Tweenhills-bred King of Gosford wins US Gr.2

Zoustar colt King of Gosford, who was born, raised and grazed at Tweenhills in Gloucestershire, confirmed the form of his Gr.1 runner-up effort on December 1 when winning the Gr.2 Mathis Mile Stakes at Santa Anita on December 26.

King of Gosford did win during his 2yo career in Ireland but there’s no doubt he’s been a revelation since sent to the US, where he is trained by Philip d’Amato for the Benowitz Family Trust, CYBT, Saul Gevertz, Michael Nentwig and Jeremy Peskoff.

King of Gosford has won five of his nine starts in North America, inc. three Black Type races along with his recent Graded success. He had also been placed in the Gr.2 California Crown Eddie D. Stakes and the Gr.1 Hollywood Derby, beaten just ¾ length by Formidable Man in a bunched finish to the latter.

On Boxing Day, King of Gosford won by a length from Stay Hot and Atitlan in the hands of Flavien Prat. The victory was record-breaking for Prat as he surpassed the previous mark of 55 Graded Stakes wins in a calendar year set in 2003 by Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey.

King of Gosford was bred by The Miss Sugars Partnership out of Harbour Watch mare Miss Sugars. She is also the dam of 2yo Kameko colt General Admission, who showed lots of promise at Kempton on debut and is entered at Newcastle on Thursday.