Kingman Crowns St. James's Palace Field
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Kingman avenged his lone career loss when the Khalid Abdullah homebred posted a 2 1/4-length victory in the $637,500 St. James's Palace Stakes (Eng I) June 17 at Royal Ascot.
With the victory, Irish classic winner Kingman improved his career mark to five wins in six starts. The lone loss by the Invincible Spirit colt came May 3 in his runner-up finish to Saeed Manana's Night of Thunder in the QIPCO Two Thousand Guineas (Eng-I), but in the stretch of the St. James's Palace, Kingman surged past Night of Thunder, who would hold second.
Moved to the outside by jockey James Doyle while racing sixth of seven, Kingman shifted into high gear with a quarter-mile remaining and surged past rivals. Night of Thunder, by Dubawi, and jockey Richard Hughes had led throughout, but they had no answer for the winner, who rallied past them inside the final furlong.
Trained by John Gosden, Kingman completed the one-mile round course race for 3-year-old colts in 1:39.06 on a course rated "good."
Godolphin Racing's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (gr. I) winner Outstrip finished another length back in third.
After Kingman's runner-up finish in the Two Thousand Guineas at Newmarket, he waltzed to victory in the Tattersalls Irish Two Thousand Guineas (Ire-I) May 24 at the Curragh. His two straight group I scores have come by a combined 7 1/4 lengths.
Bred in England by Abdullah's Juddmonte Farms, Kingman is out the French classic-winning Zamindar mare Zenda, who also has produced group III winner Remote, by Dansili.
In U.S. pari-mutuel pools, Kingman was sent off as the 3-5 favorite and Night of Thunder the 5-2 second choice.