Champion Kribensis Passes Away

Sir Michael Stoute has paid tribute to his 1990 Champion Hurdle winner Kribensis after he was put down at the age of 23 at the weekend.

The Henbit gelding, who was owned by Sheikh Mohammed, also won the Triumph Hurdle for Stoute in a National Hunt career that yielded 10 wins.

Following his retirement in 1993, Kribensis remained at Stoute's Newmarket yard as a hack but the health of the gelding, who had been suffering from cancer, began to dwindle and he was put down.

Stoute told the Racing Post: 'We had Kribensis at Freemason Lodge for 22 years so you can imagine how much we will miss him.

'He gave us much excitement and pleasure and I think and hope that Stuart (Messenger), my head lad, and the rest of us gave him a good time too.'

(C) PA Sport