Bred by Federico Tesla, whom racing historian John Randall called ‘the greatest single figure in the history of Italian racing’, Ribot was one of the finest European racehorses of the twentieth century. Unbeaten in all 16 starts between 1954 and 1956, over distances ranging from 1,000 metres to 3,000 metres or, in imperial units, from 5 furlongs to 15 furlongs, approximately, Ribot was awarded a Timeform rating of 142 as a four-year-old in 1956. At the time, he was ranked behind only Tudor Minstrel and, even today, is ranked behind only Frankel, Sea-Bird, Brigadier Gerard and Tudor Minstrel in the all-time list, according to Timeform.
Trained by Ugo Penco in Italy, where he became known as ‘Il Cavallo Super’, recorded several notable victories at San Siro Racecourse in Milan. In 1954, he won the top two-year-old race in Italy, the Gran Criterium, in 1955, the Gran Premio del Jockey Club and, in 1956, the Gran Premio di Milano. However, to the international horse racing community, Ribot is best remembered for back-to-back victories in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in 1955 and 1956. Of his second victory in the Longchamp, Timeform ‘Racehorses of 1956’ reported, ‘What can be said without fear of contradiction is that after his triumph in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe Ribot is entitled to a place among the great horses of history.’
Earlier in 1956, Ribot made his one and only appearance on a British racecourse when lining up for the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes – at the time, the most valuable race in the country – at Ascot. Sent off at odds of 2/5 to record his fourteenth consecutive victory, Ribot easily justified favouritism, sprinting clear in the closing stages to beat High Veldt, owned by the Queen, by five lengths.