Kingman

This past week the racing has come a distant second in the minds of many when set against the tragedy that has befallen the family of racing commentator John Hunt. Such an appalling act of cruelty is impossible to contemplate, especially when it concerns someone who is so popular and respected. In any workplace there are divisions and squabbles. What unites the racing press room in Britain is the unquestionable fact that John is not only a talented professional but a thoroughly decent man; a friend to so many.  He...

Roger Varian has reported 1,000 Guineas winner Elmalka (GB) (Kingman {GB}) to be in fine spirits and on course to run in the Coronation S. at Royal Ascot. The daughter of Kingman came from last to first to claim Classic glory in only her third race at Newmarket, edging out Porta Fortuna (Ire) (Caravaggio) by a neck. Varian told Sky Sports Racing, "She's in great form and has had no problems, she's done everything right since the Guineas and did a lovely bit of work last week. "We're very much...

Over the last three years Frankel (GB) and Dubawi (Ire) have handed the sires' championship back and forth between each other, and they rule supreme as the two most expensive stallions in the world this year at £350,000. While Darley's Dubawi duly provided the winner of the first British Classic of the season when Notable Speech (GB) became his fourth in that particular race - an achievement that is unrivalled in the post-war era - it was Frankel's Juddmonte friend and rival Kingman (GB) who had the bragging rights on...

Wednesday provided a taste of what might be to come at the Tattersalls Guineas Sale when a Kingman (GB) filly from the John Dance dispersal sold for 130,000gns to Alex Elliott and Billy Jackson-Stops on behalf of powerful owners Valmont and Michael Blencowe. Over 50 horses connected to Dance's Coverdale Stud and Titanium Racing Club will be auctioned at this week's Guineas Sale and, while Elliott admitted that the condition with which some of the horses were presented was less than ideal, the Kingman filly's quality shone through.  Dance, the...

Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) is set to visit Dubawi (Ire) for the third year in a row,  according to plans released by Juddmonte for its European broodmare band. The 11-time Group 1 winner's dam Concentric (GB) (Sadler's Wells) will be covered by Frankel (GB) after foaling to Dubawi. Enable's first foal, the two-year-old colt by Kingman (GB) named Encompass (GB), will be trained by John and Thady Gosden at Clarehaven Stables, the former home of both his sire and dam. Enable's two-year-old full-brother Concert Tour (GB) has not yet been...

Outside the boxes of the foaling unit at Banstead Manor Stud are Juddmonte's versions of the blue plaques one sees across Britain on the former homes of famous people. Here, of course, the plaques are a subtle green, but when it comes to equine celebrities there can be no bigger name than Frankel (GB).  He was born in one of the old brick boxes which should be granted special sporting heritage status on February 11, 2008. It is hard to believe that his 16th birthday is looming. Backing on to...

Frankel (GB) has recaptured the crown he first wore in 2021 and is the champion sire in Britain and Ireland for 2023, as well as being the leading sire in Europe, for the second time. It won't be the last. Whether or not he will be able to emulate the long reigns of his sire Galileo (Ire) and grandsire Sadler's Wells remains to be seen, but it would be unwise to bet against it. Yes, Frankel's launch into his stud career was the stallion equivalent of being born with a...

Frankel (GB), who is set to become champion sire for the second time at the end of this year, has had his fee increased to a career high of £350,000 for 2024. Along with Dubawi (Ire), this makes him the joint-highest-priced stallion in Europe. Juddmonte has released the fees for its five European stallions, with Kingman (GB) remaining unchanged at £125,000 after a year in which his leading runners have included the top sprinter Kinross (GB) along with French Group 1 winners Sauterne (Fr) and Feed The Flame (GB). Kingman...

In a race packed with quality fillies and mares, Technical Analysis (m, 5, Kingman {GB}--Sealife {Ire}, by Sea The Stars {Ire}) posted a frontrunning score in the Athenia S. ahead of two of her stablemates. A known face in the Grade I circuits, the 8-5 favorite had last been seen finishing fifth in the GII Mohegan Sun Ballston Spa S. at Saratoga, but beaten barely two lengths in a blanket finish. She'd started her 2023 season with a runner-up effort in the Perfect Sting S. at Belmont over the summer...

Which stallion does the data say is the outstanding sire-of-sires in Britain and Ireland? The answer will surprise you. We often hear chat about a stallion's ability as a sire-of-sires being bandied about, but it is less common to see it examined in a more detailed and data-driven manner. First and foremost, my personal opinion is that using a stallion's record as a sire-of-sires is one of the most brutally harsh measures in all of bloodstock on which to judge a horse. In short, the reality is that the vast...

We've a while to wait before any firm conclusions can be drawn about this year's crop of first-season stallions, though Darley's Blue Point (Ire) and Ballyhane Stud's Soldier's Call (GB) are pulling ever clearer in what has developed into something of a duel at the half-way stage of the Flat season. In the Coolmore camp, Calyx (GB) was the first to strike with a group winner when Persian Dreamer won Friday's G2 Duchess of Cambridge S.  As an aside, one wonders how much the clamour to run two-year-olds at Royal...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Monday's insights features the debut of Knight to King, the 11th foal out of G1 Irish 1000 Guineas heroine Nightime. 15.37 Gowran Park, Mdn, €12,500, 3yo/up, 9f 100yT KNIGHT TO KING (IRE) (Kingman {GB}) is the 11th foal out of the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas heroine Nightime (Ire) (Galileo...