Our Babu

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Our Babu
Sire
2000 Guineas (1955)
Awards
Top-rated British Two-year-old (1954)
Timeform joint-top-rated two-year-old colt (1954)[1]

Our Babu (1952 – 16 December 1977) was an Irish-bred, British-trained

2000 Guineas at Newmarket the following spring. After failing to win in two subsequent races he was retired to stud
, where he had limited success as a sire of winners in the United States, Europe and Japan.

Background

Our Babu was a bay horse with a white star and snip and distinctive "lop" ears[2][3] bred in Ireland by Sir Oliver Lambart. He was sired by the champion two-year-old and 2000 Guineas winner My Babu out of the mare Glen Line who showed no ability as a racehorse but was a highly successful broodmare producing the Eclipse Stakes winner King of the Tudors. As a descendant of the mare Sunbridge, she was a member of the same Thoroughbred family as Windsor Lad.[4]

As a yearling, Our Babu was sent to England for the

guineas by David Robinson who sent him to be trained by Major Geoffrey Brooke at his Clarehaven Stables at Newmarket.[5]

Racing career

1954: two-year-old season

Our Babu made a successful first appearance when he won the Spring Stakes at

Queen's colt Corporal.[6] He was then sent to Newmarket in October for the six furlong Middle Park Stakes, one of the season's most important races for two-year-olds, and won in a close finish from the Irish-trained Hugh Lupus and the July Stakes winner Tamerlane. In the Free Handicap, a ranking of the best two-year-olds to have run in Britain, Our Babu was assigned the top rating of 133 pounds, one pound ahead of Hugh Lupus, thereby matching the achievement of his sire, who had been the top juvenile of 1947.[5] He was also the top-rated colt in the independent Timeform ratings, sharing a mark of 131 with Beau Prince and Hugh Lupus
.

1955: three-year-old season

In April 1955, Our Babu returned from the winter break with a defeat by the Queens colt Alexander in the 2000 Guineas Trial over seven furlongs at

13/2, with Tamerlane starting 5/1 favourite in a strong field of twenty-three runners which included five runners from France and three from Ireland. Ridden by Doug Smith he prevailed in a closely contested finish, winning by a neck from Tamerlane, who had looked the likely winner a furlong from the finish with the fast-finishing French colt Klairon a short head away in third. After the race Smith commented "I was not sure that I had won, I just kept riding as hard as I could." Our Babu was again emulating My Babu, who won the race in 1948.[3]

Our Babu failed to reproduce his best form in two subsequent races. Racing beyond a mile for the first and only time, he was strongly fancied for

St. James's Palace Stakes.[5] He was then sold to syndicate of American breeders for a reported $600,000 and retired from racing.[10]

Assessment

Our Babu's highest Timeform rating was 131 as a two-year-old in 1954, when the organisation rated him the equal-best horse of his generation in Europe. A rating of 130 is considered the mark of an above average Group One winner.[1]

Stud career

Our Babu initially stood as a stallion for his new owners in the United States. In 1963, he was returned to stand in England for four years before he was sold again and exported to Japan, where he died on 16 December 1977.

Falls City Handicap.[12]

Pedigree

Pedigree of Our Babu (IRE), bay stallion, 1952[13]
Sire
My Babu (FR)
1945 		Djebel
1937 		Tourbillon Ksar
Durban
Loika Gay Crusader
Coeur a Coeur
Perfume
1938 		Badruddin Blandford
Mumtaz Mahal
Lavendula Pharos
Sweet Lavender
Dam
Glen Line (GB)
1942 		Blue Peter
1936 		Fairway Phalaris
Scapa Flow
Fancy Free Stefan the Great
Celiba
Scotia's Glen
1935 		Beresford Friar Marcus
Bayberry
Queen Scotia Tetratema
Sunbridge (Family:19-b)[4]

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 0-85112-902-1
    .
  2. ^ "Our Babu with Doug Smith". Geraldsegasby.co.uk. 12 March 2011. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
  3. ^ a b "Our Babu clicks in Guineas race". The Leader-Post. 28 April 1955. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
  4. ^ a b "Constantia - Family 19-b". Bloodlines.net. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
  5. ^
    ISBN 0-354-08536-0
    .
  6. ^ "John Longden finishes fourth". The Leader-Post. 9 September 1954. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
  7. ^ "Queen's Horse Upsets Rustam in UK Stakes". Montreal Gazette. 2 April 1956. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
  8. ^ "Our babu best backed horse for the Derby". The Bulletin. 24 May 1955. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
  9. ^ "Confidence still in Acropolis for the Derby". Evening Times. 21 May 1955. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
  10. ^ "American Duo Buys My Babu for $600,000". Hartford Courant. 22 June 1956. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
  11. ^ Staff. "Our Babu (GB)". Japan Race Horse Registry. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  12. ^ "Our Babu Offspring". Pedigreequery.com. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
  13. ^ "Pedigree of Our Babu - IDSHS(AUS) Online Stud Book". IDSHS. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
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