Pebbles (horse)

Pebbles (27 February 1981–9 September 2005) was a British-bred

Pebbles returned in the Champion Stakes at Newmarket in October. She raced over ten furlongs, the longest distance she had attempted and also competed against colts and older horses for the first time. Pebbles looked calmer than usual before the race and settled well towards the back of the field. In the closing stages she was switched to the outside and accelerated into contention before finishing second by a neck to the French-trained colt Palace Music who won in a course record time. In the International Classification for 1984, Pebbles was rated the fifth best three-year-old filly in Europe behind Northern Trick, Katies, the Oaks winner Circus Plume and the Irish Oaks winner Princess Pati.^[7]

Pebbles stayed in training at four and began her season by running in the inaugural

Pebbles faced Bob Back again in the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown, a race which no filly or mare had won since its inception in 1886. Commanche Run was a late withdrawal from the race, but the field included the Coronation Cup winner Rainbow Quest, who started 4/5 favourite. Brittain was worried that the filly's temperament would lead her to become over-excited and deliberately brought her into the paddock late. Pebbles was then re-plated, which Brittain later admitted was a deliberate ploy to delay the race and give her time to relax.^[8] Pebbles tracked the pacemaker August until accelerating into a clear lead early in the straight. According to Timeform, she "never looked in the slightest danger"^[9] and won easily by two lengths from Rainbow Quest, who went on to win that season's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Pebbles was expected to run next in either the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes or the Budweiser Million, but for unexplained reasons, she lost her appetite after her Eclipse win and Brittain decided to rest the filly until autumn.

Pebbles returned for a highly anticipated renewal of the

On the strength of her single victory in the United States, Pebbles was awarded the 1985 Eclipse Award for American Champion Female Turf Horse.^[14] In the International Classification for 1985, Pebbles was the highest rated filly in Europe and the highest rated horse in the 6½ to 10½ furlong division. In the annual poll conducted by the Racegoers' Club, Pebbles received twenty-eight of the thirty votes to be named British Horse of the Year.^[15] She was also named Horse of the Year by Timeform.^[9] In their book A Century of Champions, Tony Morris and John Randall rated Pebbles the fourth-best British filly of the twentieth century behind Pretty Polly, Sun Chariot and Sceptre.^[16]

Pebbles, in addition to her success as a racer, was known for her assorted unique quirks. She was frequently accompanied by a gelding named Come On The Blues (the winner of the Royal Hunt Cup) who exerted a calming influence on the highly strung filly^[10] and escorted her to America for the second running of the Breeders' Cup.^[11] Brittain described Pebbles as an extremely difficult horse to manage and one who could not be trained in the conventional way, noting that she spent more time swimming than galloping. She also was known for consuming a pint of Guinness a day.^[8]

Pebbles was not a success as a broodmare. Despite producing foals by such prominent stallions as Nureyev, Caerleon, Green Desert and Reference Point, none of her progeny distinguished themselves as racehorses.^[17] In 1996 Pebbles was sent to the Darley Stud's Fukumitsu Farm in Japan. She was retired from breeding in 2002 and died in September 2005.^[5]