Rock On Ruby

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Rock On Ruby

Rock On Ruby at Sandown in April 2012.
Sire Oscar
Grandsire Sadler's Wells
Dam Stony View
Damsire Tirol
Sex Gelding
Foaled 11 May 2005
Country Ireland
Colour Bay
Breeder John O'Dwyer
Owner The Festival Goers
Trainer Paul Nicholls
Harry Fry
Record 18:8-5-4 (as of 29 Feb 2014)
Earnings £302,905
Major wins
Gerry Feilden Hurdle (2011)
Champion Hurdle (2012)

Rock On Ruby, (foaled 11 May 2005) is an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. A specialist hurdler he is best known for his performances in the 20112012 National Hunt season, when he won the Gerry Feilden Hurdle at Newbury in November before winning Britain's most prestigious hurdle race, the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham on 13 March.[1]

Background

Rock On Ruby is a bay horse bred in Ireland by John O'Dwyer. He is one of many successful jumpers sire by Oscar, a son of Sadler's Wells based at the Grange Stud in County Cork.[2] His dam Stony View never raced but has produced at least two other winners. Rock On Ruby was first offered for sale as a foal in November 2005 when he was bought for €23,000 by the Whitehorse Stud. As a four-year-old gelding, Rock On Ruby was sent to the Doncaster sales in May 2009 where he was bought for £23,000 by Richard Barber and entered the ownership of the Festival Goers syndicate.[3] Although the horse is officially trained by Paul Nicholls at Ditcheat in Somerset, he is actually stabled twenty-five miles away in Nicholls' satellite yard at Seaborough in Dorset where his day-to-day conditioning is handled by the assistant trainer Harry Fry.[4]

Racing career

20092010: National Hunt Flat races

Rock On Ruby began his career by running in National Hunt flat races. On his first appearance in a minor event at Newbury in November 2009 he finished fourth to Oscar Whisky, a horse who went on to win the Aintree Hurdle in 2011 and 2012. Rock On Ruby recorded his first win on his next start at Taunton in February beating Karasenir by three quarters of a length when ridden by his namesake Ruby Walsh.[5] On his only other start of the season he beat Karasenir again, this time carrying top weight of 163 pounds in a similar event at Newbury in March.[6]

20102011: Novice hurdles

Rock On Ruby began the 2010/2011 season by winning his third successive National Hunt flat race, this time at Cheltenham, and was then campaigned in Novice Hurdle races (races confined to horses which have not won over hurdles before the start of the season). He made a successful hurdling debut by winning a race at Newbury in December by six lengths: few details of his victory were reported as the race was run in thick fog.[7] The victory prompted some interest in Rock On Ruby as a prospect for one of the major Novice hurdle races at the Cheltenham Festival.[8] He was then moved up in class to contest the Grade II Classic Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham in January. He jumped the last hurdle level with Bobs Worth but was beaten by two and a half lengths after his jockey dropped his whip 120 yards from the finish.[9] Rock On Ruby was then promoted to the highest level at the Cheltenham Festival where he ran in the Grade I Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle over two miles five furlongs. Ridden by Daryl Jacob he took the lead at the last hurdle and ran on strongly but was caught "in the last stride"[10] and beaten a short head by First Lieutenant. On his final start of the season he finished third behind Spirit Son and Cue Card in the Mersey Novices' Hurdle at Aintree in April.

20112012: hurdles

After being campaigned over longer distances as a novice, Rock On Ruby was brought back in distance on his first race of the 2011/2012 season. Running over two miles in the Gerry Feilden Hurdle, a handicap race at Newbury, he carried top weight of 164 pounds and won "readily"[11] by six lengths from his stable companion Empire Levant to whom he was conceding 24 pounds. Following this win he was strongly fancied for the Grade I Christmas Hurdle at Kempton Park and started 7/4 second favourite behind the 2010 Champion Hurdler Binocular. Rock On Ruby took a slight lead at the second last hurdle and looked the likely winner[12] but after what the Racing Post described as a "thrilling battle",[13] finished second to Binocular, beaten a neck at level weights.

In the 2012 Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham on 13 March, Rock On Ruby started 11/1 fourth choice in the betting, behind the reigning champion Hurricane Fly, Binocular and Zarkandar. From the start of the race Rock On Ruby, ridden by Noel Fehily tracked the leader Overturn and then moved up to dispute the lead two hurdles from the finish. He took a decisive advantage turning into the straight and ran on strongly under pressure, showing what the Daily Telegraph described as "tremendous courage"[14] to win going away by three and three quarter lengths from Overturn, Hurricane Fly and Binocular.[15] After the race, Harry Fry said that "We wanted to win. We didn't come here to finish second best. We were here to win and he's come and done it."[16]

On his final start of the season Rock On Ruby was sent to Liverpool for the Aintree Hurdle on 14 April. He led until being overtaken at the second last hurdle and finished third to Oscar Whiskey and Thousand Stars.

20122013: hurdles

For the 2012/2013 National Hunt season, Rock On Ruby was officially trained by Harry Fry, who was now operating independently from Nicholls. He made his first appearance for his "new" trainer in the International Hurdle at Cheltenham in December when he finished third behind Zarkandar and Grandouet. Rock On Ruby had his trial race for his second Champion Hurdle in the 32Red Hurdle at Doncaster Racecourse in February in which he was matched against the Triumph Hurdle winner Countrywide Flame and the Nicky Henderson-trained Darlan, who had been favourite for the championship since winning the Christmas Hurdle. Rock On Ruby took the lead at the last hurdle and won by three lengths, but his victory was overshadowed by the death of Darlan, who was fatally injured in a fall at the last.[17] At Cheltenham on 12 March Rock On Ruby started the 11/2 third favourite for his second Champion Hurdle. He led the field until the second last hurdle before being overtaken and beaten two and a half lengths by Hurricane Fly. On his final appearance of the season he was sent to Ireland where he finished third to Hurricane Fly and Thousand Stars in the Punchestown Champion Hurdle.

20132014: Novice chases

Rock On Ruby began the new National Hunt season in a hurdle race at Kempton in October in which he finished second, ten lengths behind The New One. On 16 December the gelding ran in his first steeplechase when he started 1/10 favourite for a minor Novice race at Plumpton Racecourse and won "very easily" by four lengths.[18]

References

  1. "Rock On Ruby form". Racing Post. 2011-06-02. Retrieved 2012-03-18. 
  2. "Oscar Stud Record". Bloodstock.racingpost.com. 2012-02-15. Retrieved 2012-03-18. 
  3. "Cheltenham breeding Oscar takes top spot". Bloodstock.racingpost.com. 2012-03-13. Retrieved 2012-03-18. 
  4. Greg Wood (13 March 2012). "Rock On Ruby victorious in the Champion Hurdle". The Guardian. Retrieved 2012-03-18. 
  5. "Results from the 4.40 race at TAUNTON - 2 February 2010". Racing Post. Retrieved 2012-03-18. 
  6. "Results from the 5.30 race at NEWBURY - 6 March 2010". Racing Post. Retrieved 2012-03-18. 
  7. "Results from the 1.35 race at NEWBURY - 29 December 2010". Racing Post. Retrieved 2012-03-18. 
  8. Marcus Townend (31 December 2010). "Long Walk Hurdle stroll for Tony McCoy". Daily Mail. Retrieved 2012-03-18. 
  9. "Results from the 3.05 race at CHELTENHAM - 29 January 2011". Racing Post. Retrieved 2012-03-18. 
  10. "Results from the 2.05 race at CHELTENHAM - 16 March 2011". Racing Post. Retrieved 2012-03-18. 
  11. "Results from the 2.05 race at NEWBURY - 26 November 2011". Racing Post. Retrieved 2012-03-18. 
  12. "Binocular rocks on at Kempton". The Irish Times. 26 December 2011. Retrieved 2012-03-18. 
  13. "Results from the 2.35 race at KEMPTON - 26 December 2011". Racing Post. Retrieved 2012-03-18. 
  14. J. A. McGrath (14 March 2012). "Cheltenham Festival 2012: Noel Fehily delivers Champion display on Rock On Ruby". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2012-03-18. 
  15. "Results from the 3.20 race at CHELTENHAM - 13 March 2012". Racing Post. Retrieved 2012-03-18. 
  16. "CHELTENHAM 2012: Rock on Ruby wins Champion Hurdle". Daily Mail. 14 March 2012. Retrieved 2012-03-18. 
  17. "32Red Hurdle". Racing Post. 4 February 2013. Retrieved 2014-01-30. 
  18. "Winter Gala Novices' Chase". Racing Post. 16 December 2013. Retrieved 2014-01-30. 
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