Ring The Bell (1 September 1977 – 19 October 1993) was a

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 ...

who won the

New Zealand Derby The New Zealand Derby is a set-weights Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds, run over a distance of 2,400 metres (12 furlongs) at Ellerslie Racecourse in Auckland, New Zealand. It is held on the first Saturday in March, as the opening day o ...

in 1981, the second Derby win in three years for trainer Neville Atkins. As a yearling, Ring the Bell had been sold for $3,000. He was a good racehorse throughout his career, but there was one amazing patch of form in the middle of it for which he will be most remembered. He defeated older horses at

weight-for-age {{use dmy dates, date=October 2022 Weight for Age (WFA) is a term in thoroughbred horse racing which is one of the conditions for a race. History The principle of WFA was developed by Admiral Rous, a handicapper with the English Jockey Club. Rous ...

conditions at

Ellerslie Racecourse Ellerslie Racecourse is the main racecourse in Auckland, New Zealand, for thoroughbred racehorses. It is an undulating, grass circuit in the suburb of Ellerslie, with a circumference of just under 1,900 metres. Racing is conducted in a clockwi ...

and then won the Avondale Guineas and the New Zealand Derby. In March 1981, Ring the Bell was sent to race in Australia where he became the first New Zealand-trained horse to win the

Canterbury Guineas The Randwick Guineas is an Australian Turf Club Group One Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds, run at set weights over a distance of 1600 metres at Randwick Racecourse in Sydney, Australia in March as a part of the Sydney Autumn Carnival. ...

. After finishing second in the

AJC Derby AJC may refer to: * Agreement on Journey Continuation, an agreement between European rail operators to allow passengers in case of a missed connection * Allen Jack+Cottier (AJ+C), an architectural practice * American Jewish Committee, an advocacy ...

in April 1981 he returned to New Zealand ten days later for the Avondale Championship Stakes over 2000 metres. He carried top weight to a comfortable one length victory which, according to the

Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper i ...

proved him to be "a cut above" the rest of his generation in Australia and New Zealand. He was ridden to victory in the Derby by Nigel Tiley, who later trained

Look Who's Talking ''Look Who's Talking'' is a 1989 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Amy Heckerling, and starring John Travolta and Kirstie Alley. Bruce Willis plays the voice of Mollie's son, Mikey. The film features George Segal as Albert ...

, an upset winner of the race in 1995. Late in his career, Ring the Bell was campaigned in Britain. He finished a promising second to

Kalaglow Kalaglow (1978–1994) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred race horse. In a career which lasted from August 1980 until October 1982 he ran fourteen times and won ten races. He is most notable for his performances in 1982 when he ...

in the

Earl of Sefton Stakes The Earl of Sefton Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile and 1 furlong (1,811 metres) on the Rowley Mil ...

but his subsequent form was disappointing. As a stallion, his progeny included the

Grand National The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, England. First run in 1839, it is a handicap ...

winner Lord Gyllene.

References

1977 racehorse births 1993 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in New Zealand Racehorses trained in New Zealand Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 3-b {{racehorse-stub

See also

References