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FAMOUS AUSTRALIAN RACEHORSES |
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Biscay |
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Bletchingly |
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Coogee |
KINGSTON TOWN |
Black 1976 |
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Andrea Mantegna |
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Ada Hunter |
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Almah |
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Bred by Melbourne businessman, David Hains, Kingston Town was offered for sale at the 1978 Victorian Sales but failed to reach his |
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modest reserve price. So David Hains decided to race the horse with his wife and later Mr & Mrs G Monsborough as partners. He was sent to Sydney to be trained by Tommy Smith. At his
first start he tailed out to last in a field of thirteen and made no effort to exert himself. At the stables he was also proving a problem - pacing about his stall and even trying to climb the walls. It was
decided that the horse would be gelded and sent for a spell. |
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After a spell, Kingston Town with jockey Malcolm Johnston bolted in at his race return. This was followed by two wins in ordinary company and then followed a 3 1/2 length win in the STC
Peter Pan Stakes. Next was a 2 length win in the STC Gloaming Stakes and a runaway 5 lengths win in the AJC Spring Champion Stakes, beating his highly fancied stablemate, Mighty Kingdom. This
gave Kingston Town the Sydney Spring "Triple Crown". In Melbourne in the Spring of 1979 Kingston Town was beaten in three runs in Melbourne - failing to cope with the reverse way of going. He went for
a spell and returned to be unbeaten in his six starts as an autumn 3YO. His wins were included the STC Rosehill Guineas by 4 lengths, the STC Tancred Stakes by 4 1/2 lengths, the AJC Derby by 3 1/4 |
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lengths and the AJC Sydney Cup by the same margin. He then went on to win the QTC Grand Prix Stakes and the Queensland Derby. After a brief spell, he was back as a 4YO and won three races at
w.f.a. before again moving to Melbourne. He was beaten first-up in VATC Caulfield Stakes and then in the Caulfield Cup. His past five defeats had been in Melbourne and it seemed that he would never win
there. He was to be given one last chance in the MVRC W S Cox Plate. He was back to his best and raced away to win by five lengths. It was then found he had an injury to his suspensory ligaments which
resulted in his absence from the racetrack for almost ten months. The King resumed his career in August 1981 in Sydney with wins in five consecutive races at w.f.a. which took his stake earnings to over $1
million. Back in Melbourne he put paid to his "hoodoo" and romped away with the Caulfield Stakes and his second MVRC Cox Plate (with Ron Quinton in the saddle replacing the suspended Malcolm Johnston). At
his next start in the Mackinnon Stakes he ran like a tired horse and was beaten by the aging Belmura Lad and could only finish 20th in the 1981 VRC Melbourne Cup. His leg problems had returned and he was forced to
spell until August 1982. He won first up for the fifth time in succession (in the AJC Warwick Stakes) and this win also gave him his 20th consecutive win in Sydney. At his next start he was out of a place
behind Rare Form at Randwick and then ran second to Cossack Prince before winning the AJC George Main Stakes. He again won the Caulfield Stakes and then had the most remarkable win of his career in his 3rd Cox
Plate (ridden by Peter Cook) when it appeared before the turn that he was too far back to win. In 1982 Melbourne Cup it appeared that he had won when Gurner's Lane flashed along the rails to nose him out on the
post. His last run was in Perth in the WATC Western Mail Classic which he won with ease. Numerous attempts were made to get him fit to race again including sending him to American trainer, Charlie
Whittingham, but Kingston Town was finally retired to peaceful retirement at the stud where he was foaled. Kingston Town had 41 starts for 30 wins. In Sydney he won 22 from 25 starts. He was
ridden to victory on 25 occasions by Malcolm Johnston, twice by both John Duggan and Peter Cook and once by Ron Quinton. |
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