Colorado proves rapid for a first Australian Group 1 for Kingman

Kingman had his first Group 1 winner in Australia after a slight surprise was caused by his two-year-old son King Colorado in Saturday's JJ Atkins at Eagle Farm.

Maintaining a golden run which propels the training partnership of Ciaron Maher and David Eustace towards a first national title, the youngster was pitched into this level after running twice at Kembla Grange, breaking his duck at the second attempt last month. Stepping up to a mile for the first time, he saw the race out best under Jason Collett to beat the immaculately bred filly Miracle Of Love - by Dundeel out of Group 1 winner Miss Finland - by a length.

He is Juddmonte sire Kingman's seventh individual winner at the highest level, following the likes of Palace Pier, Persian King and Kinross, and the result of the stallion covering a few mares on southern hemisphere time from Banstead Manor Stud in Newmarket.

King Colorado was Australian-bred by Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum and he remains a part-owner of the colt along with a number of jubilant members of a partnership. His dam is the well-travelled More Than Ready mare More Aspen, a stakes winner in Abu Dhabi who is a great-granddaughter of the American blue hen Fall Aspen. 

More Aspen was last seen in a sales ring when bought through Hazelwood Bloodstock for 75,000gns at the Tattersalls December Mare Sale in 2018 and this is her first foal.

"I know this horse only won a Kembla Grange maiden at his last start, but we thought he would run the 1600-metre trip today, he's a big and strong horse," Maher said, reported through ANZ Bloodstock News.

"He's beautifully bred and it was a wonderful ride by Jason Collett. He got back further than what I imagined but that's Jason – he is cool, calm and collected. It was just beautiful to watch.

"This horse used to do a bit wrong, but he has been developing nicely and the penny really dropped today. We had a throw at the stumps and we hit pay dirt."

Stable Of Stars syndicate spokesman Christian Jantzen said it was quite an experience for the other members.

"This horse is part-owned by 47 owners who have mostly never owned a horse because they thought they could not afford it," he said. 

"They are mostly battlers. This is the first horse we have ever raced. Essentially, our owners are paying A$1 per day to have full ownership privileges.

"These owners never dreamed they would own a horse – let alone have a Group 1 winner."

Kingman's fee was trimmed to £125,000 this year but he returned to the limelight last weekend when his daughter Habana was a decisive winner of the German 1,000 Guineas. Two years ago, this same race was won by an Australian-bred son of his fellow Juddmonte sire Frankel, Converge, who was seventh in the Brisbane card's feature Stradbroke Handicap on Saturday behind favourite Think About It, by So You Think.

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