Kingman retirement a tough call
Last Updated: 23/09/14 11:50am
Teddy Grimthorpe, owner Khalid Abdullah's long-serving racing manager, said the decision to retire Kingman "wasn't taken lightly".
The four-times Group One winner had time called on his career after failing to recover from a throat infection in time for his likely swansong in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on Champions Day at Ascot.
Frankel, as well as the likes of Midday and Twice Over, raced on past their three-year-old campaigns in the Abdullah silks, but Grimthorpe said there were various factors behind the decision to draw stumps with Kingman.
He told At The Races: "It (the timing of his retirement) was (down to) a number of factors.
"Obviously the ongoing throat infection is going to take some time to clear up, I would imagine.
"On top of that, we had to look at the various options he may or may not have had (as a four-year-old).
"Weighing in with that is the fact he really was the most brilliant miler.
"Prince Khalid has a history of keeping a lot of good horses in training as four-year-olds, so it (the decision to retire) certainly wasn't taken lightly."
Comparisons will be inevitably drawn between Kingman and Frankel, but Grimthorpe felt they had differing qualities.
"He was different (to Frankel). Frankel just annihilated his opposition, whereas this horse could put the race to bed very, very quickly," said Grimthorpe.