Brilliant Pebbles Passes Away Pebbles, the first filly to win the Coral-Eclipse Stakes and the first British horse to win a Breeders´ Cup race, has died in Japan aged 24.The mare was put down at Darley Stud´s Fukumitsu Farm, where she had been since 1996. She was retired from breeding three years ago.As well as those two historic successes, her remarkable racing career also included victories in the 1984 1000 Guineas, when she was ridden by Philip Robinson, and the 1985 Champion Stakes in the hands of Pat Eddery.She was trained throughout her racing career by Clive Brittain, who paid tribute to the wonder mare.'She was just unbelievable - a great character,' said the Newmarket trainer.'I knew she was special as a foal. I was lucky enough to see her just hours after she was born. She was bred by Captain Marcos Lemos and his stud farm was in Newmarket, so I went along to see her and I had also trained the dam.'The highlight would have to be her victory in the Breeders´ Cup Turf, more so because it was over a mile and a half and she wasn´t expected to stay. She was just a class above the others.'When she won the Eclipse she made the colts like Rainbow Quest look like hacks.'She has to be up there among the best fillies I have trained and I´ve been lucky enough to have a lot of good ones in my care - User Friendly, Sayyedati and Crimplene to name three.'She only disappointed us twice and she was in season both times.'Sheikh Mohammed bought her after she won the Guineas as a broodmare and sadly she never bred anything special.'I wanted to run her in the Oaks but the Sheikh had several in the race so we rerouted her to the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot.'Pebbles, by Sharpen Up out of La Dolce, won eight of her 15 races over three seasons.Her final race was the Breeders´ Cup Turf at Aqueduct in 1985 when Eddery steered her to victory, ensuring she was voted Horse of the Year by a wide margin.She had also won the Trusthouse Forte Mile, Eclipse and Dubai Champion Stakes that season.(C) PA Sport
