'There are some in the camp who think he'd have beaten Frankel'
| Date | 14 July 2021 |
| Published date | 14 July 2021 |
Comparisons between the two are something the stud's director Simon Mockridge is all too used to. Who would have won in a race between the pair is a legitimate question, but the fact we can ask it is just a reminder of how phenomenal Kingman was in his own right.
Mockridge says: "A lot of people come to see both horses and it's quite interesting that they do ask the question. There's some in the camp who think he would've beaten Frankel - which I'm surprised about. There are a number of people who felt he had that kind of ability to do it, but fortunately we never had to find out. We're just so lucky to have had two great horses in such a short period of time."
Mockridge reaffirms that Kingman's popularity has not faded, even with the mighty Frankel also housed in Banstead Manor Stud. While both were indeed exceptional, the style of their brilliance on the racecourse was so different. Frankel had the freakish stride which meant he could simply power away from his rivals without breaking sweat. Kingman was more of a coiled spring, who could travel dangerously when using the early to mid part of the race to find his position. Then in a matter of strides he could go, powering away from his rivals to win with considerable ease.
"Kingman is a very nice horse to be around," he adds. "He's got a bit more spark than most of them, but he does his job very well. He has great balance and incredible depth - he's strong through the barrel and has got good quarters. He's got a good mind, but I suppose above all else he had that one thing which everybody wants, that electric turn of foot. He could travel really well and when it was required he just turned it on and would put two or three lengths between him and the rest. Frankel had a different style, he had that big, rangy stride with which he could just gallop everybody to death and just keep going."
Kingman's star quality is of no surprise given he has a typical Juddmonte pedigree, steeped with class. The dam Zenda was a Classic winner, while he had plenty of pace injected through his sire Invincible Spirit. That was the first time the late Khalid Abdullah had used that stallion.
It was clear from Kingman's early days he was a bit special, and trainer John Gosden certainly agreed. And...
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