Kingman Retired

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Benvenuto Cellini

Benvenuto Cellini

1 of the top judges in Europe
Jun 12, 2012
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KINGMAN, the four-time Group 1 winner that lit up the season, has been retired as a result of having to undergo treatment for a sore throat which rules him out of his autumn targets.

The John Gosden-trained colt was being trained for the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot on QIPCO Champions Day but he has yet to recover from a throat infection.

Connections still hoped the three-year-old would make the showpiece race, but time has now been called on a decorated career.

Grimthorpe said in a statementt "Kingman is to be retired to Banstead Manor Stud for the 2015 stud season.

"The throat infection will still need on going treatment which will rule out the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes and also the Breeders Cup.

"The stud fee of the horse that has electrified European racing in 2014 will be announced by the stud when appropriate."

The son of Invincible Spirit met with his only defeat when beaten by Night Of Thunder in the QIPCO 2000 Guineas at Newmarket but comprehensively took revenge on that rival in the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot. His other Group One victories came in the Irish 2000 Guineas, Sussex Stakes and Prix Jacque Le Marois.
 
What a waste of a horse. He should be raced at 4, and build up a rationale for being used as a sire rather than the mighty Frankel. Surely a year extra on the racecourse wouldn't be a problem?
 
Unable to work that out, same owner who so sportingly arrived at a decision to allow Frankel to race at four now withdrawing this horse prematurely. He does not need the money, he has the main man in Frankel when it comes to his stud already and so could easily have allowed this horse a chance to become a great rather than just the best this year.
 
Says it all about flat racing that this year's top 3 year olds are all set to retire at 3. Thank god the jumps are creeping closer.
 
"sore throat" is a pretty catch-all term. He'll need time off his work routine so will lose fitness, plus any treatment will almost certainly require medication that has a withdrawal time. Most medications to treat these mind of things require at least two weeks after the last dose, so that would almost certainly rule out Champions Day. Of course there's nothing to stop them keeping him in training next year, unless more is amiss.
 
The son of Invincible Spirit created a huge stir when winning by six lengths on his debut at Newmarket last June, setting clockwatchers into a state of near frenzy.

Gosden then sent him to Sandown for the Solario Stakes and while he was not electrifying, he was not hard pressed to win by two lengths.

That was it for his two-year-old career, but he reappeared in devastating style when successful in the Greenham Stakes at Newbury on April 12.

He then met with the only defeat of his career, when second behind Night Of Thunder in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket.

On the back of that eclipse there were questions to answer, but he responded brilliantly by winning the Irish Guineas by five lengths.

He then gained his revenge on Night Of Thunder in the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot before beating older horses in the Sussex Stakes at Glorious Goodwood.

The final run of his career came in France, when he won the Prix Jacques le Marois on August 17 by two and a half lengths in demanding conditions.

He will now take up a role at Abdullah's Banstead Manor alongside the incomparable Frankel.

Newmarket trainer Gosden labelled Kingman "the best colt I've ever trained".

He told Press Association Sport: "The QEII was probably going to be his final race, but it's a shame he's missing it.

"He's a fabulous-looking horse with a great mind on him and he had this ability to change six gears at once.

"He had a turbo charge that no other horse I've trained has possessed.

"It's a very rare thing to see in a horse and he's the most exciting horse I've trained.

"I trained Royal Heroine to win at the Breeders' Cup in a record time, and she was very good, but this boy would be in a different league.

"It's hard to nominate his best performance, but I suppose it's the Sussex because it was the weirdest race I've ever seen.

"You're not meant to spot a horse like Toronado that amount of ground when you've gone a slow pace and have not much ground to make it up in.

"The burst he showed there was extraordinary, but then he showed in the St James's Palace how good he could be when he goes through the gears.

"He was just very exciting to be around.

"We're just short of that one race with him, but that's sometimes the way it goes.

"He's certainly the best colt I've ever trained."
 
Surely there is something underlying ther not telling us, he had the credentials to train in to a 4yr old and IMO there is nothing that stands out in this yrs 2yr olds that would challenge him. Shame as it is a waste of a horse if the throat thing is the only thing but may he have a happy retirement
 
Very disappointed that Kingman will be a no-show on Champions’ Day as that probably means that the two main events will be exported to France.

He may not be as good as when at his prime, but Cirrus Des Aigles should put Australia in his place in the Champion, assuming that both turn up. If the Moulin winner Charm Spirit puts in an appearance, he could go home with the QEII.

I did think that there was a good chance of John Gosden getting to keep his star for another season but perhaps they have decided that with him requiring ease in the ground to put in his best performances they would only get three or four races next year (unless they went to France all the time). So why pass up a year of stud fees when there is little to prove on the track?
 
Kingman was a good horse, a very good horse but hardly a 'great' horse as some have suggested. Something of a one trick pony (a very impressive surge for the last furlong), albeit a very nice trick to have! Very hard to beat in a middling run mile, or round a bend, he was of course found out in his only real test, the 2000 Guineas. They set out to break him with the strong gallop, and break him they did :biggrin:

This retirement reeks of slipping him out the backdoor to stud but I guess with the strong rumours of the difficulty in keeping him sound, it may well prove sensible in the long run.
 
What is the difficulty in keeping him sound? Anything that can be passed on?
 
Ron said:
What is the difficulty in keeping him sound? Anything that can be passed on?
Click to expand...

Gosden made no secret in the lead up to the 2000 Guineas that he wouldn't be risked on firm as he'd had an injury during the winter. Sorry, I thought that was relatively well known that he'd had trouble with his legs.
 
Might have known Beefy. If I did I've forgotten. Age you know.<laugh>

I don't think I would use a sire with dodgy legs, even if it was an affordable fee, unless it was an injury (ie not a weakness or conformation problem)
 
Brilliant miler, undoubtedly the most gifted horse of his generation, you dont see gears like that very often. Shame we didnt get to see it one more time in the QEII.
 
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