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

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are ...

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 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 Carnival. Pri ...

and

Oakleigh Plate The Oakleigh Plate is a Melbourne Racing Club 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 The Oakl ...

to sprinters Placid Ark 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 Austral ...

, Memsie, Feehan and

Underwood Stakes The Underwood Stakes is a Melbourne Racing Club 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 for the r ...

. 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 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 Racing Club at ...

in track record time of 2.02.9, beating (Our) Poetic Prince, Fair Sir and

Vo Rogue Vo Rogue (12 Nov 1983 - 7 May 2012) was an Australian Racing Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse. He was sired by American-bred Ivor Prince whose racing career ended from injury after just two starts. Ivor Prince was a son of the British champi ...

. 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 on ...

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, twice winner of the Cox Plate (2003 & 2006), Rubiton is the sire of: * Rubitano (

). * Adam ( Stradbroke Handicap,

George Main Stakes 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 September. Total prize money for the race is A$1, ...

). * 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 th ...

). * Dilly Dally ( T J Smith Stakes). * Monopolize ( Hong Kong International Bowl twice).ASB - Rubiton
Retrieved on 2009-6-18 He is also sire of sprinter Lucky Secret, winner of 14 of 23 race starts, including the: * 2008 MVRC

A J Moir Stakes The A J Moir Stakes is a Moonee Valley Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for horses aged three years old and over under Weight for age conditions, over a distance of 1000 metres, held at Moonee Valley Racecourse, Melbourne, Australia i ...

. * 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 Octo ...

. * 2009 MVRC

Stanley Wootton Stakes The Australia Stakes, registered as the Stanley Wootton Stakes, is a Moonee Valley Racing Club Group 2 Thoroughbred horse race raced under weight for age conditions, for three year olds and older, over a distance of 1200 metres at Moonee Valley ...

. 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.

Pedigree

Notes

{{Reflist

References

Rubiton - Profile of a ChampionRubiton Remembered

External links