Star Kingdom

Star Kingdom (formerly known as Star King) (1946–1967) was a Thoroughbred race horse bred in Ireland in 1946. Exported to Australia, he was an outstanding sire, being the leading sire for five seasons, the leading sire of two-year-olds seven times as well as heading the broodmare sires' list three times. Foaled on 30 April 1946, Star Kingdom was bred by Richard Ball, master of Cloghran Stud, in County Dublin, Ireland. Star Kingdom was a son of Stardust and out of the unraced mare, Impromptu by Concerto. He was inbred to Sunstar (who won the 2,000 Guineas Stakes and The Derby), in the fourth generation (4m x 4f). Wilfred Harvey purchased him at the Doncaster sales for 3,100 guineas. Racing record Star Kingdom was registered and raced under the name of Star King in England. Conditioned for racing by John Waugh, in his two-year-old racing season he was rated second (to Abernant) among English sprinters. He was beaten by Abernant by the ''shortest of short heads in the National Breeders' Produce Stakes at Sandown Park and his jockey `Sam Wragg thought he had won.' Out of 16 starts he recorded nine wins and was unplaced only four times collecting £12,352 in stakes. His wins included the York Gimcrack Stakes and the Sandown Park Produce Stakes. All of his wins, with the exception of one, were by long margins of up to ten lengths. He was rated 131 by Timeform in their first ever Annual of 1948 In 1949 Star King won the Greenham Stakes over 7 furlongs and the then 7.7 furlong Jersey Stakes at Ascot but ran disappointingly in the 2,000 Guineas and July Cup of 1949. Timeform's assessment of him was that he possessed a fine turn of speed and was at his best when opponents did not take him off his feet too early in the race. They rated him 128 in 1949.