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I will forever wonder how Kingman never won the 2000 Guineas and the public will never know just how good he was.
Retired after it was decided he wouldn’t be able to keep further engagements this year.
Some brilliant performances but some of them in farcically run races. Well never know if he would have beaten this year’s crop, although signs are he probably would.
A somewhat unsatisfactory end given his potential and I would find it hard to put him up there with the greats based on so little evidence.
Still, it’s all about business, not entertaining the public.
Thanks for the good crack. Time for me to move on. Be lucky.
Kingman was the leading miler of the year without question and closely tied with Canford Cliffs in recent history excluding Frankel. Still, I find it unnerving that physically flawed horses like this are now marketed as the next generation of the industry.
A horse who suffered from well-documented leg issues and a so-say ‘throat infection’
now gets to produce 100+ foals per year. I think there should be tight restrictions that stop horses like Kingman from becoming stallions, or at least test their physical makeup very rigorously.This is quite a shock and didn’t expect it so soon. I was kind of hoping that the horse was gonna stay in training as a 4 year old since the news of his throat bug. But, like all good things, they get took away leaving us with just the scraps.
What’s the point of breeding Flat horses like rabbits only for them to be buggered off at 3 years old? It’s making the Flat look like a complete joke all because of the greed for money … as if the big owners ain’t got enough! We seriously need some great perennials for the Flat.
Despicable.
Had that been a coolmore horse then the criticism would have gone into overdrive. Can’t get my head around why it had to be retired as it had plenty of time to get ready for next season. Seems Khalid Abdullah is governed by the the same financial needs as coolmore and darley etc. great pity as I was thinking Australia had a chance of beating him in the qe2. Agree with the point re the horses issues and how that could be transmitted to its offspring. Sires like mastercraftsman were tough horses and you need that if you are going to be a long term success at stud.
Top flat racing sires this season by prize money:
1. Galileo (1 juvenile run, 8 total runs, retired sound)
2. Invincible Spirit (4 juvenile runs, missed 1 year, 17 total runs, retired sound)
3. Shamardal (3 juvenile runs, 7 total runs, spinal disorder as yearling, multiple training problems, retired with fractured fetlock4. Mastercraftsman (5 juvenile runs, 12 total runs, retired sound)
5. Teofilo (5 juvenile runs, retired unsound)
6. Dubawi (3 juvenile runs, 8 total runs, retired with ligament injury)7. Oasis Dream (4 juvenile runs, 9 total runs, retired sound)
8. Dutch Art (4 juvenile runs, 10 total runs, retired sound)
9. Sea The Stars (3 juvenile runs, 9 total runs, retired sound)
10. Dansili (1 juvenile run, 14 total runs, retired sound)
To me, it is no surprise that many of the horses in bold are the mainstays of the breeding industry. The others have a few brilliant progeny, but plenty more that don’t train-on and more who suffer major injuries.
It’s a shame but I don’t think Kingman ever got into the publics eye, too brief a career and now we won’t see him again.
Not being a breeding expert but surely it must be a risk breeding from a horse with such a fragile profile ?
It’s a fragile family – his half brother Remote has only managed four runs and two half sisters just two runs each. There was also another colt that never ran on the flat.
But it seems harsh to criticise the owner, who has run plenty of horses at four and older (not least Frankel), or to suggest this decision is financially driven. Kingman will go to the owners Banstead Stud, so presumably there’s no syndication involved, and most of the mares he covers will also belong to the owner.
I will forever wonder how Kingman never won the 2000 Guineas and the public will never know just how good he was.
As Good a Miler I’ve seen but I’m not surprised he never won the Guineas as his trainer just cant train a horse who can.
Kingman
falls into the Coulda been Brilliant Category.
I think there should be tight restrictions that stop horses like Kingman from becoming stallions, or at least test their physical makeup very rigorously.
Would be impossible to work. Who would make decision ? What criteria ?
A shame his career has ended before taking in the QE11 as I reckon they would have gone like the clappers and set a gruelling start to finish gallop and Kingman could of put me on my backside by hacking up.
Hannon has been given a life line in his bid to win the title in his 1st season as the gaffa.
Charles Darwin to conquer the World
I can see the owner having mares for Kingman, but others know his history so it is up to them to visit or not visit him with their mares.Whoever buys the foals also should know his history.
- Total Posts 764
Screw the flat racing!
I will forever wonder how Kingman never won the 2000 Guineas and the public will never know just how good he was.
As Good a Miler I’ve seen but I’m not surprised he never won the Guineas as his trainer just cant train a horse who can.
Kingman
falls into the Coulda been Brilliant Category.
We could summarise Kingman in a similar way to Ray Cochrane in the winners enclosure after riding Then Again for Luca Cumani some years ago:-
"He’s a top class horse so he is, he can fairly quicken up so he can, he’ll go all the way through so he will"
However in Kingman’s case we need to add the line:-
"We’ll never know, so we won’t"
Thanks for the good crack. Time for me to move on. Be lucky.
Yes disappointing but inevitable once they realised he was not going to recover from the throat infection. If you remember they told us fairly on during Frankel’s 3 year old career that he would be staying in training at 4. We never heard that about Kingman so the writing was on the wall.
I think they realise that he is never going to be anything other than a brilliant miler and so thought there little point in winning similar races to last year. Add to the mix the fact that Dansili is nearing the end of his stallion career and you can see probably see why they want a replacement.
I agree with others who say it is a case of what might have been. There is no doubting his brilliance but we probably never got to the bottom of him and he retires with a rating that probably doesn’t do him justice. Whereas Frankel was able to gallop relentlessly and win by wide margins this horse was all about that electric turn of foot so he was never likely to win by far. The 2,000 Guineas taught connections that he should be produced fast and late as he was caught out up that hill by a horse who probably outstayed him in a fast run race. Since that day he only ran in slowly run affairs which probably suited him but didn’t allow us to see him at his full potential.
I can see what you are all saying about his fragility and his stock may have a few crocks but there are also plenty of reasons to be optimistic.
He had a lovely calm attitude, probably more so than Frankel, and he was able to switch off and settle in his races. He went on all types of ground although admittedly after his 2 year old injury they were worried about very fast ground. He also had tremendous speed of course as witnessed by that stunning final furlong at Goodwood. I would be confident of him siring a higher-rated horse than himself and can see him having one or two good’uns a year as well as a few crocks.
Anyway – a brilliant miler and a shame we didn’t get to see his last hurrah.
"this perfect mix of poetry and destruction, this glory of rhythm, power and majesty: the undisputed champion of the world!!!"
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