Series stars to stud: Al Kazeem

Al Kazeem winning the Coral-Eclipse in emphatic style. Image copyright of Racingfotos.com.

After his career had been blighted with injury as a three-year-old and four-year-old, finally during the 2013 campaign Al Kazeem was able to display his true ability as a champion of the turf.

The Roger Charlton-trained five-year-old went to Royal Ascot with two wins under his belt and a reasonable weight of expectation around his shoulders to be victorious on the world’s biggest stage.

However, Al Kazeem, famed for his strength and tenacity to keep fighting to the line, proved to be worthy of the Royal meeting’s plinth – albeit in a tantalisingly-close finish with Mukhadram.

The son of Dubawi managed to rally back in an epic encounter with William Haggas’s colt to register a narrow margin victory in the Group 1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes. 

Al Kazeem proved his Ascot success was no fluke when reaffirming his quality in the Coral-Eclipse.

With the threat of Mukhadram in the mind of rider James Doyle, the pair were able to power home to the finish at Sandown by two lengths and confirm the horse’s status as a QIPCO British Champions Series star.

On his reappearance in the Juddmonte International Stakes at York, following a well-deserved break, Al Kazeem’s lack of match fitness meant that a bid to be the first horse since Frankel to win a hat-trick of British Champions Series races in a season was not meant to be.

The John Deer-owned horse will now be sent to stand at Her Majesty The Queen’s Royal Stud in Sandringham, where he will be the first stallion to be bought in since 2005 Epsom Derby winner Motivator.

Al Kazeem will join the 20-year-old stalwart Royal Applause at The Queen’s stud.