Having ended his most recent campaign with three runs in New Zealand, all at G1 level highlighted by his victory in the Zabeel Classic (2000m), Gavin Bedggood’s Roaring Lion (USA) stallion Kingswood (GB) resumed on Saturday, winning the $200,000 Listed MRC Heatherlie Stakes (1700m) first-up.
With Tony and Calvin McEvoy’s Yellow Jersey (FR) being all the rage after two solid barrier trial efforts, the 5yo gelded son of Dubawi jumped away the dominant favourite in the field of 16, while jockey John Allen was forced to jump from the outside barrier aboard Kingswood.
As Allen took Kingswood forward from the gate, the grey settled in sixth, racing three-wide while his stablemate Just Folk had taken up the running.
Leading into the home turn, Just Folk was clear and while Yellow Jersey presented himself to challenge, the gelding could not go on with it as he started to be slightly one paced
Still in the lead as the field passed the 200m mark, Just Folk was showing no signs of stopping, but Kingswood was starting to power out of the pack while Phillip and Tommy Stokes’ Deakin (FR) was also starting to put himself into a challenging position out wide.
Taking the lead with about 50m to run, Kingswood took the race by three parts of a length from his stablemate Just Folk, with Deakin back in third at 50/1 odds first up.
“It was a great win, and a great ride. From barrier 17, he had him three back on the fence, so well played by John,” enthused Bedggood.
“We danced every dance. We raced through the Melbourne spring; we raced through the summer months.
“He was able to have a really good break after the autumn. He’s been in work for probably four months, so I knew fitness wasn’t a question here today.
“I just wanted to see a fair, even track. It was a six for him as he doesn’t want really soft ground.
“The plan has always been to try and get to a Caulfield Cup fourth up. He will probably be weighted out of the Naturalism now, so he will probably go to the Underwood in three weeks and see where we line up.”
Winning jockey John Allen was impressed with the way Kingswood has come back.
“He’s come back in great order, Gavin and his team were confident he’d run a big race, so he’s performed well in the past, he’s shown he’s definitely capable of winning a race like this, it worked out well.
“We had a tricky draw but ended up getting a nice run through them and he did the rest.
“Gavin said he had a very smooth preparation with him this time, he’s had a few hiccups in the past so hopefully he can be winning nicer races in the future.”
Surpassing the $1m with six wins and five placed efforts from 21 starts, the Lanwades Stud bred Kingswood was purchased by his owner Glyn Davies, for 130,000 euros at the 2021 Goffs Ireland Orby Yearling Sale.
Kingswood is a half-brother to Eldar Eldarov, winner of both the G1 Doncaster St Leger and Irish St Leger, being from stakes-winning Sea The Stars mare All At Sea, a half-sister to stakes-winner Alwilda, the dam of Champion Mare and six-time G1-winning Arc de Triomphe heroine Alpinista.
Kingswood is one of two G1 winners from the one and only Northern Hemisphere bred crop of foals by 2018 European Horse of the Year Roaring Lion, who died tragically at Cambridge Stud in New Zealand before he could cover a mare in 2019.
