Kingman fee rockets to £150,000 after brilliant year headlined by Classic win

Juddmonte sire had previously stood for £75,000 at Banstead Manor in Newmarket

Much interest and speculation awaited the announcement of Kingman's 2020 feeCredit: Asuncion Piñeyrua

Sire sensation Kingman has had his fee at Juddmonte's Banstead Manor Stud in Newmarket raised to £150,000 from £75,000.

Kingman is the sire of 28 stakes performers, including six Group winners led by this year's Poule d'Essai des Poulains hero Persian King. Calyx and Headman have been among many other flagbearers for the up-and-coming eight-year-old sire, with his third crop proving highly sought-after at the yearling sales.

Studmate Frankel remains Banstead Manor's highest-priced sire after likewise enjoying a great year, headlined by his daughter Anapurna's success in the Oaks and his hugely promising son Logician's victory in the St Leger, with his fee remaining at £175,000 for 2020.

Frankel and stallion man Rob Bowley at Juddmonte's Banstead Manor StudCredit: Edward Whitaker

Stud director UK Simon Mockridge said: “We are very privileged to stand two of the most exciting sires in the world in Frankel and Kingman.

“Kingman has had an outstanding start, with a Classic winner from his first crop as well as Group 2 winners Calyx and Headman, Musidora Stakes winner Nausha and Hampton Court Stakes winner Sangarius.

"In 2019 the only sire in Europe to have had more three-year-old stakes winners than Kingman was Galileo. Kingman has had four stakes winners from his second crop, including Prestige Stakes winner Boomer, and his third crop proved incredibly popular at the yearling sales.

"Kingman averaged £317,933 for 59 sold, including colts sold for 2.3 million guineas and 1.8 million guineas at Tattersalls Book 1."

Mockridge said of their highest-priced stallion: “Frankel offers breeders the greatest chance of producing a Group winner of any other sire in the northern hemisphere, with a phenomenal 14 per cent Group winners to runners and 28 per cent black-type performers to runners.

"He is second only to his own sire Galileo in terms of Group winners from crops foaled between 2014 and 2017, and is Galileo’s most successful son despite having only four crops of racing age. He sired five Group 1 winners in 2019, including two British Classic winners in Anapurna and track-record breaking Logician."

He added: "Frankel reached his tenth Group 1 winner overall when two-year-old Quadrilateral won the Fillies’ Mile at Newmarket, and she’s currently favourite for next year’s Classics. At the sales, his yearlings averaged £436,160 for 37 sold, including his highest ever priced yearling with a colt sold for 3.1 million guineas to Godolphin."

The Juddmonte stallions exercise in the grounds of Banstead Manor Stud: (from right to left) Oasis Dream, Frankel, Expert Eye, Bated Breath and KingmanCredit: Laura Green

The 2020 fees for Juddmonte's other three stallions based at Newmarket were also announced on Tuesday, with Oasis Dream standing for £25,000 (£30,000 in 2019), Expert Eye £17,500 (£20,000) and Bated Breath £12,500 (£10,000).

Mockridge continued: “Oasis Dream is Europe’s leading Group 1 sprint sire, a top-five active European sire by stakes winners, Group winners and Group 1 winners, with ten per cent black-type winners to runners.

"He was responsible for 16 black-type performers in 2019, including Irish 1,000 Guineas runner-up Pretty Pollyanna - a two-year-old Group 1 winner in 2018 - and Group winners Shine So Bright, Polydream, Imaging, Azano and Mr Ritz.

"A small reduction in his fee recognises this stage of his career and represents excellent value for breeders looking for a proven stallion."

Expert Eye is the new kid on the Banstead block and Mockridge said: "We await with excitement the first foals by Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Expert Eye. This son of sire-of-sires Acclamation covered a full book of mares in 2019, including 30 stakes winners and 73 black-type performers/producers - 97 per cent of his book were stakes performers, producers or siblings/daughters of stakes performers.

"As well as being a Group 1 winner at three, Expert Eye was a brilliant, Group-2 winning two-year-old, his trainer Sir Michael Stoute saying of him, 'He's naturally precocious, very well-balanced, well developed and mature. He’s the best two-year-old I've had for quite a while'.

"He has impressed breeders with his good looks and athletic walk, and as a fourth generation homebred we fully expect him to be the latest stallion success story produced by Juddmonte."

Mockridge added of Bated Breath: "This has been a breakthrough year for him, with 12 stakes winners including Group 2 winners Space Traveller, Worth Waiting and Daahyeh – the last-named was twice Group 1-placed, including in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.

"In siring three winners at Royal Ascot, he put himself level with Galileo and Sea The Stars, with just one less than the leading sire of the meeting, Shamardal. He is the best value sire in Europe in terms of stakes winners, and the leading sire standing for €/£35,000 or less."

Stallion	2020 fee	2019 fee
Frankel	£175,000	£175,000
Kingman	£150,000	£75,000
Oasis Dream	£25,000	£30,000
Expert Eye	£17,500	£20,000
Bated Breath	£12,500	£10,000