Ribot (horse)

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Ribot
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Sire:	Tenerani
Grandsire:	Bellini
Dam:	Romanella
Damsire:	El Greco
Sex:	Stallion
Foaled:	1952
Country:	UK
Colour:	Bay
Breeder:	Dormello-Olgiata Stud Farm
Owner:	Mario della Rocchetta
Trainer:	Ugo Penco
Record:	16: 16-0-0
Earnings:	$294,414
Major Racing Wins & Honours & Awards
Major Racing Wins
Gran Criterium (1954) Gran Premio del Jockey Club (1955) Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (1955 & 1956) Gran Premio di Milano (1956) George VI & Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes (1956)
Racing Awards
Italian 2-Yr-Old Champion Colt (1954) Italian 3-Yr-Old Champion Colt (1955) Italian Champion Older Horse (1956) United Kingdom Champion Older Horse (1956) France Champion Older Horse (1956) Leading sire in GB & Ireland (1963, 1967, 1968)
Honours
Tied at #3 - Timeform rank of the World's top horses La Gazzetta dello Sport poll : Ranked No.4 Italian athlete of the 20th century
Infobox last updated on: September 30, 2006.

The horse Ribot (1952-1972) was a bay thoroughbred foaled in England in 1952 by Tenerani out of Romanella by El Greco. Ribot was bred by Federico Tesio (1867-1954) and raced by his partner Mario Incisa della Rocchetta. Tenerani 1944 was bred by Tesio using a stallion he had bred, Bellini {1937} which in turn was sired by a Tesio bred Cavaliere D' Arpino {1926}. The latter was sired by Havresac II a son of the great stallion St. Simon. Romanella was also bred by Tesio using an imported dam, Barbara Burrini and an Italian sire, El Greco 1934, which Tesio had also bred, from the sire Pharos and an imported mare, Gay Camp 1923. Like many of Tesio's horses, Ribot was named after an artist, in this case the French realist Théodule-Augustin Ribot.

Tesio, who also bred the undefeated Nearco, did not live to see Ribot develop into a champion.

Ribot won all 16 of his races, including the Gran Premio di Milano, the Gran Premio del Jockey Club, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (twice), and the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes. Ribot was a champion at two, three, and four in Italy, and at four in both England and France as well. He then had a successful career at stud in the United States. His get included Molvedo and Prince Royal, both winners of the Arc, Tom Rolfe, winner of the Preakness Stakes, Graustark, and U.S. Hall of Famer Arts and Letters

Ribot's three Kentucky Derby-winning descendants include the dual classic winners Funny Cide and Pleasant Colony and the ill-fated Barbaro. Another descendant, Alleged, replicated Ribot's feat of winning consecutive runnings of the prestigious Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

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Fiery on the racetrack, Ribot developed a dangerous temperament after his importation to the United States. A good-sized, but not overly large horse, he had to be handled by the largest, strongest stallion groom at Darby Dan Farm, where he stood stud. In his stall, Ribot was in the habit of putting his front feet on the upper edge of the wooden panelling so that he could reach and chew on a high wooden beam. While in his paddock, he was so territorial, he would not tolerate the sight of other stallions. Once, he even refused to calm down until a herd of cows were moved over a hill and out of his vision.

Originally, Ribot was leased by Darby Dan to stand in the United States for five years only. After Ribot's temper surfaced, no insurance company would offer a policy to cover shipping the stallion back to Europe. A new contract was worked out and Ribot remained in the United States until his death. He is buried in the equine cemetery at Darby Dan, near his sons Graustark and His Majesty.