When the Irish-bred filly Good Queen Bess made a winning debut for Wilgerbosdrift at Turffontein on Saturday she was the first South African runner and winner for prominent British sire and former Cartier Horse Of The Year, Kingman (Invincible Spirit).
Kingman, whose 2021 stud fee ranked to the equivalent of nearly R3 million, is one of the brighest young stallions in the world.
Gavin Lerena steers Good Queen Bess to victory (Pic – JC Photos)
From his first three full-crops of racing age, Kingman has already supplied 32 stakes winners (and a further 21 black type horses), and of his first 282 runners to race, 178 – or 63% – have won at least once.
His tally of stakes winners includes the Gr1 winners Persian King (Poule d’Essai des Poulains, Prix d’Ispahan), Palace Pier (St James’s Palace Stakes, Prix Jacques le Marois) and Domestic Spending (Hollywood Derby), while Kingman’s once beaten Gr2 Coventry Stakes winning son Calyx now stands at Coolmore Stud.
While there can be no denying that Kingman has been supported by some outstanding producers and racemares (legendary racemare Enable is among the mares in foal to him this year), Kingman’s statistics suggest he is a top notch stallion – he was responsible 16 stakes winners last year – with the promise of plenty more to come.
The four time Gr1 winner with that electric turn of foot has a smart looking crop of Northern Hemisphere 3yo’s this year. His sophomores this season include Gr3 Prix Imprudence victress Reina Madre, Japanese Gr2 winner Elizabeth Tower, Burradon Stakes winner Megallan, and Gr3 Nell Gwyn Stakes third Love Is You. In fact, Kingman had three daughters contest this year’s Nell Gywn Stakes – one of the traditional preps for the 1000 Guineas.
Kingman
By the same sire as top Australian producer I Am Invincible, the impeccably bred Kingman is out of Gr1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches (French 1000 Guineas) heroine Zenda -a half-sister to champion sprinter and world leading sire Oasis Dream.
Worth noting too that Oasis Dream’s top-class daughter Welwitschia came up with a promising runner at Turffontein on Saturday. Her 2yo daughter Desert Miracle (Dynasty) ran a cracking close up second on debut.
Interestingly enough, Kingman’s close relative Oasis Dream – whose sire Green Desert is also responsible for Kingman’s sire Invincible Spirit – is represented in South Africa by consistently successful sire Querari, while the top-class broodmare Grail Maiden (Galileo)- dam of Gr1 SA Derby winner Hero’s Honour and Gr1 Thekwini Stakes runner up Railtrip, traces back directly in female line to talented racemare Sorbus (Busted) -the fourth dam of Kingman.
Kingman is only one part of Good Queen Bess’ impressive pedigree, with her dam Golden Reign a half-sister to Horse Of The Year Golden Horn. The latter was sired by Cape Cross, who was sired by Green Desert -the grandsire of Kingman.
