-year-olds in The Gurkha (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Galileo Gold. That particular race would prove a slight bogey for Ribchester as he returned the following year as odds on favourite and got chinned by outsider Here Comes When (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) when the race was run in terrible conditions.
“That second Sussex was certainly frustrating, but he ran a great race in the worst conditions, raining and blowing a gale and definitely not ideal for any man or beast,” said Fahey.
Fahey’s insistence that Ribchester was the best horse he ever trained would soon become validated by a racetrack performance when William Buick produced the colt to master Vadamos (Fr) (Monsun {Ger}) in the last furlong to win the G1 Prix Jacques Le Marois at Deauville in August 2016 and there was absolutely no disgrace in finding only the brilliant six-time Group 1 winning filly Minding (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) a half a length too strong in the season finale the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. at Ascot on British Champions Day.
Watch: Ribchester winning the G1 Prix Jacques Le Marois at Deauville
Ribchester would end his 3-year-old season as European Champion Miler, a feat he repeated the following season. That 2017 season would begin at Meydan in March where Ribchester took third behind Vivlos (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in the G1 Dubai Turf, a race which set him up nicely for a straightforward victory in the G1 Al Shaqab Lockinge S. at Newbury. Richard Fahey was again high on confidence as Royal Ascot approached and Ribchester duly delivered.
Despite wandering around slightly in the last furlong he got favourite backers off to a flyer when leading home a field of 16 in the Queen Anne. “It sounds silly but I was extremely confident and I thoroughly enjoyed the Queen Anne win,” Fahey said. “Winning the opening race of the meeting also helped take the pressure off for the rest of the week and what put the icing on the cake was that he broke the track record,” he added.
Retirement welcomed by breeders
Ribchester put the aforementioned defeat in the Sussex S. behind him to add a G1 Prix du Moulin at Chantilly to his CV but then was undone by another filly in the Queen Elizabeth II at Ascot, this time the John Gosden trained Persuasive (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}). Ribchester’s swansong came in the GI Breeders’ Cup Mile at Del Mar where he finished a close up fifth, perhaps by then feeling the effects of a long season.
His retirement to Darley’s Kildangan Stud in Ireland for the 2018 breeding season was welcomed by breeders who supported him with a book of 154 mares and reflecting back on some of the traits that may have provided that spark of racing brilliance Fahey said, “He was over enthusiastic as a young horse as he could go from 0 to 38mph in 4 strides. But as he got older, he got easier to manage and he was in a very good routine at home, perhaps he just got wiser as he got older.
Ribchester's retirement to Kildangan was welcomed by breeders
"I always thought he could have been a top class sprinter as well and he would have had no trouble winning a Group 1 over six furlongs, he just had that natural speed and the will to win.”
Breeders will be hoping Ribchester passes those traits onto his offspring and while it is early days yet the reports on his first crop of European foals is positive. Fahey was obviously keen to see a few for himself and said, “Yes, I have been very pleased with what I've seen. I’ve only seen four so far but they all look racy with a bit of quality. I am led to believe that everyone is happy with them and I look forward to getting my hands on some to train in the coming years.”
