Irish stallion King's Theatre, who finished third on the 2010/2011 English/Irish jumps sires’ list, was euthanized following colic surgery performed June 13. He stood at Ballylinch Stud in Co. Kilkenny.
“He was truly versatile, siring top flight runners both on the flat and under National Hunt rules and in both hemispheres,” said Ballylinch managing director John O’ Connor.
Irish-bred King’s Theatre was a leading flat runner, winning such stakes as the 1993 Racing Post Trophy Stakes (Eng-I) at 2 and the 1994 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes (Eng-I) the year he was an English champion. During his championship season King’s Theatre ran second in both the Ever Ready Epsom Derby (Eng-I) and the Budweiser Irish Derby (Ire-I) and third in the Juddmonte International Stakes (Eng-I).
Sent to North America, King’s Theatre ran third in the 1995 Sword Dancer Invitational Handicap (gr. IT) at Saratoga for owner Sheikh Mohammed.
King’s Theatre (Sadler's Wells—Regal Beauty, by Princely Native) was retired with five wins and seven placings from 19 starts and earnings of $1,154,329. He was bred by Michael Poland.
King’s Theatre is represented as a stallion by 46 stakes winners including King’s Drama, who was a leading North American grass runner in the mid-2000s. King’s Drama won the Sword Dancer and three grade III turf stakes and placed in three grade I grass stakes including consecutive runnings of the Man o’ War Stakes.