| HORSES |
YEAR: 1954
 |
| Ribands and P J Hall |
Ribands, in becoming the world's champion pacer over one mile and five furlongs with his record of 3.21 3/5 in winning by a wide margin the NZ Pacing Championship ar Addington on Saturday, paralysed his opposition and left struggling in his wake two other world's record holders in Rupee and Johnny Globe.
No excuses could be made for Rupee, who was skilfully driven by D Townley and went a brilliant and gallant race, and although Johnny Globe had obviously lost some of his fire and was checked in the early stages, he, too, might have met the same fate as Rupee if all things could have been equal. After all, it is no disparagement of any horse to give Ribands full credit for a performance that brought considerable weight to claims of Australian - and a sprinkling of NZ - admirers of Ribands that he is as fast as any pacer in the world today. And nothing but a world beater could reduce a field like Saturday's to minus quantities as Ribands did.
Ribands was allowed to stand at least a length back from the barrier at the start, which must have given him an advantage, because in his earlier races at the meeting he did not go away when required to line up on terms with other horses on his marks. Laureldale, from No 12 position at the barrier, raced across to take charge before a furlong had been covered, and at this stage he was closely attended by Zulu, Our Roger and Rupee, and Johnny Globe and Ribands were not far away.
Zulu broke with about two and a half furlongs covered, and Johnny Globe was among those checked. Ribands had to be swung out to escape serious trouble, and with a mile to go Laureldale was about three-quarters of a length clear of Rupee, with Our Roger and Petite Yvonne next, and Ribands moving up.
It was with half a mile to go that Ribands was sent around the outer with a burst of speed that had everything in difficulties within a furlong. It was not a case of catching anything unawares, either, because D Townley on Rupee obviously anticipated the onslaught of Ribands and was busy on his charge before Ribands actually passed him; but Rupee met more than his match on this occasion, and Ribands streaked clean away from him. Nothing ever looked like gaining on Ribands in the race home: Rupee could get no closer than four lengths to him, and Johnny Globe was three lengths behind Rupee, with Tactician a fair fourth. No more devastating run has ever been seen at Addington, and no victory could be more complete than Ribands's rout of some of the greatest pacers NZ has been able to breed.
There is no doubt that the presence of Ribands at the NZ Cup carnival made a big contribution to a very successful meeting - both sporting and financial - for the NZ Metropolitan Trotting Club. It was one of the Club's best meetings for some years, and it was a fitting climax that Mr and Mrs F P Kelloway should see their grand pacer's reputation so thoroughly vindicated, and their own confidence in their champion's ability to win in any company so roundly justified.
The Addington crowd gave Ribands a splendid reception. Cheering broke out long before Ribands reached the winning post, it increased in volume as the horse returned to the birdcage, and was renewed when the world's record was announced. It was obvious that losers and winners alike joined in the clapping and cheering, and Mr and Mrs Kelloway said they were very thrilled by the way the win had been received by the public, the officials of the club, and other trainers and drivers, in the race and out of it.
Occupying a pedestal in public acclaim in Australia to the same degree as Johnny Globe does in the Dominion, Ribands came to NZ Cup discussions when he paced the last half-mile of an exhibition run at Hutt Park a few days after his arrival from Sydney in 58 3/5sec. A very successful ex-trainer who saw that run declared without any reservations that Ribands was the fastest horse he had ever seen. Unfortunately Ribands broke badly at the start of the Cup, but he revealed a champion's calibre when he finished second in the NZ Free-For-All.
In the Cup and the second day Free-For-All Ribands was driven by J D Watts, who flew from Sydney to drive him. Watts had to return to Sydney before the third day, and M Holmes was Riband's driver in his next two races. Holmes needs no testimonials as a horseman: could there be a better one in any part of the world? Holmes certainly worked a revolutionary change in Ribands's starting manners in a couple of short weeks - there must have been some heavy homework between the pair of them between the pair of them between race days!
Mr and Mrs Kelloway and the horse's trainer, C J Muddle, all paid glowing tributes to Holmes's driving of Ribands. Mr Kelloway declared that Ribands made a better beginning on Saturday than ever before in his life, and Muddle acknowledged Holmes "is in world class as a driver." Muddle said Ribands was "really fit" on Saturday. in his previous races at Addington he had not been just right, and he had told Holmes before Saturday's race "not to be frightened to use him if he jumps away with the others - he is the equal of any of them." After the race Muddle, who took Ribands's success with remarkable nonchalance, struck a kindred spirit in Maurice Holmes. Muddle remarked to Holmes when the horse returned to the birdcage: "A pretty fair sort?" Holmes, who is renowned for a combination of wit and understatement, no matter how important the occasion, replied: "Might be alright!"
It is to be hoped that Ribands will be given the opportunity of attacking Highland Fling's mile record of 1.57 4/5 before his return to Australia. He should succeed, because he registered 1.58 7/10 on the half-mile Harold Park track at Sydney, and his connections are certain he has improved since then; and he is nearly a year older now - he is six, and may be just reaching his prime.
Present intentions are that Ribands will be eased in his training and perhaps race at Auckland at Christmas time - there may be some keen competition between the north and the south over this, because it would be a great attraction if the Canterbury Park Club could persuade Mr and Mrs Kelloway to send Ribands against the mile record at it's New Year Meeting. Ribands is no stranger to grass tracks. Mr Kelloway stated on Saturday that Ribands had raced only twice on grass tracks in Australia: his winning margin the first time was 12 lengths and the second time 15 lengths. So Ribands will be in his element at Epsom, whether he races there in December, whether he does not go there until the Championships come round in February, or undertakes both.
Mr and Mrs Kelloway bought Ribands as a young, unraced colt for £1000, and he has won more than £26,000 in stakes. He will win much more if he continues to begin as well as he did on Saturday. Muddle says that apart from his uncertainty at the barrier, due to nervousness, Ribands is "the perfect horse to train." Muddle took over the training of Ribands about a month before he came to NZ.
Ribands's breeding suggests that "you can't get too much of a good thing." He is by Lawn Derby (grandson of Globe Derby), from Marie Walla, by Walla Walla (by Globe Derby, and Marie Walla's dam was an unnamed Globe Derby mare. The Globe Derby tribe may yet be destined to dazzle other race crowds in the home of its ancestors - the United States, where Owyhee, grandsire of Globe Derby, was bred by John F Boyd, of Danville, California, in 1894, and imported to Werribee, Victoria, by D Taylor. Owyhee sired Mambrino Derby, the sire of Globe Derby, among whose innumerable distinctions are that his son, Robert Derby, sired Lawn Derby, 1.59 2/5, the first two-minute horse outside America; that Lawn Derby sired Avian Derby, 2.00, the first two-minute horse in Australia, and also Avian Derby's successor as the Australian mile record holder, Ribands, 1.58 7/10; that Lawn Derby is the only sire in NZ and Australia with more than one horse on the two-minute list; that four of the only seven horses in the two-minute list in the Antipodes are of the Globe Derby male line (the other not already mentioned is Johnny Globe, 1.59 4/5); and that two outright world's pacing records belong to the breed - Johnny Globe's 4.07 3/5 for two miles and Ribands's 3.21 3/5 for a mile and five furlongs, besides Johnny Globe's mile in 2.01 1/5, a world's record from a standing start, and the same horse's 2.33 3/5 for a mile and a quarter, also a world's record from a standing start.
And interest in America in the 'Globe' family - mares as well as sires - is already keen, and the prediction can safely be made that selected representatives of the breed will be going to the United States before very long. The Globe Derby saga of greatness began with himself. He was an out-and-out champion pacer on Australian tracks, and in training he could reel off half-miles in sensational time for his day. His grandson, Lawn Derby, made history in Australia and New Zealand; Globe Derby's son, Walla Walla, was an iron horse who came here late in life and paced an historic mile when he defeated the best horses NZ could muster in 1934 (Harold Logan, Red Shadow and Roi l'Or among them) in the first of an Invitation Match series at Addington, his time, 2.04 1/5, surviving as the world's record from a standing start for 19 years.
The rest of the serial is well known - we say serial advisedly, because there is no apparent end yet to the deeds of this line of succession of champions, of whom Ribands and Johnny Globe are the present incomparable banner-bearers.
Credit: 'Ribbonwood' writing in NZ Trotting Calendar 1Dec54