Rubiton (18 October 1983 – 25 November 2005) was a champion Australian

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

racehorse of the mid-1980s. He was bred by the Oamaru Stud in Victoria. Rubiton's name was a combination of "Ruby" and "ton", a colloquial term for 100 runs in cricket.

Racing career

Rubiton started off solely as a sprinter winning the 1,400-metre weight for age Futurity Stakes and coming third in the

Newmarket Handicap The Newmarket Handicap is a Victoria Racing Club Group One, Group 1 Thoroughbred open handicap horse race over a distance of 1200 metres, at Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne, Australia on Super Saturday in March during the VRC Autumn Racing Carn ...

and

Oakleigh Plate The Oakleigh Plate is a Melbourne Racing Club Group One, Group 1 Thoroughbred open handicap horse race, run over a distance of 1100 metres at Caulfield Racecourse, Melbourne, Australia in late February. Total prize money is A$750,000. History Th ...

to sprinters

Placid Ark Placid Ark (1983-1988) was an Australian thoroughbred foaled in Western Australia. His sire Arkenstone was a winning son of the Western Australian champion sire Zvornik and his dam was Northern Queen a mare bred in South Australia by the United ...

and Special. In his four-year-old season, he won his first four starts, dominating at weight for age in the

Manikato Manikato (1975–1984) was a champion Australian Thoroughbred racehorse of the late 1970s and early 1980s. He established new track records in three races and was inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame. Manikato was the second Australi ...

, Memsie, Feehan and

Underwood Stakes The Underwood Stakes is a Melbourne Racing Club Group One, Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race, run over 1800 metres under weight-for-age conditions, held at Caulfield Racecourse, Melbourne, Australia in late September each year. Total prize money ...

. He was then defeated by Drought and Fair Sir in the

Caulfield Stakes The Might and Power, registered as the Caulfield Stakes is a Melbourne Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race run under weight-for-age conditions, for three-year-olds and upwards, run over a distance of 2,000 metres at Caulfield Racecourse, ...

after overexerting himself in trackwork. Rubiton atoned for the defeat at his next start by winning the 1987

Cox Plate The W. S. Cox Plate is a Group races, Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for horses aged three years old and over under Weight for age conditions, over a distance of 2040 metres (approximately 1m 2f), that is held by the Moonee Valley Racin ...

in track record time of 2.02.9, beating (Our) Poetic Prince, Fair Sir and Vo Rogue. He won a week later in the

Mackinnon Stakes The VRC Champions Stakes, registered as the ''LKS Mackinnon Stakes'', is a Victoria Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race run under Weight for Age conditions over a distance of 2000 metres at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia o ...

at Flemington. Having then gone out for a spell, he never returned due to a tendon injury. He was retired to stud with earnings of A$1,360,330.

Stud career

An outstanding sire at stud, Rubiton is one of only two stallions (the other is the 1926 winner Heroic) to win and sire the winner of Australia's greatest weight-for-age race, the Group 1 MVRC

. Rubiton's progeny include 38 stakeswinners for 102 stakeswins. Besides

Fields of Omagh Fields of Omagh (22 September 1997 – 8 June 2023), also known as FOO, was an Australian champion middle distance Thoroughbred racehorse of the early-mid-2000s. He was a half-brother to the stakeswinners, King Brian (Bunbury Cup, Pinjarra Cup), ...

, twice winner of the

(2003 & 2006), Rubiton is the sire of: * Rubitano (

). * Adam (

Stradbroke Handicap The Stradbroke Handicap is a Brisbane Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred open handicap horse race, run over a distance of 1,400 metres at Eagle Farm Racecourse, Brisbane in June during the Queensland Winter Racing Carnival. It is one of the highli ...

George Main Stakes The King Charles III Stakes (formerly known as the George Main Stakes), is an Australian Turf Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race run under Weight for Age conditions, over a distance of 1600 metres at Randwick Racecourse, Sydney, Australia in S ...

). * Flavour (Victoria Racing Club Stakes). * Patezza (

Doncaster Handicap The Doncaster Mile, registered as the Doncaster Handicap is an Australian Turf Club Group One Thoroughbred handicap race for horses three years old and older, held over 1,600 metres at Royal Randwick Racecourse, Sydney, Australia. Although the ra ...

). * Dilly Dally ( T J Smith Stakes). * Monopolize ( Hong Kong International Bowl twice). He is also sire of sprinter Lucky Secret, winner of 14 of 23 race starts, including the: * 2008 MVRC A J Moir Stakes. * 2009 Group 2 MRC

Schillaci Stakes The Schillaci Stakes is a Melbourne Racing Club Group 2 Thoroughbred horse race held under weight for age conditions, for horses aged three years old and older, over a distance of 1,100 metres at Caulfield Racecourse, Melbourne, Australia in Octob ...

. * 2009 MVRC Stanley Wootton Stakes. Lucky Secret narrowly lost the 2009 Group 1 rated MRC

, pipped at the post by Swiss Ace. An A$220,000 yearling, winner of over $950,000 in prizemoney, Lucky Secret was trained at Caulfield by Tony Vasil. Melbourne Racing Club have long honoured Rubiton with his own race, the Group 3 Rubiton Stakes, run in February.

Sire line tree

*RubitonBay Middleton Sire Line
/ref> **Monopolize **Flavour **Adam **

**Patezza ** Bulleton ***Mr SpinTrainer Mick O’Neill lands first winner with Mr Spin in TAB Highway Plate
/ref> **Lucky Secret

Pedigree

Notes

{{Reflist

References

Rubiton - Profile of a ChampionRubiton Remembered

External links

Rubiton's pedigree and partial racing stats
1983 racehorse births 2005 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Australia Racehorses trained in Australia Cox Plate winners Thoroughbred family 4-l Byerley Turk sire line