Kribensis (foaled in 1984 in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

-died in 2007) was an Irish

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 c ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

, born to sire, Henbit and dam, Aquaria. The horse was owned by

Sheikh Mohammed Sheikh Muhammad (1560–1650) was a Muslim saint-poet who is venerated by Hindus. Sheikh Muhammad or alternatively Sheikh Muhammed, Sheikh Mohammad, Sheikh Mohammed may also refer to (in chronological birth order): * Sheikh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wah ...

and trained by

Sir Michael Stoute Sir Michael Ronald Stoute (born 22 October 1945) is a Barbadian British Thoroughbred horse trainer in flat racing. Career Stoute, whose father was the Chief of Police for Barbados, left the island in 1964 at the age of 19 to become an assis ...

. Kribensis gave Sheikh Mohammed his first

Cheltenham Festival The Cheltenham Festival is a horse racing-based meeting in the National Hunt racing calendar in the United Kingdom, with race prize money second only to the Grand National. The four-day festival takes place annually in March at Cheltenham Rac ...

win when he won the

Triumph Hurdle The Triumph Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 2 miles and 1 f ...

in 1988. In 1989/90, with

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

Richard Dunwoody Thomas Richard Dunwoody MBE (born 18 January 1964 in Belfast, Northern Ireland) is a retired British jockey in National Hunt racing. He was a three-time Champion Jockey. Racing career Dunwoody's race victories include the King George VI Chase ...

at the helm, Kribensis became the first horse to win the

Fighting Fifth Hurdle The Fighting Fifth Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Newcastle over a distance of about 2 miles and half a ...

Christmas Hurdle The Christmas Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Kempton Park over a distance of about 2 miles (3,219 metres ...

and

Champion Hurdle The Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a ...

in the same season. This trio of races makes up the

Triple Crown of Hurdling Triple is used in several contexts to mean "threefold" or a "treble": Sports * Triple (baseball), a three-base hit * A basketball three-point field goal * A figure skating jump with three rotations * In bowling terms, three strikes in a row * In ...

., In 2008/09, Punjabi came close to matching Kribensis’ feat, winning the Fighting Fifth and Champion Hurdle, but came up one hurdle short in the Christmas Hurdle. Kribensis is one of three horses, along with Persian War and Katchit, to have won the Triumph Hurdle and Champion Hurdle in their racing careers., Kribensis is also just one of four grey horses to have won the Champion Hurdle, along with Victor Nornian (1936), Our Hope (1938) and Rooster Booster (2003). In his career, Kribensis compiled 13 wins, 2 places and 0 shows in 23 career starts. Four of his 13 wins came in Grade 1 races, and overall, he accumulated £185,795 in career earnings.Kribensis Horse Pedigree
/ref> As he grew older, Kribensis’ colour changed slightly from grey to white, much like that of

Desert Orchid Desert Orchid (11 April 1979 – 13 November 2006), known as ''Dessie'', was an English racehorse. The gray (horse), grey achieved a revered and esteemed status within National Hunt racing, where he was much loved by supporters for his fron ...

.Imperial has festival aim
guardian.co.uk, 28 October 2006, accessed 25 May 2009. After Kribensis was retired in 1993, Sir Michael Stoute would often ride him as a hack.
independent.co.uk, 15 August 2004, accessed 25 May 2009. However, even as he grew older, Kribensis maintained his playful nature, and Stoute had to abandon using Kribensis as his hack, as he became prone to bucking and kicking. On October 13, 2007, Kribensis was euthanised due to inoperable cancer at the age of 23. After his death, Sir Michael Stoute said of Kribensis: “We had imat Freemason Lodge for 22 years so you can imagine how much we will miss him."

References

External links

Kribensis Horse Pedigree
{{Champion Hurdle winners 1984 racehorse births 2007 racehorse deaths Cheltenham Festival winners Champion Hurdle winners Thoroughbred family 13-e Racehorses bred in Ireland Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom ja:ウェルアームド

See also

References

External links