When Charles Dickens (Trippi) romped to a devastating win in Saturday’s R2 million Hollywoodbets Gr1 Cape Guineas, he stamped himself as the leader of his generation and also an exceptionally appealing stallion prospect.
One of 11 Gr1 winners for his evergreen champion sire, Charles Dickens is out of an increasingly successful broodmare in the form of Demanding Lady (Dynasty).
Charles Dickens makes his opposition look ordinary as Aldo Domeyer salutes (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
A winner of five races, including a score in the Gr2 Ipi Tombe Challenge, Demanding Lady is also dam of Gr1 Gbets Cape Derby runner-up Charles and Somerset Maugham, who was promoted to first in this season’s Listed Hollywoodbets Settlers Trophy.
Like Charles Dickens, both Charles and Somerset Maugham were sired by Trippi.
Charles’ Mom! Dynasty daughter Demanding Lady – top class racer
The unbeaten Charles Dickens is inbred to one of the greatest, unbeaten thoroughbreds in history in the form of the mighty Ribot.
The latter’s sons Tom Rolfe and His Majesty both appear in Charles Dickens’ pedigree.
Ribot won all 16 of his races, including back to back renewals of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, and he defeated subsequent champion South African sire High Veldt when he claimed the 1956 King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
Ribot
Ribot (Tenerani) was as great a sire as he was a racehorse and headed the General Sires List in Britain and Ireland on three occasions. From top milers to Romulus to St Leger winners Boucher, Ragusa, Ribocco and Ribero, and Epsom Oaks heroine Long Look, Ribot proved to be an outstanding sire.
Ribot also enjoyed great success in North America, where his numerous high-class representatives included US Horse Of The Year Arts And Letters, influential full-brothers Graustark and His Majesty, and Preakness Stakes winning champion Tom Rolfe.
The latter made his mark on the breed through his champion sons Hoist The Flag (sire of dual Arc winner and outstanding sire Alleged) and Run The Gauntlet, and Tom Rolfe mare File produced US champion and influential sire, and sire of sires, Forty Niner. The latter is grandsire of Charles Dickens’ sire Trippi.
Pleasant Colony wins the 1981 Kentucky Derby
Another son of Ribot to enjoy notable success at stud was His Majesty.
Champion sire in North America in 1982, His Majesty sired Kentucky Derby winning champion, and outstanding sire, Pleasant Colony, as well as the dams of prominent US sire Dynaformer and, more impotantly, the dam of breed shaping stallion Danehill
His Majesty also sired Beautiful Bedouin, fourth dam of Charles Dickens.
Ribot also made his mark as a broodmare sire in South Africa –his daughter Ofa produced another exceptional Cape Guineas winner in the form of Politician.
The champion Politician
While Ribot’s male line has all but petered out, he remains a potent factor in pedigrees today, with inbreeding to the mighty champion resulting in a slew of top-class performers.
Charles Dickens joins a still growing list of star performers inbred to Ribot including Duke Of Marmalade, Mozart, and this year’s Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint winner Caravel.
