Ridge Wood
Ridge Wood | |
---|---|
Sire | Bois Roussel |
Grandsire | Vatout |
Dam | Hanging Fall |
Damsire | Solario |
Sex | Stallion |
Foaled | 1946 |
Country | United Kingdom |
Colour | Bay or Brown |
Breeder | Sledmere Stud |
Owner | Geoffrey Smith |
Trainer | Noel Murless |
Record | 12: 7-1-2 |
Earnings | £21,658 |
Major wins | |
Oxfordshire Stakes (1949) St Leger Stakes (1949) | |
Awards | |
Timeform rating 124 |
Ridge Wood (1946–1956) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the classic St Leger Stakes in 1949. The colt was rejected by his prospective owner as a yearling and failed to win as a two-year-old in 1948. Even after winning five of his first six races as a three-year-old he was not regarded as a top-class performer even by his trainer, who only ran him in the St Leger when a more fancied stable companion was injured. After winning the Leger as a 14/1 outsider, Ridge Wood was defeated in his only subsequent start and was retired to stud, where he was a failure as a breeding stallion. He died at the age of ten in 1956.
Background
Ridge Wood was a dark bay or brown horse with one white foot bred by the Sledmere Stud of
As yearling he was offered for sale at Doncaster where he was bought for 4,000
Racing career
1948: two-year-old season
In 1948, Murless moved his string of racehorses, including Ridge Wood, to
1949: three-year-old season
Ridge Wood showed improved form on his three-year-old debut, winning the Tudor Stakes at
Ridge Wood began his winning run in the City of Birmingham Cup at
At Doncaster on 10 September Ridge Wood was one of sixteen three-year-olds to contest the 173rd running of the St Leger. Murless had not thought the colt good enough to contest the Derby, and only decided to run him in the Leger when another of his stables runners, Royal Forest, was withdrawn from the race after being injured.[2] Richards chose to ride Murless's more-fancied runner Krakatao (winner of the one mile Sussex Stakes) and the ride on Ridge Wood was taken by the fifty-three-year-old Irish jockey Michael Beary. Other contenders included the leading filly Musidora, the French challenger Marveil and the favourite Swallow Tail (third in the Derby).[7] The race was run in brilliant sunshine and attracted what was described as an "enormous" crowd to the Yorkshire course. Starting at odds of 100/7 (just over 14/1), Ridge Wood won the classic by three lengths from Dust Devil, with the American-bred Lone Eagle three-quarters of a length away in third.[8]
Ridge Wood's last race was the King George VI Stakes over two miles at Ascot Racecourse in October. In its brief existence, this race had attracted some of the best staying three-year-olds in Europe, with the three previous runnings having been won by Souverain, Arbar and Alycidon. Ridge Wood started favourite but finished third behind Marveil and Lone Eagle.[3]
Assessment
The independent Timeform organisation gave Ridge Wood a rating of 124 in 1949, fourteen pounds below the top-rated three-year-old Abernant.[9] In their book A Century of Champions, based on a modified version of the Timeform system, John Randall and Tony Morris rated Ridge Wood as a “poor” St Leger winner.[10]
Stud career
Ridge Wood was retired from racing to become a breeding stallion but was a complete failure at stud. He sired no winners of any importance and died of "chronic toxic poisoning" in 1956.[3] His only impact came through his daughter Tekka, who produced Garvey Girl, the dam of two fast horses in Hot Spark (Flying Childers Stakes)[11] and Bitty Girl (Queen Mary Stakes), Molecomb Stakes, Lowther Stakes).[12]
Pedigree
Sire Bois Roussel (FR) 1935 |
Vatout (FR) 1926 |
Prince Chimay | Chaucer |
---|---|---|---|
Gallorette | |||
Vashti | Sans Souci | ||
Vaya | |||
Plucky Liege (GB) 1912 |
Spearmint | Carbine | |
Maid of the Mint | |||
Concertina | St. Simon | ||
Comic Song | |||
Dam Hanging Fall (GB) 1940 |
Solario (IRE) 1922 |
Gainsborough | Bayardo |
Rosedrop | |||
Sun Worship | Sundridge | ||
Doctrine | |||
Meadow Rhu (GB) 1931 |
Phalaris | Polymelus | |
Bromus | |||
Mellowness | Chaucer | ||
Dinner (Family: 11-a)[1] |
References
- ^ a b "Thoroughbred Bloodlines - Scratch - Family 11-a". Bloodlines.net. Retrieved 2013-05-30.
- ^ Indian Express. 21 September 1949. p. 7. Retrieved 2013-05-30.
- ^ ISBN 0-354-08536-0.
- Glasgow Herald. 10 August 1949. Retrieved 2013-05-30.
- ^ ""Thrilling" horse race brings Bronx cheer". Spokane Daily Chronicle. 8 August 1949. p. 2. Retrieved 2013-05-30.
- ISBN 978-1-873626-15-3.
- ^ "Swallow Tail for St Leger". Glasgow Herald. 10 September 1949. p. 2. Retrieved 2013-05-30.
- Sydney Morning Herald. 11 September 1949. p. 2. Retrieved 2013-05-30.
- ISBN 0-85112-902-1.
- ISBN 978-1-901570-15-1.
- ^ "Hot Spark pedigree". equineline.com. 2012-05-08. Retrieved 2013-05-30.
- ^ "Bitty Girl". equineline.com. 2012-05-08. Retrieved 2013-05-30.
- ^ "Ridge Wood pedigree". equineline.com. 2012-05-08. Retrieved 2013-05-30.