Godolphin’s record-breaking dual European Champion miler Ribchester will shuttle to Kelvinside in New South Wales for the 2018 season.
Ribchester set a new track record for Ascot’s straight mile when winning the G1 Queen Anne Stakes at the Royal meeting in 2017. He had broken his maiden in the prestigious G2 Mill Reef Stakes over 1,200m as a two-year-old, before winning his first European title as a three-year-old, his Championship sealed with victory in an especially competitive running of the G1 Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville.
In 2017, Ribchester began his campaign to retain his crown with a wide-margin win in the G1 Lockinge. After his record-breaking win in the Queen Anne Stakes, a second successful trip to France saw him land the Prix du Moulin.
Ribchester is the best yet by Iffraaj, one of the world’s top ten sires of G1 winners last year. Iffraaj has enjoyed huge success in the southern hemisphere, headlined by Classic winners Jon Snow, Gingernuts and Turn Me Loose. His first stallion son, Wootton Bassett, sired European Horse of the Year Almanzor in his first crop.
Ribchester descends from an outstanding female family and is the highest-rated horse descended from Fall Aspen since the great Dubai Millennium.
Darley’s Head of Sales in Australia, Alastair Pulford, described the latest addition to the roster as, ‘one of the best-performing shuttle stallions the organisation has ever stood’.
‘In some ways he’s like Shamardal and Dubawi, both top European milers too,’ Pulford said.
‘Even better though, his father Iffraaj is a top Mr Prospector-line sire who has already succeeded in this part of the world.
‘Ribchester represents a great outcross for the many Danehill-line mares in this country – mares by Exceed And Excel, Snitzel, Not A Single Doubt and many others are really going to suit this magnificent individual.’
Ribchester’s fee will be confirmed at a later date.
For further information, please contact the nominations team on +61 (0)2 6543 9000.
