Second Group 1 for late Roaring Lion as Kingswood hits the mark in New Zealand

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Kingswood provided Roaring Lion with his second posthumous Group 1 winner following a storming performance in the Cambridge Stud Zabeel Classic at Ellerslie in New Zealand on Friday.

There is a sad irony in that the race sponsor is where Roaring Lion had shuttled to after one season standing at Tweenhills in Gloucestershire only to begin suffering from ultimately fatal symptoms of colic after passing through quarantine in 2019.

Kingswood is British-bred by Kirsten Rausing, owner of Lanwades Stud, and a half-brother to dual St Leger hero Eldar Eldarov from the keynote family of Alpinista. The grey was bought by Glyn Davies for €130,000 at the Goffs Orby Yearling Sale in 2021 and began life in Ireland with John O'Donoghue, for whom he was a winner. He is now with Australian-based Gavin Bedggood, taking the Group 3  Coongy Cup at Caulfield in October.

Switched to targets across the Tasman Sea, Kingswood was given a bold ride from the front by Rory Hutchings and sustained his lead to the line, a length and a half in front of Jaarffi. 

"When I went, I made sure I went really quick," said Hutchings. "I had a lap full of horse when I did it and I knew I caught them napping. He went from 0 to 100 in one stride and he sustained that all the way to the winning post. That is a trait of a very good horse."

Bedggood found the race a nervous watch, telling Loveracing.nz: "100m after the start I thought we were cast. We weren’t where we wanted to be, they didn’t go quick. Watching the race unfold I was working out how I was going to explain this, we were going to look like mugs.

"Fair play to Rory, what a ride. It was a ballsy ride to take off like he did. I just said the horse needed to be in a spot where he needs to build his revs. He is not a sit and sprint horse, and it was well executed.

"He had to do something because where he was, riding for luck wasn’t an option. It wasn’t going to suit the horse the way the race was panning out. Full credit to him, it was the difference between winning and getting beaten."

European champion colt Roaring Lion's other Group 1 winner was Criterium de Saint-Cloud scorer Dubai Mile, now based at Coolagown Stud. It is thought Kingswood could be on the shortlist for southern hemisphere stallion masters and will have other chances to impress watchers in New Zealand.

"He can have a week in the paddock and can probably hang around for the Herbie Dyke and Bonecrusher now I think,” said Bedggood of other Group 1 options.

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