ALL THE QUEEN’S HORSES – We take a look at new sire and multiple Group 1 winner, .

Al Kazeem became an absolute sensation this flat season after landing three Group 1 contests in under 6 weeks. It all started with the Gold Cup at the Curragh, where he trounced odds on favourite and last year’s Derby winner . He followed this up with another runaway success in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot, propelling both himself and his young jockey, , into the spotlight.

The Coral Eclipse was the highlight, when Al Kazeem fought hard to overcome and Ballydoyle star, Declaration of War. Trainer, , announced that following this success, Al Kazeem would have a break as he had had a tough few races on firm ground, which is not his favoured surface, and past injury could leave him vulnerable to further problems.

His return was in the International at York, where old rival, Declaration of War finally got the better of him, as Al Kazeem ran rather free and wild in the race, clearly very pleased to be back on a racecourse. Many were disappointed with this performance, and also his runner up spot in the Irish a fortnight later. However, to be placed in the top three of races like these is no defeat! Indeed, the Queen must agree, as it was announced that he had been purchased to stand at Sandringham Stud for the 2014 season. His Jockey James Doyle also reaped the rewards of Al Kazeem’s success, landing the job of retained rider for Prince Khalid Abdullah and his Juddmonte Farms in the UK.

The fairy tale could have had the perfect ending with a win in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, although this was just not meant to be, having to overcome a poor draw and meeting rather a lot of traffic in running, ensured only a midfield placing.

Things were not always plain sailing for this beautiful son of …

He was bred by John Deer at his stud near Cheptow in Wales, and remained in his ownership until he was acquired to stand at Sandringham at the back end of this flat season. Deer is ultimately a breeder. He enjoys selecting for his group of broodmares and watching the progeny go on; however, it is normally his practice to sell the produce as foals or yearlings at the sales. This was not an option in the case of Al Kazeem as he was a slow developer, who was not ready, and it was decided to keep him for another year. He was sent into training as a late two year old, ran twice, winning on his second attempt over a mile at Newbury.

Al Kazeem’s dam, Kazeem, is by the French Derby winning sire, , who has sired multiple Group winners including two French Derby winners, an Arc winner and 2000 Guineas to name but a few. Kazeem was less of a success on the racecourse, running on just three occasions and not making the frame once! Thankfully her breeding was attractive enough for her to become a broodmare.

His sire, Dubawi was one of the very few progeny of the ill- fated (Dubai Millenium died of grass sickness as a five year old in his first season at stud). Dubawi enjoyed much success during his racing career, including winning the Irish Derby, and has continued this success as a at stud, siring a variety of good horses, including Group winners like Al Kazeem and more recently useful jumps horses as well.

Al Kazeem’s four year old season was cut short due to a stress fracture of the pelvis. Although this sounds like a serious injury, it is in fact quite fixable in most cases. However, horses have to spend quite a long time on box rest which can be quite stressful and cause secondary serious illness such as colic and stomach ulcers. This long period of box rest is followed by a long period of slow work, before resuming canter work and building up to race fitness if this is possible.

Of course, the good management of the horse during injury is down to the trainer and team, and this must have been first class in the case of Al Kazeem, although some credit must be given to the horse. He must possess a lovely temperament, as he got through the long time off and came back to racing, arguably even better than before, when many horses would have lost their ‘sparkle.’

So what makes Al Kazeem a potentially useful breeding stallion?

Looking at his pedigree, he is bred in the purple. His excellent bloodlines show versatility and toughness as well as a bit of speed too!

Al Kazeem has beautiful conformation with an upright stature and way of going. He has an athletic looking frame, with a good powerful back end and deep chest (needed to house the heart and lungs), and is also a good mover in walk, trot and canter. He looks like he could turn his hand to any job as he has all the right attributes, dressage or jumping!

With regard to temperament, Al Kazeem does not appear to show any ‘quirks’. His positive outlook and love of the racecourse is clear, as is his toughness and determination. Al Kazeem appears to have a certain star quality about him – he knows he is the best, but keeps a lid on it until he needs to shine..

As a breeding stallion he should be very popular for all these reasons, and I have no doubt that his progeny will go on to do a number of different jobs successfully. We will see them from Royal Ascot to the Cheltenham Festival.

Now, just a few years to wait until we see the results. Enjoy your new job Al Kazeem.