Crack miler Ribchester to shuttle to Darley Australia

Multiple Group 1 winner Ribchester will shuttle to Darley’s Kelvinside base in New South Wales for the 2018 breeding season.

Trained by Richard Fahey and raced for most of his career by Godolphin, the ultra consistent son of Iffraaj amassed more than £2.6 million in career prize-money and retired in 2017 as the winner of six of his 16 career starts, including four at Group 1 level, and only failing to make the frame on two occasions.

Ribchester was purchased by Godolphin after finishing runner-up on his second career start in the Gimcrack Stakes at York and won the 2015 Mill Reef Stakes at Newbury on his first start in the Godolphin blue.

Arguably his two best career performances came with his dominant three-and-three-quarter length victory in last season’s Lockinge Stakes at Newbury and on his next start when breaking the track record for the straight mile at Ascot in his defeat of Mutakayyef in the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot in 2017.

The European champion miler is one of eight Group 1 winners and 58 stakes winners for fellow Darley sire Iffraaj, who shuttles to Haunui Farm in New Zealand from Dalham Hall Stud in Newmarket.

Iffraaj has enjoyed huge success in the southern hemisphere, headlined by Group 1 winners Jon Snow, Gingernuts and Turn Me Loose, and due to their exploits he stood the 2017 season for an increased fee of NZ$25,000 having stood for NZ$17,500 in 2016.

Ribchester stands in the northern hemisphere at Darley’s Kildangan Stud in Ireland for a fee of €30,000.

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.”

Purchased as a yearling by Highfield Farm for €105,000 from the Irish National Stud draft at the Goffs Orby Sale, Ribchester is the first foal out of the unplaced Marju mare Mujarah, who has also produced the winner Golconda Prince.

Mujarah herself is a half-sister to Group 3 winner Tactic and Listed winner Yazzy and to the dam of Group 3 winner Convergence and four further winners. Meanwhile, his third dam is Irish 1,000 Guineas winner Mehthaaf, who produced Group 2 winner Najah.

Further back he is from the same family as Group 1 winners Elnadim, Occupandiste, Intello and Grade 1 winner Mondialiste.

In 2016 Mujarah foaled a filly by Raven’s Pass, before producing a colt by Darley sire Dubawi this year.

A fee for the stallion will be announced at a later date.

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