| Star Kingdom | |
|---|---|
| Sire | Stardust |
| Grandsire | Hyperion |
| Dam | Impromptu |
| Damsire | Concerto |
| Sex | Stallion |
| Foaled | 30 April 1946 |
| Died | 21 April 1967 (aged 20) |
| Country | Ireland |
| Colour | Chestnut |
| Breeder | Richard Ball |
| Owner | Wilfred Harvey Claude Leigh Alf Ellison, Reg Moses and Stanley Wootton (at stud) |
| Trainer | 1. John C. Waugh 2. Fred Templemen [1] |
| Record | 16: 9-2-1 |
| Earnings | £12,352 [2] |
| Major wins | |
| Richmond Stakes (1948) Gimcrack Stakes (1948) Greenham Stakes (1949) Jersey Stakes (1949) Hungerford Stakes (1949) | |
| Awards | |
| Leading sire in Australia (1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1965) | |
| Honours | |
| Star Kingdom Stakes Australian Racing Hall of Fame | |
| Last updated on 12 October 2010 | |
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.
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.' [3] Out of 16 starts he recorded nine wins and was unplaced only four times collecting £12,352 in stakes. [2] 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. [4] He was rated 131 by Timeform in their first ever Annual of 1948 [5]
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. [6]
Star Kingdom was purchased by Alf Ellison, Reg Moses and Stanley Wootton [7] at a cost of £4,000 and sent to Australia in 1951. My uncle, John Burton - previously Bunfield, was the stable lad that looked after Star kingdom for the whole long journey, not an easy trip for either of them, but John's loving care enabled the horse to survive, even though he was unfairly blamed for his condition on arrival. ref: John's niece's account. Upon arrival it was obvious that he had not travelled well, and he stood only 15 hands and 1⁄2 inch high, leaving his purchasers with serious doubts about the wisdom of their choice. As there was already a Star King in Australia, he was re-registered as Star Kingdom and installed at Baramul Stud in New South Wales. [8] His influence was not immediately felt, but eventually he became Australia's leading sire for the first time in the 1958–59 season when his fifth crop began racing although he was the leading sire of two-year-olds in his first season and the first sire whose earners were to reach the equivalent of $2 million. Star Kingdom was the leading sire five times, leading sire of two-year-olds seven times as well as leading the broodmare sires' list thrice. [2]
One of his most extraordinary achievements was to sire the winner of the first five Golden Slipper Stakes. Primarily a speed sire his influence is still evident in the bloodlines of many Australian Thoroughbreds today. His progeny held Australian records for 4 furlongs, 5 furlongs, 5+1⁄2 furlongs, 8 furlongs and 10 furlongs at various times.
Among his offspring were 52 stakeswinners, including the outstanding horses Biscay, Citius, Concert Star, Todman, Fine and Dandy, Noholme, Reveille, Time And Tide, Sky High, Skyline, King Star, Kingster, Star Affair, Planet Kingdom, Kaoru Star (sire of Luskin Star, a Triple Crown winner), Mighty Kingdom, Gold Stakes, Magic Night, Starlit, Cymbal, Courteous, Sunset Hue (sire of Gunsynd) and Ritmar. The top racehorse Sky High was his most prolific winner, recording 29 wins. [4]
Star Kingdom was also a noted broodmare sire, with the likes of his daughter Dark Jewel producing Baguette, a Golden Slipper Stakes winner who was unbeaten in his two-year-old season and future sire of note.
Standing at Barramul Stud for 16 successive seasons (1951–1966), he died from a bowel blockage, at the age of 21, on 21 April 1967. [9] A headstone at Baramul Stud commemorates him and his son, Todman.
In 1978, more than 11 years after Star Kingdom's death, he had at least 42 sons standing at studs in Australia and New Zealand, including the very successful Kaoru Star. At the same time he also had over 100 grandsons standing at stud. [9]
| Sire Stardust (GB) Chestnut 1937 | Hyperion Chestnut 1930 | Gainsborough | Bayardo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rosedrop | |||
| Selene | Chaucer | ||
| Serenissima | |||
| Sister Stella Chestnut 1923 | Friar Marcus | Cicero | |
| Prim Nun | |||
| Etoile | Sunstar | ||
| Princesse de Galles | |||
| Dam Impromptu (IRE) Bay 1939 | Concerto (GB) Bay 1928 | Orpheus | Orby |
| Electra | |||
| Constellation | Sunstar | ||
| Stop Her | |||
| Thoughtless (IRE) Bay 1934 | Papyrus | Tracery (USA) | |
| Miss Matty (GB) | |||
| Virgin's Folly | Swynford (GB) | ||
| Widow Bird (GB)(Family: 1-g) |
Todman was one of the greatest Australian Thoroughbred racehorses and an important sire. He was perhaps best known as the winner of the inaugural STC Golden Slipper in 1957, being the first of Star Kingdom's five successive winners of the race. He was inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame in 2005.
Bletchingly (1970–1993) was an Australian Thoroughbred racehorse and stallion. A brilliant sprinter, he was by the successful speed stallion Biscay out of Coogee (GB). Bletchingly was bred by Stanley Wootton on the Baramul Stud in the Widden Valley, and was a three-quarter brother to another high-class sprinter, Beaches. Stanley Wootton had imported Bletchingly's grandsire, Star Kingdom (IRE), from the United Kingdom in the 1950s, and the Irish stallion established Australia's foremost 20th century sireline.
Tudor Minstrel (1944–1971) was a British-bred Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. In a career which lasted from the spring of 1946 until September 1947 he ran ten times and won eight races. He was unbeaten in four races in 1946, a year in which he was the highest-rated two-year-old in Britain, despite ending his season in July. The following year he won the 2,000 Guineas, St. James's Palace Stakes and Knights Royal Stakes over one mile but was beaten in his two attempts at longer distances, most notably when starting odds-on favourite for the 1947 Epsom Derby.
Abernant (1946–1970) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. In a career which lasted from May 1948 until 1950, he ran 17 times and won 14 races. He was the best British two-year-old of 1948 and returned from a narrow defeat in the 2000 Guineas to become the dominant sprinter in Britain in 1949 and 1950. Abernant's Timeform rating is the highest for a sprinter in Europe since World War II.
Habibti was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare who was one of the highest-rated sprinters in European racing history. Habibti was unbeaten as a two-year-old, winning the Group Two Lowther Stakes in England and the Moyglare Stud Stakes in Ireland. In early 1983 she was campaigned over longer distances without success before being switched to sprinting in summer. She won her remaining four races that season, taking the July Cup at Newmarket, the William Hill Sprint Championship at York, the Vernons Sprint Cup at Haydock Park and the Prix de l'Abbaye at Longchamp Racecourse. At the end of the season she was named Britain's Horse of the Year and was rated the best three-year-old filly of the last thirty-six years by Timeform. Habibti was less successful when kept in training at four, but did win the King's Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot. At the end of 1984 she was retired to stud, where she had little success as a producer of winners.
Wenona Girl was a leading Australian Thoroughbred horse racemare that had 27 wins over distances ranging from 4½ furlongs to 1½ miles. She won 22 principal races, 15 of which were later designated group one (G1) races. Wenona Girl’s principal wins included the VRC Sires Produce Stakes, AJC Sires Produce Stakes, George Adams Handicap, One Thousand Guineas, VATC Futurity Stakes, AJC George Main Stakes, AJC All Aged Stakes, AJC Adrian Knox Oaks Stakes, Rawson Stakes and Rosehill Guineas, all of which were later classified as G1 races. At the time of her retirement she was the highest stakes winning mare to have raced in Australia. At stud she was a good broodmare. Wenona Girl was later inducted into Australian Racing Hall of Fame.
Aggressor was a British Thoroughbred race horse and sire. In a racing career which lasted from 1957 until July 1960 he ran twenty times and won eleven races. In his first three seasons he showed solid form, winning races including the Solario Stakes, the Coronation Stakes and the Cumberland Lodge Stakes. He reached his peak as a five-year-old in 1960 when he won the John Porter Stakes and the Hardwicke Stakes before recording his biggest success when defeating the outstanding filly Petite Etoile in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
Musidora was an Irish-bred British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare, best known for winning two Classics in 1949. The filly won four times from twelve races in a racing career which lasted from 1948 until September 1949. After winning once as a two-year-old she won her first three races as a three-year-old including the 1000 Guineas over one mile at Newmarket and at The Oaks over one and a half miles at Epsom Downs Racecourse a month later. In the latter race she narrowly defeated the French filly Coronation, who went on to win the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. She finished unplaced in her three subsequent races and was retired to stud, where she had limited success as a broodmare.
Nearula (1950–1960) was an Irish-bred British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire, best known for winning the classic 2000 Guineas in 1953. Trained in Yorkshire, he was the top-rated British two-year-olds of 1952 when he won the Middle Park Stakes. In the following year he won the 2000 Guineas and the St James's Palace Stakes over one mile and the Champion Stakes against older horses over ten furlongs. He won two further races as a four-year-old before being retired to stud, where he had some success as a sire of winners before dying at the age of ten.
Ridge Wood (1946–1956) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the classic St Leger Stakes in 1949. The colt was rejected by his prospective owner as a yearling and failed to win as a two-year-old in 1948. Even after winning five of his first six races as a three-year-old he was not regarded as a top-class performer even by his trainer, who only ran him in the St Leger when a more fancied stable companion was injured. After winning the Leger as a 14/1 outsider, Ridge Wood was defeated in his only subsequent start and was retired to stud, where he was a failure as a breeding stallion. He died at the age of ten in 1956.
Milligram was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare, best known for her win over Miesque and Sonic Lady in the 1987 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes. In a racing career which lasted from September 1986 until November 1987 she ran nine times and won four races. Apart from the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, she won the Coronation Stakes and Waterford Crystal Mile, as well as finishing second in the Prix Marcel Boussac, 1000 Guineas and Irish 1,000 Guineas. She was the highest-rated horse in the United Kingdom over one mile in 1987. Milligram was retired at the end of her three-year-old season and had some success as a broodmare.
Derring-Do was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He was one of the leading British two-year-olds of 1963 when he won two of his three races including the Cornwallis Stakes. In the next two seasons, he developed into a top class racehorse over distances between seven and ten furlongs with his most important wins coming in the Hungerford Stakes, Valdoe Stakes, and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes. He was retired to stud at the end of his four-year-old season and became a successful breeding stallion.
Queen's Hussar (1960–1981) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and champion sire. He was not a champion, but showed top-class form throughout his racing career, winning the Washington Singer Stakes as a two-year-old in 1962 before taking the Lockinge Stakes and the Sussex Stakes in 1963. He was retired to stud where his record was initially disappointing, but he went on to sire the classic winners Brigadier Gerard and Highclere.
Fairy Footsteps was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare best known for winning the classic 1000 Guineas in 1981. She showed promise in her first two races as a two-year-old before establishing herself as one of the best fillies of her generation with an emphatic win in the Waterford Candelabra Stakes. In the spring of 1981 she was heavily backed for the 1000 Guineas before and after a win in the Nell Gwyn Stakes. She won the 1000 Guineas by leading all the way and was considered highly likely to follow up with a win in the Epsom Oaks but was retired after a disappointing defeat in the Musidora Stakes. She had some success as a broodmare.
Pasty was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. She was the leading two-year-old filly of her generation in Britain in 1975 when she was undefeated in five races including the Lavant Stakes, Lowther Stakes and Cheveley Park Stakes. She failed to progress as a three-year-old and finished no better than fourth in her five races. She was then retired to become a broodmare and produced at least three minor winners.
Habat (1971–1989) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He was the top-rated British two-year-old of his generation in 1973 when he won four of his six races including the Norfolk Stakes, Mill Reef Stakes and Middle Park Stakes. He won the 2,000 Guineas Trial Stakes on his three-year-old debut but was beaten in his three subsequent races and was retired at the end of the season. He stood as a breeding stallion in Britain and Japan with limited success.
Mister Majestic was an Irish-bred British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He was a specialist sprinter who showed his best form as a two-year-old in 1986. After winning four minor races in the early part of the year he returned in the autumn to record a 33/1 upset win in the Group One Middle Park Stakes. In the following year he won two races, including the Leisure Stakes, from seven starts before being retired from racing. He stood as a breeding stallion in Ireland and Italy but had little success as a sire of winners.
Bluebird was an American-bred, Irish-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He fetched $1.1 million as a yearling and spent his racing career in Europe. He showed promise as a juvenile in Ireland in 1986 when he won on his debut and finished third in his only other race that year. In the following spring, he finished second in the Leopardstown 2,000 Guineas Trial Stakes before being dropped to sprint distances to win the Ballyogan Stakes and subsequently recording an emphatic victory in the Group One King's Stand Stakes. He failed to win in three subsequent starts and was retired at the end of the season. He later stood as a breeding stallion in Ireland and Australia and had considerable success as a sire of winners.
Indian Ridge was an Irish-bred British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He showed promising but unexceptional form as a two-year-old in 1987 when he won twice from four starts in minor races. He established himself as a high-class performer by winning the Jersey Stakes on his three-year-old debut but was well beaten in his three remaining race that year. He reached his peak when dropped to sprint distances in the spring and early summer of 1989, winning the Duke of York Stakes before taking the King's Stand Stakes on his penultimate appearance.
Queenpot was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. She won three times as a juvenile in 1947, with her biggest success of the year coming in the Prendergast Stakes at Newmarket Racecourse. In the following spring she took the Katheryn Howard Stakes before recording her most significant victory in the 1000 Guineas. As a broodmare she produced several minor winners including the dam of Northjet.