King’s Apostle – Smart first winner from his first runner
UK trainer William Haggas predicted in 2009 that King’s Apostle would pass his ‘speed to burn’ trait on to his progeny. The Gr1 winning European sprinter who stands at Klawervlei Stud produced a smart looking winner from his first runner at Clairwood last Tuesday.
The talented King’s Apostle was favourite for the 2009 Betfred Sprint Cup at Haydock after winning the Gr 1 Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville. He beat Mariol by half a length in France with sprinters of the calibre of Serious Attitude, Naaqoos and African Rose well in arrears
He was retired after sustaining a career threatening injury on the eve of the Betfred Sprint.
Successful in 7 of his 22 races which netted over £300,000 in win and place prizemoney for his owner Bernard Kantor, King’s Apostle was still in the handicap ranks just over a year before a meteoric rise to a first taste of Group glory when landing the Group 2 Diadem Stakes at Ascot in October 2008.
In his retirement season as a 5yo, the son of King’s Best only just failed under a penalty to add another Gr 2 to his CV when runner up in the Duke of York Stakes before acquitting himself well in his first crack at the highest level when fifth to Fleeting Spirit in the Gr 1 Darley July Cup at Newmarket.
He retired having won 7 races and ran off a highest Timeform Rating of 124
Haggas said at the time: ‘It’s a great shame that we’ve had to retire King’s Apostle as the horse has just come into his own this year. I was delighted to win a Group 1 with him and he’s been a thoroughly genuine and consistent performer at the highest level.’
His son and first runner, the Frank Robinson trained National King was unextended in winning the second race, a Maiden Juvenile Plate run over 1200m, at Clairwood last Tuesday.
National King was bred by Klawervlei Stud and is out of the four time winning National Assembly mare, National Delux.
The Sukhraj family who own the speedy National King would have been thrilled to take in the rave reviews from trainer Frank Robinson and jockey Keagan De Melo.
Robinson called the lovely colt ‘a progressive sort’, while De Melo conceded that he ‘should not have got beaten on debut the previous week.’
National King had gone down narrowly to Varachino on debut and obviously benefitted from the extra 200m and the experience.
National King may prove to be something of a bargain buy. He was sold at the 2013 Klawervlei Farm Sale for just R80 000.
King’s Apostle stands at Klawervlei for a fee of R15 000.
