Where is Kingman now? How the sire of Field Of Gold is getting on in retirement

There would be a striking symmetry should Field Of Gold emulate his sire, Kingman, by winning the Irish 2,000 Guineas on Saturday.

Like Field Of Gold, Kingman’s unexpected defeat in the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket left connections deflated and prompted a late decision to head to Ireland in a final attempt to claim a Classic.

“We went to Ireland off the back of a chastening defeat in the Guineas at home,” said Simon Mockridge, Juddmonte’s general manager. “We’d gone there with great expectations, including the trainer, and it hadn’t worked out, although I’m still not sure how. 

“I’m not sure going to Ireland was the first-choice decision, but given we were beaten and how he was beaten it was a decision Mr [John] Gosden felt we needed to take as it was his last chance to be a Guineas winner and he really wanted that for the horse.”

Kingman prevails in a heavy-ground Irish 2,000 GuineasCredit: Caroline Norris (racingpost.com/photos)

Rain poured down at the Curragh, leading to heavy going. Despite initial concerns from Gosden about the ground, Kingman was permitted to run and produced an outstanding display to win by five lengths.

Mockridge said: “The thing I remember most is how it rained and rained. Mr Gosden said he’d have to walk the course, that he wouldn’t want the ground too soft and we were worried he wasn’t going to run. In the end, he put up a performance that was very typical of him, so it was wonderful. He had electric natural speed and he put races to bed so quickly.”

Kingman went on to defeat 2,000 Guineas winner Night Of Thunder in the St James’s Palace Stakes, as well as land the Sussex Stakes and Prix Jacques le Marois before retiring to Banstead Manor Stud in 2015.

He has since become a leading sire, and Mockridge said: “The most amazing thing is that he’s been at stud for 11 seasons now; it’s extraordinary how time passes.

“He’s very typical of the Green Desert line in that they are horses who have a lot of emotion. They are horses who like to get on with the job and he’s very much that way. He’s the most wonderful horse physically and is a great specimen.”

Read more:

'He’s gained 20 kilos this season, which is amazing’ - Shadwell sire Baaeed in rude health three years on from Lockinge tour de force 

'She's had a Dubawi colt and he's the nicest she's had so far' - looking to the past and future with Classic star Anapurna 

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