So far, we have highlighted: 1) that the world of thoroughbreds consists of individuals that have been carefully selected for 250 years; 2) each of them is identified by a Pedigree (just go online to Pedigreequery.com and you will find almost all of them, ancient and modern, about 3 million), a wealth of data that is currently fragmented across multiple archives and that projects such as Horshare aim to unify, finally making information that has remained scattered for two centuries consistent and accessible; 3) that useful information (aptitudes) can be gleaned from the pedigree, thanks to which we can get an idea of the horse we have in mind to breed or buy, even though it has not yet raced. When, on the other hand, the horse has already raced, we can compare the results of the races with what we expected, based on the study of the pedigree, and draw various useful conclusions, especially for the purposes of a possible purchase.
The first line is particularly significant, which I quote here:
RIBOT (GB) b. H, 1952 [CP] {4-l} DP = 2-6-2-2-2 (14) DI = 1.80 CD = 0.29 – 16 Starts, 16 Wins, 0 Places, 0
After the name, there is the initials of the country where Ribot was born. His mother, Romanella, had been impregnated 11 months earlier by Tenerani, who was bred in Italy in 1951 due to a temporary ban on exports of native stallions. Pregnant, she was transferred to England for breeding the following year. As soon as he was weaned (at 6 months), Ribot returned to Italy, where he grew up on Italian pastures in Dormello on Lake Maggiore. He was then broken in and started his competitive career in Milan, at the Scuderie della Razza Dormello Olgiata stables, located in what is now Via Ippodromo, of which only the imposing entrance gate, clearly visible from the road, remains today.
The initials are followed by the coat color, b, bay, and the sex, H, horse, adult horse (Anglo-Saxons distinguish between foals, colt or filly, up to 3 years old, and adult horses, horse or mare, 4 years old and above). The year of birth is then reported. The abbreviation CP indicates that ownership is multiple (each stallion is divided into forty parts, each of which is a carat). Then, in parentheses, comes the indication of the family to which it belongs (4-I), a concept we will discuss shortly.
The Dosage profile follows, DP, according to Varola’s formula: Brilliant, Intermediate, Classic, Resistant, Professional. They are all stallions of the highest profile, distinguished in their breed, therefore called Capirazza (chef-de-race); in parentheses, the total number (16).
This is followed by two acronyms: DI, Dosage Index = 1.80 speed index, the higher it is, the more speed there is, and CD, distribution center = 0.29, resistance index, the lower it is, the greater the resistance.
The line ends with his career: undefeated in 16 races with total earnings of $294,414.
