Kingman colt can be 'one of the stars of the show' for Hillwood Stud

Kingman has rarely needed help standing out from the crowd, from his arresting six-length maiden victory at Newmarket to the blistering start to his stallion career.

The eye will also be drawn to the Juddmonte totem at the upcoming Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale, where his three catalogued lots include a colt from a current family consigned by one of the event’s eminent practitioners.

Charlie and Tracy Vigors have sold numerous flagship horses at Doncaster, headed by multiple Group 1-winning sprinter Sole Power and his occasional sparring partner Extortionist, and the son of Listed and valuable sales race-winning mare Shamandar is a pick of not only the ten-strong Hillwood Stud draft but perhaps the entire sale.

"I think we felt that there would be a lot of Kingmans at other sales and he might be one of only a few at Doncaster," Charlie Vigors explains. "If he’s good enough for them, they’ll have the buyers there for him and he’ll hopefully have the chance to shine and be one of the stars of the show.

"All the Kingmans have great movement, a wonderful attitude, and what he’s doing on the track is unbelievable."

There have been a fair few six-figure sales to come out of the Vigors’ base near Marlborough over the years, such as the £190,000 in 2015 for the Peter Winkworth-bred Muraaqeb, a half-brother to useful sprinter Englishman, and whose Equiano half-brother (lot 159) is catalogued this year.

Although Goffs UK can trumpet the Royal Ascot wins of Premier Sale graduates A’Ali and Daayeh from 2019 as an opportunity to purchase a sharp two-year-old, its poster girl is an authentic Classic performer in Laurens. With that in mind, Vigors will also be offering a Lope De Vega colt out of Danish Princess, a mare from the family of Prix Ganay winner Corre Caminos and smart miler Racinger.

"On paper and physical this is probably the best draft we’ve taken up there but the buyers are there for that type of horse now, whereas our perception as a seller of Donny horses probably had to evolve over the last year few years with how the market has evolved," he says.

"It’s a mix of what I’d call traditional Donny horses and a few scopier, slightly later developing horses as well. We hope we’ve got it right and it’ll work but at the moment we’re happy with what we’re sending."

Hillwood consignment in focus

Charlie Vigors runs the rule over his ten-strong squad for the Premier Yearling Sale.

Lot 92 - Kingman colt ex Shamandar (Exceed And Excel)

"Obviously the sire needs no introduction to anyone. When I first saw him at his breeder's in the spring I thought he was a lovely horse and he’s done everything right all the way through his prep. He’s a fine big, good-looking horse who I think would pass physical inspection at any sale anywhere in Europe.

"We’ve consigned for Mr and Mrs Scott for a few years now. The dam was a very good two-year-old, the three-year-old (Dutch Story) is a winner since the catalogue came out and the two-year-old (Oribi) has been placed for William Haggas, so it all helps the page."

Lot 92: Hillwood Stud's Kingman colt out of ShamandarCredit: Goffs UK

Lot 258 - Bated Breath colt ex Bouvardia (Oasis Dream)

"He’s a very nice, strong colt out of a stakes-placed half-sister to Camacho and an own sister to Showcasing. The sire is having a great year too."

Lot 259 - The Gurkha colt ex Bouyrin (Invincible Spirit)

"He’s a very nice colt - a pinhook last year for 15,000gns. Again it’s a good speedy family the whole way through, he looks a real two-year-old type. You’ve got Alsindi, an Oh So Sharp Stakes winner there, and he’s got the likes of River Falls, Dick Turpin and Monsieur Bond further back in his pedigree and it looks like he could be quite precocious."

Hillwood Stud is very much a family operationCredit: Hillwood Stud

Lot 288 - Lope de Vega colt ex Danish Princess (Montjeu)

"He’s a very nice colt who we thought was above average precocity for a Lope De Vega. He’s getting the better mares - he had Belardo in his first crop who was champion two-year-old and he has certainly shown in the last couple of years that he’s well capable of getting a good two-year-old as well.

"We just thought he was very athletic and felt that he’d be a good fit for Doncaster. He’s got enough size and scope about him to go on at three but he definitely looks the type who could easily come to hand at two."

An Awtaad (459) is "a nice sharp filly" while he adds of a Pride Of Dubai (272) that "he’s a half-brother to Certain Lad, who won a Listed race and could be nice", while Muraaqeb's half-brother (159) is "another nice colt".

Completing the ten are a Charm Spirit filly (137) whose half-sister Storting won at Pontefract last week, a Zoffany filly (282) from a daughter of the useful Reunite and a Brazen Beau filly (449) whose sister Raahy has served her well this term. "I think they’re a good bunch across the board," Vigors concludes.

Read more here:

Gerry Meehan goes it alone

Arqana reflections