Two year old King Of Kings colt, King's Knight, sauntered home deservedly to take the Gr2 Umkhomazi Stakes by over three lengths from Oriental Tiger and Vous Et Var, after being perfectly positioned midfield under Anthony Delpech.
Yet to be out of the money from an incredible nine starts and earning almost R250 000 in stakes and a horse that loves the Greyville track, this is King's Knight's second win. He placed fourth in his previous start behind KZN-bred Rabada in the Gatecrasher Listed.
The flashy chestnut colt is trained by Mike Miller, owned by syndicate Messrs Jag Kalyan, A Brewer, P Govender, Bill Lambert & Miller Racing Syndicate (Nom : Mr Sterling M Miller).
The colt bred by Waterford Stud carries a strong KZN pedigree, being out of a Rocky Marriage mare, Reason To Rock. The broodmare is out of a Sabre/Wilwyn mare, from the damline of Welcome Boy. Waterford Stud have tasted success previously with the progeny of King Of Kings, having bred shock debut Gr2 winning King's Temptress, who has retired to stud at Highlands Farms Stud and in foal to Duke Of Marmalade.
King Of Kings passed away at Jill Fox's The Fort Stud earlier in the year. His influence as a broodmare sire can be seen the world over, with Bold Black Type horses from Hong Kong to America, Australia to our back garden with recent Gr3 winner, Royal Pleasure.
Just last month he produced a Gr2 winner in Australia over 1600m on turf, an Exceed And Excel colt who won the Queensland Guineas. In 2014 he was also the broodmare sire of Super Lifeline, a Gr3 winner at Sha Tin over 1400m on turf, to name but a few of the 116 international results he achieved as a Black Type broodmare sire.
As a sire of sires we have Australian import King's Chapel standing at Bush Hill Stud, who has had three winners and five places from his first South African crop to race and numerous Stakes winners overseas in New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore. King's Chapel has also risen to prominence in Australia with his talented Gr3 winning grand-daughter Thurlow, a Gr1 Diamond Stakes performer.
The last crop of King Of Kings will arrive in 2015.
Well done to King's Knight's winning connections on a great win with a talented colt!
Watch King's Knight win the Gr2 Umkhomazi Stakes at Greyville
