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Photo by Tony Leonard

This week it was announced that Kingmambo (TrueNicks,SRO) has been pensioned from stud duty. To date, the 20-year-old son of Mr. Prospector and dual Breeders' Cup Mile (gr. I) winner Miesque has sired 86 stakes winners, including 23 group or grade I winners on the flat.

Kingmambo stood his entire career at Lane's End in Versailles, Kentucky. His first season at stud was 1994, when his fee was $45,000. From here his value soared. Kingmambo was soon covering mares for $200,000, and from 2005-06 his published fee was a staggering $300,000.

Will Farish of Lane’s End called Kingmambo “one of the great stallions of all time," and who could argue? Kingmambo consistently sired sprinters, milers, classic winners, and stayers at the highest level, and his progeny have earned over $95 million.

Kingmambo has several sons at stud to continue his sire line, including these TrueNicks stallions:

• Henrythenavigator (TrueNicks,SRO)
• Lemon Drop Kid (TrueNicks,SRO)
• Rey de Cafe (TrueNicks,SRO)
• Student Council (TrueNicks,SRO)
• Thewayyouare (TrueNicks,SRO)
• Uncle Abbie (TrueNicks,SRO)

Kingmambo's full brother Kitalpha (TrueNicks,SRO) is also at stud in Kentucky after a promising start in Zimbabwe.

The table below lists Kingmambo's 23 grade or group I winners. Also included are are the TrueNicks ratings for each cross. Sadler's Wells appears as broodmare sire of six of Kingmambo's gr. I winners, but yet the TrueNicks rating is only C+. The reason for this has to do with the number of times the cross has been tried. Kingmambo has 102 foals of racing age out of Sadler's Wells mares, for 79 starters, 47 winners, and eight stakes winners. While the strike rate is only slightly better than average, when the cross has worked, it has often resulted in a stakes winner at the highest level. We discussed this phenomenon in a Kingmambo/Sadler's Wells blog post nearly three years ago.

Filed under: Sires