Kicking King
Kicking King | |
---|---|
![]() Racing silks of Conor Clarkson | |
Sire | Old Vic |
Dam | Fairy Blaze |
Damsire | Good Thyne |
Sex | Gelding |
Foaled | 10 April 1998 |
Died | 21 March 2023 (aged 25) |
Country | Ireland |
Colour | Bay |
Breeder | Sunnyhill Stud |
Owner | Conor Clarkson |
Trainer | Tom Taaffe |
Record | 28: 12-8-3 |
Earnings | £818,032 |
Major wins | |
Byrne Group Novice Hurdle (2003) Gowran Park Champion Chase (2004) Arkle Perpetual Challenge Cup (2004) John Durkan Memorial Chase (2004) King George VI Chase (2004, 2005) Cheltenham Gold Cup (2005) Punchestown Gold Cup (2005) Timeform rating: 182 |
Kicking King (10 April 1998 – 21 March 2023) was a National Hunt racehorse trained in Straffan, County Kildare, Ireland, by Tom Taaffe.[1] He is best known for completing the King George VI Chase-Cheltenham Gold Cup double in the 2004/05 National Hunt season. He was ridden in all his races over jumps by Barry Geraghty.[1]
Kicking King won a bumper at Leopardstown on his first appearance on a racecourse in January 2002. The following season he won three times over hurdles in Ireland before making his first appearance in Britain at the 2003 Cheltenham Festival, where he ran second to the favourite, Back In Front, in the Grade 1 Supreme Novices' Hurdle.[1]
In the 2003/04 season the five-year-old was introduced to novice chasing. After coming fifth and falling in his first two attempts, he won a novice chase at Punchestown and then secured his first Grade 1 win in the Arkle Novice Chase at Leopardstown. At the 2004 Cheltenham Festival he again came second, this time to Well Chief in the Arkle Challenge Trophy.[1]
The 2004/05 season was Kicking King's most successful, with four Grade 1 wins. He started his campaign with a win in the Grade 2 Gowran Park Champion Chase and was then beaten into second place by favourite Beef Or Salmon in the JNwine.com Champion Chase at Down Royal. His next race was the John Durkan Memorial Chase at Punchestown, where he beat the odds-on favourite Beef Or Salmon into third place.[1] On Boxing Day 2004, Kicking King started as favourite in the King George VI Chase at Kempton Park. He had a comfortable lead at the last when a bad mistake nearly unseated his jockey but he still won by two-and-a-half lengths.[2] There was added drama on the run-in when a spectator dressed as Santa ran across the course and narrowly avoided a collision with Kicking King.[3] Kicking King then went on to win the Gold Cup at the 2005 Cheltenham Festival, followed by the Punchestown Gold Cup.[1]
Kicking King won his second King George VI Chase on 26 December 2005, when the race was held at Sandown while Kempton Park Racecourse was being refurbished. After the race he was found to have sustained a tendon injury which kept him out of racing for the rest of the season and the following season.[4] He returned to the racecourse in January 2008, finishing a close second to Nickname in the Normans Grove Chase. He was subsequently sent off favourite for the Red Mills Chase in February and finished third. He went on to contest the Punchestown Gold Cup but was pulled up.[1]
Kicking King reappeared for the 2008/09 season in the Grade 2 Gowran Park Champion Chase and fell in the race eventually won by Knight Legend. He made another appearance in a chase at Punchestown, where he was 2nd of 4 runners behind War Of Attrition.[1] It was his last race; his retirement was announced in November 2008. "I think he was a great ambassador for racing and for ourselves," his trainer said, adding that it was great that he had retired in one piece. Kicking King went to spend his retirement with the living legends at the Irish National Stud in County Kildare.[5] Over his career Kicking King amassed more than £800,000 in prize money and had six Grade One wins to his name.[1]
Kicking King died on 21 March 2023, at the age of 25.[6]
Pedigree
Sire Old Vic 1986 | Sadler's Wells 1981 | Northern Dancer (CAN) | Nearctic (CAN) |
---|---|---|---|
Natalma (USA) | |||
Fairy Bridge (USA) | Bold Reason (USA) | ||
Special (USA) | |||
Cockade 1973 | Derring-Do | Darius II | |
Sipsey Bridge | |||
Camenae | Vimy | ||
Madrilen | |||
Dam Fairy Blaze 1991 | Good Tyne 1977 | Herbager | Vandala |
Flagette | |||
Foreseer | Round Table (USA) | ||
Regal Gleam (USA) | |||
Fairy Tree 1970 | Varano | Darius II | |
Varna II | |||
Precision Time | Arctic Time | ||
Preciousogan |
- Kicking King is 4x4 inbred to Darius II
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Kicking King". Racing Post. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
- ^ "Kicking saves worst for last". The Guardian. 27 December 2004.
- ^ "Weird and wacky tales from Kempton's recent history". Racing Post. 13 January 2017.
- ^ "Kicking King out for the season". The Guardian. 8 December 2006.
- ^ "Kicking King retires". The Guardian. 21 November 2008.
- ^ "Cheltenham Gold Cup and King George hero Kicking King dies at 25". Racing Post. 21 March 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
- ^ "Kicking King Pedigree". equineline. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
External links
- Career 1-2-3 Colour Chart – Kicking King
- v
- t
- e
- 1924 Red Splash
- 1925 Ballinode
- 1926 Koko
- 1927 Thrown In
- 1928 Patron Saint
- 1929 Easter Hero
- 1930 Easter Hero
- 1931 no race
- 1932 Golden Miller
- 1933 Golden Miller
- 1934 Golden Miller
- 1935 Golden Miller
- 1936 Golden Miller
- 1937 no race
- 1938 Morse Code
- 1939 Brendan's Cottage
- 1940 Roman Hackle
- 1941 Poet Prince
- 1942 Medoc II
- 1943 no race
- 1944 no race
- 1945 Red Rower
- 1946 Prince Regent
- 1947 Fortina
- 1948 Cottage Rake
- 1949 Cottage Rake
- 1950 Cottage Rake
- 1951 Silver Fame
- 1952 Mont Tremblant
- 1953 Knock Hard
- 1954 Four Ten
- 1955 Gay Donald
- 1956 Limber Hill
- 1957 Linwell
- 1958 Kerstin
- 1959 Roddy Owen
- 1960 Pas Seul
- 1961 Saffron Tartan
- 1962 Mandarin
- 1963 Mill House
- 1964 Arkle
- 1965 Arkle
- 1966 Arkle
- 1967 Woodland Venture
- 1968 Fort Leney
- 1969 What a Myth
- 1970 L'Escargot
- 1971 L'Escargot
- 1972 Glencaraig Lady
- 1973 The Dikler
- 1974 Captain Christy
- 1975 Ten Up
- 1976 Royal Frolic
- 1977 Davy Lad
- 1978 Midnight Court
- 1979 Alverton
- 1980 Master Smudge
- 1981 Little Owl
- 1982 Silver Buck
- 1983 Bregawn
- 1984 Burrough Hill Lad
- 1985 Forgive 'n Forget
- 1986 Dawn Run
- 1987 The Thinker
- 1988 Charter Party
- 1989 Desert Orchid
- 1990 Norton's Coin
- 1991 Garrison Savannah
- 1992 Cool Ground
- 1993 Jodami
- 1994 The Fellow
- 1995 Master Oats
- 1996 Imperial Call
- 1997 Mr Mulligan
- 1998 Cool Dawn
- 1999 See More Business
- 2000 Looks Like Trouble
- 2001 no race
- 2002 Best Mate
- 2003 Best Mate
- 2004 Best Mate
- 2005 Kicking King
- 2006 War Of Attrition
- 2007 Kauto Star
- 2008 Denman
- 2009 Kauto Star
- 2010 Imperial Commander
- 2011 Long Run
- 2012 Synchronised
- 2013 Bobs Worth
- 2014 Lord Windermere
- 2015 Coneygree
- 2016 Don Cossack
- 2017 Sizing John
- 2018 Native River
- 2019 Al Boum Photo
- 2020 Al Boum Photo
- 2021 Minella Indo
- 2022 A Plus Tard
- 2023 Galopin Des Champs
- 2024 Galopin Des Champs