SAHorseracing.com
SAHorseracing.com
Kingman Retired

Exceptional miler Kingman has been retired to stud, confirmed Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager to owner Khalid Abdullah.

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 statement released to Press Association Sport: "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."

Kingman won seven of his eight races, including Group One triumphs in the Irish 2,000 Guineas, the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood, the Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville and the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.

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." 

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