a half lengths. After the race, Piggott described Sir Ivor as "the best I have ridden." Sir Ivor had now won six races in succession, but his run of success ended in his next race, as he was beaten two lengths by Ribero in the Irish Derby. At that time Liam Ward was retained to ride for O’Brien in Ireland and rode Sir Ivor. Piggott riding Ribero set out to test Sir Ivor’s stamina over a stiffer track and held Sir Ivor at bay in the final furlong . Only a week later he was then matched against 1967 Derby winner Royal Palace in the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown. In a closely contested race, Sir Ivor finished third, beaten a short head and three quarters of a length by Royal Palace and Taj Dewan. Both Piggott and O'Brien blamed the firm ground for Sir Ivor's defeat. He was then rested for an autumn campaign. Sir Ivor returned in late September when he ran in the Prix Henry Delamarre at Longchamp in which he finished half a length second to Prince Sao, to whom he was conceding nine pounds. One week later, he returned to Longchamp for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Sir Ivor, whose best distance was probably 10 furlongs was outstayed by the favourite, Vaguely Noble, in the very soft ground who won by three lengths. Sir Ivor finished four lengths ahead of the remainder of the field to take second. Two weeks after his run in Paris, Sir Ivor appeared at Newmarket, where he won the Champion Stakes easily by two and a half lengths from a field which included Taj Dewan. On his final start, Sir Ivor was sent to the United States for the Washington, D.C. International at Laurel Park, Maryland. Piggott held the colt up before producing a "furious stretch drive" to lead in the last twenty yards and beat Czar Alexander, with the American Champion Male Turf Horse Fort Marcy in third. Stud record Retired after his three-year-old racing season, Sir Ivor was sold to a syndicate to stand at stud at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentucky. He sired 94 stakes winners and was the broodmare sire of more than 145 stakes winners before his death at age 30 in 1995. His best winners included: Assessment and honours Sir Ivor was named British Horse of the Year by the Racecourse Association, gaining twenty-six