Jumps
racing in Great Britain is big business attracting as much or more interest than
the flat racing and the stallion that dominated this season is one that
shuttled to Australia for five seasons from 1997 to 2001.
A Group I winning son of Sadler's Wells, King's Theatre stood at Ballylinch Stud
until his death in 2011 at age 20.
King's Theatre was the champion jumps sire in Britain and Ireland by progeny
earnings for the fifth time in the past season beating another Sadler's Wells
son in Kayf Tara.
King's Theatre supplied 103 winners from 301 runners in 2016-17 at a
strike-rate of 35 per cent and was the source of more stakes winners (over jumps)
than any other sire with 14 headed by Cue Card and The New One.
His progeny earned total seasonal prizemoney of £2,538,186.
King's Theatre enjoyed only limited success during his period of shuttling to Glenlogan
Park in Queensland leaving stakes-winners I Rock My World, Royal Code and Live
Theatre, but has gone on to become a legendary sire of jumpers.