Kingmambo, long recognized as one of the world’s leading international sires, has been pensioned from stallion duty at William S. Farish’s Lane’s End Farm near Versailles, Ky. The 20-year-old son of Mr. Prospector is represented by 86 stakes winners as a stallion. His runners have earned nearly $95 million,
“He’s one of the great stallions of all time. He has sired classic horses, sprinters, and milers,” Farish said.
Farish alluded to Kingmambo’s imminent retirement earlier in September. “He has had a terrible neck problem for some time,” he told The Blood-Horse. “It’s not his fertility; it’s his ability to perform.”
Kingmambo was bred to one mare this year, and she failed to get in foal.
Kingmambo stood his entire career at Lane’s End. He entered stud in 1994 after a stellar racing career in which he was a group I winner in England and France while racing as a homebred for Stavros Niarchos. He excelled as a miler.
In England, Kingmambo captured the St. James’s Palace Stakes (Eng-I) and ran third in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (Eng-I). Across the channel, he captured three stakes, including the Dubai Poule d’Essai des Poulains (Fr-I, the French Two Thousand Guineas) and the Prix du Moulin de Longchamp (Fr-I). He exited racing with wins or placings in 11 of 13 races and earnings of $733,139.
Kingmambo enjoyed a meteoric rise as a stallion. He started his career at $45,000 and later stood for as high as $300,000.
A great number of Kingmambo’s runners raced in Europe. Alkaased, Divine Proportions, Russian Rhythm, Virginia Waters, Okawango, Rule of Law, El Condor Pasa, and Henrythenavigator were champions and/or group I winners across the Atlantic. Henrythenavigator, bred in Kentucky, returned to the United States to run in the 2008 Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. I). He finished second.
El Condor Pasa also was a Horse of the Year in Japan. Another of Kingmambo’s sons, King Kamehameha, was honored as Japan’s champion 3-year-old male the year he won the Tokyo Yushun (Jpn-I, Japanese Derby).
Kingmambo’s North American runners are led by 1999 Belmont Stakes (gr. I) winner Lemon Drop Kid , who was voted an Eclipse Award and was a grade I winner three straight years in New York. Lemon Drop Kid stands at Lane’s End. Kingmambo also is the sire of other U.S. grade I winner Student Council and Voodoo Dancer.
Bred in Kentucky in the name of Flaxman Holdings, Kingmambo is one of five stakes winners out of international champion Miesque (by Nureyev), who won consecutive runnings of the Breeders’ Cup Mile (gr. IT) as a homebred for Niarchos.