King of Kings

King of Kings (27 February 1995 – 23 February 2015) was an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career that lasted from May 1997 to June 1998 he ran seven times and won five races. After establishing himself as one of the leading colts of his generation in Ireland as a two-year-old, when his wins included the Group One National Stakes, he recorded his most important win when he travelled to England to win the 2000 Guineas on his first start of 1998. After a disappointing run in The Derby he was retired to stud. He died in South Africa at the age of twenty. Background King of Kings, a bay horse with a white star and three white feet was bred in Ireland by J. T. Jones & Ron Con Ltd. He was sired by the fourteen times Champion sire Sadler's Wells out of the mare Zummerudd. As a weanling, King of Kings was consigned by the Barronstown Stud to the Tattersalls sales in December 1995 where he was bought for 250,000 guineas by the bloodstock agent Dermot "Demi" O'Byrne on behalf of John Magnier's Coolmore organisation. Like many of Coolmore's horses, King of Kings' ownership details were altered from race to race: he was listed as the property of either Magnier's wife Susan, or a partnership of Susan Magnier and Michael Tabor. Racing career 1997: two-year-old season King of Kings raced five times at the Curragh as a two-year-old: in each race he was ridden by Christy Roche and started odds-on favourite. He began his career in a six furlong Maiden race in June, which he won by eight lengths at odds of 2/7. A month later he was moved up to Group Three class for the Railway Stakes over the same course and distance and won easily by a length from Danyross after taking the lead a furlong from the finish. He started 30/100 favourite for the Anglesey Stakes in July but was beaten a short-head by the filly Lady Alexander, having been "tenderly handled" by Roche in the closing stages. In August he was moved up in distance for the seven furlong Tyros Stakes in which he conceded weight to four opponents and won "comfortably" from the British-trained colt Sharp Play, despite drifting to the right in the closing stages. On his final start of the season, King of Kings ran in Ireland's most prestigious two-year-old race, the Group One National Stakes over one mile. Settled by Roche in the early stages, he was moved forward to take the lead a furlong from the finish and won by three quarters of a length from his stable companion Celtic Cavalier.