THE grey Kingston Hill (Mastercraftsman) was the second highest-rated European two-year-old of 2013, unbeaten in three starts, and the champion three-year-old stayer in Europe in the following year when he carried off the Group 1 St Leger at Doncaster. He retired to stud at Coolmore in 2026 at a fee of €6,000, spent four seasons there, and then moved to Castlehyde Stud for two more.

In 2022 Kingston Hill found himself in a new location, at Nunstainton Stud, where he was attractively priced at £2,000, but that fee has doubled for 2026, and canny breeders will have noticed that he had a weekend to remember with three blacktype earners, his daughters Kingston Queen and White Noise finishing first and second in the Grade 2 Weatherbys Cheltenham Festival Betting Guide Jane Seymour Mares Novices’ Hurdle at Warwick, and this was 90 minutes before A Likeable Rogue won his second bumper, a listed contest, at Newbury.

Kingston Hill fell out of favour with breeders in Ireland, going from a high of covering 228 mares in his final year at Coolmore, to 33 in his second season at Castlehyde. He has since averaged 62 mares in his first four seasons standing in Co Durham, and could well hit a new high there this spring.

It is worth remembering what a good racehorse Kingston Hill was. A 70,000gns yearling purchase, he was trained by Roger Varian for Paul Smith, was only once out of the first four in eight outings and had earnings of over £1.1 million. His first crop two-year-olds produced five winners of seven races from only 13 runners, but hopes that they would improve with age proved foundless on the flat, where he has had no offspring to even place in a blacktype race.

Kingston Hill had already won twice, at Newbury on his debut in an 11-runner, seven-furlong maiden, and the eight-runner Group 3 Autumn Stakes over a mile at Newmarket, before his victory in the Group 1 Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster. In that very open contest he ran right away from his rivals to score by four and a half lengths.

Epsom Derby

Making his reappearance in the 2000 Guineas, Kingston Hill was out of the money for the only time in his career in a top-class field of milers, with Night Of Thunder winning from Kingman and Australia. Appreciating the extra half mile of the Epsom Derby, he led in the straight, but finished second to Australia, over three lengths clear of the others. Then over 10 furlongs in the Coral-Eclipse Stakes, he was fourth to Mukhadram, ahead of The Fugue, War Command and Night Of Thunder.

The Doncaster St Leger was more to Kingston Hill’s liking, and he came home more than a length clear of the Derby third Romsdal. He ended the season with a visit to France for the Group 1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and was the best three-year-old colt when a close fourth to Treve, Flintshire and Taghrooda, with Ruler Of The World, Al Kazeem and Tapestry trailing in his wake.

Kingston Hill headed to stud with plenty to appeal. He is one of the best sons of Mastercraftsman (Danehill Dancer), himself a European champion two-year-old who went on to annex the Group 1 Irish 2000 Guineas and Royal Ascot’s Group 1 St James’s Palace Stakes. He has done really well as a stallion, with 20 worldwide Group 1 winners on the flat, and his National Hunt performers have also made a mark, one of whom will be mentioned later.

No surprise

It is no real surprise that Kingston Hill is emerging as a smart National Hunt sire, as there is plenty of jumping in his dam’s immediate family. Audacieuse, a daughter of Rainbow Quest (Blushing Groom), won the Group 3 Prix de Flore at Saint-Cloud. The next dam, Sarah Georgina (Persian Bold), bred Waiter’s Dream (Oasis Dream) who won the Group 3 Acomb Stakes at York at two, and Lord Jim (Kahyasi), a listed winner at Leopardstown before adding the Grade 2 Bristol Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham. Sarah Georgina is the third dam of Captain Conan (Kingsalsa) who won three Grade 1 novice chases, the Scilly Isles and Henry VIII at Sandown Park, and the Manifesto at Aintree.

A Likeable Rogue (Kingston Hill) was bred by Michael and Anne Gaffney’s Hawes Stud in Churchtown, Co Cork, and sold for a bargain €5,000 at the Tattersalls Ireland May Sale in 2024. John Dawson obviously knew he had a smart sort, as he saddled then then five-year-old to make his debut in a listed bumper at Cheltenham last November. Starting at 80/1, A Likeable Rogue was fourth behind Saint Clovis, and when he reappeared six weeks later he was sent off favourite to win a Wetherby bumper, which he did.

Eye-catching

A Likeable Rogue’s nine-length rout of nine opponents at Newbury last weekend was eye-catching, and he is a horse to keep on eye on. He is a fourth winner for his unraced dam Amaya (Kingmambo), and while she is from one of the best female families of the last four decades, her eight successful siblings are led by Mastercraftsman’s son Razoul, winner of the Grade 2 Lartigue Hurdle at Listowel. A number of the others showed good form over hurdles, notably Prince Khurram (Nayef) who recorded seven wins over the smaller obstacles.

When I say this is one of the very best families in the stud book, I mean it. The grandam of A Likeable Rogue is Saree (Barathea), Grade 3-placed in Canada and a full-sister to Magical Romance (Barathea), the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes winner. Magical Romance is herself grandam of the Group 1 French Oaks heroine Channel (Nathaniel). Magical Romance had an even better half-sister in Alexandrova (Sadler’s Wells). The best of her generation, she won three Group 1 races, the Irish and English Oaks and the Yorkshire Oaks. She is grandam of top-flight winner Aspetar (Al Kazeem).

Under the fourth dam there is a plethora of Group 1 winners, notably the siblings Magic Wand (Galileo), Diamond Necklace (St Mark’s Basilica) and Chicquita (Montjeu), in addition to the Melbourne Cup winner Rekindling (High Chaparral).

Lawler success

Kingston Hill sired the first two home in the Grade 2 at Warwick, and it was a somewhat unique occurrence that both were bred in Co Kilkenny by Jimmy Lawler, the runner-up in partnership with his brother John. Kingston Queen and White Noise were foaled 12 days apart, and both feature Presenting (Mtoto) in their dam’s side. Kingston Queen is out of the unraced Competitive Affair (Presenting), who is the dam of a point-to-point winner too.

Competitive Affair is a full-sister to the Grade 2 chase winner Competitive Edge (Presenting), and their dam Sanghasta (Un Desperado) put up a career-best performance when chasing home Total Enjoyment in a Grade 3 mares novice hurdle at Down Royal. Kingston Queen is also a listed bumper winner, and sold for €40,000 at the Goffs Arkle Sale in 2023. She resold less than a year later for £80,000 at the Tattersalls Cheltenham Festival Sale.

It is hopefully only a matter of time until White Noise becomes a blacktype winner. Placed on her only start in a point-to-point, having been purchased as a store for £25,000, she has won three times and placed twice in five outings over hurdles. She is the first winner for the unraced Sounds Poetic (Yeats), and that mare is a daughter of Sounds Charming (Presenting). Also unraced, Sounds Charming is a half-sister to four winners, and her grandam bred the Grade 1 Irish Champion Hurdle winner Classical Charm (Corvaro).