Rubiton

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Rubiton (by Century out of Ruby) was a brilliant Australian racehorse of the mid-1980's. His name was a combination of "Ruby" and "ton", a colloquial term for a century in cricket. Rubiton started off solely as a sprinter winning the 1400 metre weight for age Futurity Stakes and coming third in the Newmarket Handicap and Oakleigh Plate to brilliant sprinters Placid Ark and Special. But in his four-year-old season he came into his own. He won his first four starts of the season dominating at weight for age in the Manikato, Memsie, Feehan and Underwood Stakes. His shock defeat came behind Drought and Fair Sir in the Caulfield Stakes after Rubiton had ruined his chances by overexerting himself in trackwork. But he atoned for the defeat at his next start winning the 1987 Cox Plate in track record time of 2.02.9, beating (Our) Poetic Prince, Fair Sir and Vo Rogue. He won a week later in the Mackinnon Stakes at Flemington. He then went out for a spell but never returned due to a tendon injury. He was retired to stud with earnings of $1,360,330.

Rubiton has been quite a successful sire. Other than Heroic he is the only stallion to both win and sire the winner of the Cox Plate. He did this with Fields Of Omagh who has actually won this race twice. He has also sired brilliant sprinter Rubitano as well as other equine millionaires Adam, Flavour, Patezza, Dilly Dally and Monopolize. His brother, Euclase, was also a Group One winning sprinter but has not been as successful at stud.

Melbourne Racing Club have honoured him with his own race, the Group 3 Rubiton Stakes.