I was browsing through some older videos on youtube tonight and found one of Kribensis winning the Champion Hurdle in 1990. This brought some tremendous memories flooding back, as this was the time I really started getting heavily interested in horse racing. I was very familiar with trainer Michael Stoute, and owner Sheikh Mohammed's famous maroon and white silks had become a feature of almost every top class flat race, crowned by the exploits of great horses like Old Vic. Yet I had never seen these famous connections represented in the National Hunt sphere, and so it was a surprise to see Kribensis running as a 4YO over hurdles at the beginning of 1988. Yet he came to Cheltenham and lined up for the Triumph Hurdle, and here is the video of the race:
[video=youtube;f_uHGwK4Dsg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_uHGwK4Dsg[/video]
He travelled beautifully into contention down the hill and went away after the last in the manner of a very good horse. The following winter he rattled off a hat-trick of hurdle victories before being aimed at the Champion Hurdle of 1989. But it was the first time he'd encountered ground with "soft" in the description and, although in the lead off the final bend, he tired up the hill and finished 7th behind 50/1 shot Beech Road. Here is the film of the closing stages:
[video=youtube;N_rrlWeNIZU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_rrlWeNIZU[/video]
After the Champion Hurdle he had a couple of runs on the flat but the 1989 / 90 National Hunt season was to become his crowning glory. He made his seasonal debut in the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle where he won in workmalike manner and was possibly a little ring-rusty. However, win he did and here is the vidoe:
[video=youtube;dRnjmN9qMrM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRnjmN9qMrM[/video]
From Newcastle all roads led to Kempton and the Christmas Hurdle. In a ding-dong finish up the straight, Kribensis just edged out Osric (who later would finish a head 2nd in the Lanzarote off a rating of 152 carrying 11-11) to set up the chance of completing the "Triple Crown Of Hurdling" - Fighting Fifth, Christmas Hurdle and Champion Hurdle. Here the video of the Christmas Hurdle:
[video=youtube;JC42_04x4YY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JC42_04x4YY[/video]
Kribensis warmed up for Cheltenham with a visit to Wincanton, where he took the Kingwell Hurdle at 4/6F from Island Set, and now everything was set for his tilt at immortality at Cheltenham. Before the race had even started, one thing was in his favour - the going was officially Good-Firm, which suited the horse down to the ground. In opposition was the reigning champion Beech Road, 2/1 fav ahead of Kribensis at 9/4. Although he won the Champion Hurdle at 50/1, Beech Road was no "one hit wonder" and went on to win at Aintree that season, before just failing to give weight in the Bula the following season, taking the Cleeve Hurdle and again just failing to give weight in the National Spirit Hurdle at Fontwell. In the Champion Hurdle itself, Richard Dunwoody had Kribensis in the perfect position coming down the hill, shadowing the leading 3 horses and sharing 4th place with Beech Road. Kribensis quickened smartly off the final bend and Dunwoody steered him between horses coming to the final flight to contest a share of the lead. The horse produced a prodigous leap at the last, taking off half a stride too early but sailing over the obstacle, and his class saw him scoot up the hill to score. Here, again, is the video:
[video=youtube;zf1EJz9qyCE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zf1EJz9qyCE[/video]
Sadly Kribensis missed almost 2 years due to injury after his Champion Hurdle victory, and was never the same horse after his return. But he remains one of only 3 horses to have won both the Triumph Hurdle and Champion Hurdle (the others being Persian War and Katchit RIP) and is still the only horse to have won hurdling's "Triple Crown" of Fighting Fifth, Christmas Hurdle and Champion Hurdle in the same season. A superb horse and a rare and fascinating foray into the National Hunt scene for (now Sir) Michael Stoute and Sheikh Mohammed.
[video=youtube;f_uHGwK4Dsg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_uHGwK4Dsg[/video]
He travelled beautifully into contention down the hill and went away after the last in the manner of a very good horse. The following winter he rattled off a hat-trick of hurdle victories before being aimed at the Champion Hurdle of 1989. But it was the first time he'd encountered ground with "soft" in the description and, although in the lead off the final bend, he tired up the hill and finished 7th behind 50/1 shot Beech Road. Here is the film of the closing stages:
[video=youtube;N_rrlWeNIZU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_rrlWeNIZU[/video]
After the Champion Hurdle he had a couple of runs on the flat but the 1989 / 90 National Hunt season was to become his crowning glory. He made his seasonal debut in the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle where he won in workmalike manner and was possibly a little ring-rusty. However, win he did and here is the vidoe:
[video=youtube;dRnjmN9qMrM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRnjmN9qMrM[/video]
From Newcastle all roads led to Kempton and the Christmas Hurdle. In a ding-dong finish up the straight, Kribensis just edged out Osric (who later would finish a head 2nd in the Lanzarote off a rating of 152 carrying 11-11) to set up the chance of completing the "Triple Crown Of Hurdling" - Fighting Fifth, Christmas Hurdle and Champion Hurdle. Here the video of the Christmas Hurdle:
[video=youtube;JC42_04x4YY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JC42_04x4YY[/video]
Kribensis warmed up for Cheltenham with a visit to Wincanton, where he took the Kingwell Hurdle at 4/6F from Island Set, and now everything was set for his tilt at immortality at Cheltenham. Before the race had even started, one thing was in his favour - the going was officially Good-Firm, which suited the horse down to the ground. In opposition was the reigning champion Beech Road, 2/1 fav ahead of Kribensis at 9/4. Although he won the Champion Hurdle at 50/1, Beech Road was no "one hit wonder" and went on to win at Aintree that season, before just failing to give weight in the Bula the following season, taking the Cleeve Hurdle and again just failing to give weight in the National Spirit Hurdle at Fontwell. In the Champion Hurdle itself, Richard Dunwoody had Kribensis in the perfect position coming down the hill, shadowing the leading 3 horses and sharing 4th place with Beech Road. Kribensis quickened smartly off the final bend and Dunwoody steered him between horses coming to the final flight to contest a share of the lead. The horse produced a prodigous leap at the last, taking off half a stride too early but sailing over the obstacle, and his class saw him scoot up the hill to score. Here, again, is the video:
[video=youtube;zf1EJz9qyCE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zf1EJz9qyCE[/video]
Sadly Kribensis missed almost 2 years due to injury after his Champion Hurdle victory, and was never the same horse after his return. But he remains one of only 3 horses to have won both the Triumph Hurdle and Champion Hurdle (the others being Persian War and Katchit RIP) and is still the only horse to have won hurdling's "Triple Crown" of Fighting Fifth, Christmas Hurdle and Champion Hurdle in the same season. A superb horse and a rare and fascinating foray into the National Hunt scene for (now Sir) Michael Stoute and Sheikh Mohammed.
