Even after winning five of his first six races as a three-year-old he was not regarded as a top-class performer even by his trainer, who only ran him in the St Leger when a more fancied stable companion was injured.
Ridge Wood was a dark bay or brown horse with one white foot bred by the Sledmere Stud of Driffield, East Yorkshire.
[3] Ridge Wood showed improved form on his three-year-old debut, winning the Tudor Stakes at Sandown Park Racecourse.
When the racecourse starter's assistant brandished a large whip behind the horses the "contest" began at a walk and continued as a "tortoise race"[4] for six furlongs with the crowd loudly voicing their disapproval.
On his final start before the St Leger, Ridge Wood was moved up in class and won the Oxfordshire Stakes over thirteen furlongs at Newbury.
Murless had not thought the colt good enough to contest the Derby, and only decided to run him in the Leger when another of his stables runners, Royal Forest, was withdrawn from the race after being injured.
[9] In their book A Century of Champions, based on a modified version of the Timeform system, John Randall and Tony Morris rated Ridge Wood as a “poor” St Leger winner.