Indian Ridge


Indian Ridge was an Irish-bred British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He showed promising but unexceptional form as a two-year-old in 1987 when he won twice from four starts in minor races. He established himself as a high-class performer by winning the Jersey Stakes on his three-year-old debut but was well beaten in his three remaining race that year. He reached his peak when dropped to sprint distances in the spring and early summer of 1989, winning the Duke of York Stakes before taking the King's Stand Stakes on his penultimate appearance.
After his retirement from racing he was retired to stud and became a very successful breeding stallion. Indian Ridge and his male offspring have been described as having probably the best chance of maintaining the Byerley Turk sire-line.

Background

Indian Ridge was a chestnut horse with a narrow white blaze bred at the Broadfield Stud in County Kildare, Ireland by Bill and Averil Whitehead. As a yearling he was put up for auction and sold for 12,000 Irish guineas, entering the ownership of Anne Coughlan. He was sent into training with David Elsworth at Whitsbury in Hampshire.
He was sired by Ahonoora a sprinter, whose other offspring included Dr Devious, Park Appeal, Don't Forget Me and Park Express. Ahonoora was a representative of the Byerley Turk sire line, unlike more than 95% of modern thoroughbreds, who descend directly from the Darley Arabian. By the time of Indian Ridge's racing career the Byerley Turk line, once one of the most important in the Thoroughbred breed, had dwindled in significance, with Ahonoora and his male descendants being regarded as by far its best chance of survival.
Indian Ridge's dam Hillbrow showed good form as a two-year-old in 1977 when she won twice from six starts and was rated 100 by Timeform. She was disappointing in the following season and was sold at auction for 3,300 guineas in December 1978. She was descended from the broodmare Irish Candy, a half-sister to the Irish Derby winner Fraise du Bois.

Racing career

1987: two-year-old season

Indian Ridge finished second in a five furlong maiden race and then finished second in a similar event over six furlongs. He recorded his first success in a minor six-furlong race at Goodwood Racecourse on 29 September and followed up with another win at Leicester three weeks later. In both of his wins he took the lead early and led for most of the way. At the end of the season the independent Timeform organisation gave him a rating of 93, 34 pounds behind their best two-year-old Warning

1988: three-year-old season

After missing the early part of 1988, Indian Ridge made his debut as a three-year-old in the Group Three Jersey Stakes over seven furlongs at Royal Ascot on 15 June. The Henry Cecil-trained Salse started favourite ahead of Rawnak and Intimidate with Indian Ridge the 10/1 fourth choice in a twelve-runner field. Ridden by Cash Asmussen, he took the lead from the start and was never headed, staying on well in the closing stages to win by one and a half lengths from Salse, with three lengths back to Hibernian Gold in third.
Indian Ridge failed to reproduce his Royal Ascot form in three subsequent races that year. He started second favourite for the July Cup at Newmarket Racecourse on 7 July but after briefly taking the lead he faded to finish eighth of the nine runners behind Soviet Star. He finished sixth to Salse in the Hungerford Stakes at Newbury in August and ended his season in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot on 24 September. Starting a 66/1 outsider in his first and only run over one mile he led in the early stages but weakened in the straight and finished sixth of the eight runners behind Warning.

1989: four-year-old season

Indian Ridge returned as a four-year-old in the Duke of York Stakes over six furlongs at York Racecourse on 18 May 1989 in which he was ridden by Steve Cauthen. He was made the 7/2 favourite, with the best fancied of his nine opponents being Point of Light, Gallic League and Handsome Sailor. After racing in second place he took the lead a furlong from the finish and won by one and a half lengths from Gallic League despite hanging to the left in the closing stages.
Cauthen was again in the saddle when Indian Ridge appeared for the second time at Royal Ascot and started the 9/4 favourite in a fourteen-runner field for the Group Two King's Stand Stakes over five furlongs on 23 June. Gallic League and Handsome Sailor were again in opposition while the other runners included Cadeaux Genereux, Kerrera, Carols Treasure, Astronef, Shuttlecock Corner and Perion. Indian Ridge was among the leaders from the start, went to the front two furlongs from the finish and held on in the final strides to win by a neck and a head from Tigani and Gallic League. On 6 August the colt was sent to France and moved back up in distance for the Prix Maurice de Gheest over 1300 metres at Deauville Racecourse but made little impact and finished fifth of the nine runners,beaten five lengths by the winner Cricket Ball.

Stud record

Indian Ridge was retired from racing at the end of the 1989 season and became a breeding stallion. He was initially based at the Campbell Stud in Suffolk but later moved to the Irish National Stud. He was a very successful sire of winners, with his progeny winning at the highest level in Ireland, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, the United States and Canada. He died at the Irish National Stud on 17 October 2006 after apparently suffering a heart attack.

Major winners

c = colt, f = filly, g = gelding

Broodmare sire

Indian Ridge was a very successful sire of broodmares. Major winners produced by his daughters have included Airwave, Dancing Rain, Nightime, Kingsgate Native, Excelebration, Wilko, Jwala, Nahoodh, Reel Buddy and Halfway to Heaven

Pedigree