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Kingsgate Native (foaled 20 February 2005) is an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. He was a precocious juvenile sprinter, winning the Nunthorpe Stakes against older horses as well as finishing second in the Prix de l'Abbaye, Windsor Castle Stakes and Molecomb Stakes. He was equally successful in 2008, winning the Golden Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot before being retired to become a breeding stallion.
After proving infertile at stud he returned to the track in 2009 and won the King George Stakes. He remained in training until the end of the 2016 season, winning the Temple Stakes in 2010 and 2013 and the Achilles Stakes in 2015 as well as racing prominently in many other major sprint races.
As a foal, Kingsgate Native was consigned by the Springfort Park Stud to the Goffs sales in November 2005 and was bought for €28,000 by the Tally Ho Stud. In August 2006 the yearling was auctioned at the St Leger Sale at Doncaster and was sold for 20,000 guineas to Highflyer Bloodstock. The colt entered the ownership of the East End businessman John Mayne and was sent into training with John Best at Hucking on the North Downs in Kent.
In August, Kingsgate Native was stepped up to Group One level and matched against older horses in the Nunthorpe Stakes at York Racecourse where he was ridden for the first time by Jimmy Quinn. The Irish-trained four-year-old Dandy Man started favourite ahead of the Australian challenger Magnus (The Galaxy (ATC)), Red Clubs and Moorhouse Lad (King George Stakes) with Kingsgate Native starting at odds of 12/1. The other runners included Hoh Mike (Sprint Stakes), Amadeus Wolf (Middle Park Stakes), Reverence, Beauty Is Truth (Prix du Gros Chêne), Desert Lord (Prix de l'Abbaye), Wi Dud (Flying Childers) and The Tatling. The sixteen runners split into separate groups across the wide track, with Kingsgate Native tracking the leaders down the centre of the course. He took the lead a furlong out and stayed on well despite hanging left in the closing stages to win by one and three quarter lengths from Desert Lord with Dandy Man taking third ahead of Red Clubs, Wi Dud and Amadeus Wolf. Interviewed after the race, Mayne said "It always surprised me that very few two-year-olds have taken their chance in the Nunthorpe, yet they get such a big pull in the weights... I have an excellent relationship with my trainer John Best. I keep yabbering away about form, and he just ignores what I say". Best said "I always thought he was a very good horse. The difference between a good and very good horse is in the heart and brain".
On his final appearance of the season, Kingsgate Native was sent to France and was again matched against older horses in the Prix de l'Abbaye over 1000 metres at Longchamp Racecourse. He started the 5/2 favourite against sixteen opponents headed by Dandy Man, Desert Lord and the six-year-old gelding Benbaun. After tracking the leaders, he began to make progress in the last 200 metres but finished second, two lengths behind Benbaun.
In July Kingsgate Native started at odds of 6/1 for the July Cup at Newmarket Racecourse. In a closely contested finish he finished fifth, just over a length behind the winner Marchand d'Or. A month later, the colt attempted to repeat his 2007 success in the Nunthorpe Stakes, run that year at Newmarket after the York meeting was abandoned. Ridden by Ryan Moore who became his regular jockey, he was restrained in the early stages before finishind strongly to take third behind Borderlescott and the South African mare National Colour.
In September, it was announced that the colt had entered the ownership of the Cheveley Park Stud and would be retired from racing to become a breeding stallion.
The colt made his comeback in the Golden Jubilee Stakes on 20 June and finished thirteenth of fourteen behind Art Connoisseur after being eased down by Moore in the closing stages. A month later he started 7/1 third favourite behind Borderlescott and the Greek sprinter Ialysos in the King George Stakes over five furlongs at Goodwood. The other runners included Dandy Man, Equiano, Reverence and Moorhouse Lad (winner of the race in 2007). After tracking the leaders on the near-side (the left-hand side from the jockeys' viewpoint) Kingsgate Native accelerated through a gap to take the lead a furlong out won in "impressive" style by two and three quarter lengths from the three-year-old Total Gallery. After the race Richardson said "We were concerned having done one job, he would find it hard going back to another. It's highly unlikely he'll go back to stud duties. Michael said it took the horse four days to work out he was back in a racing yard and it has taken him this long to get his muscle tone back. But Friday's race was more like a Group One than a Group Three, so we're very pleased".
In August the colt started favourite for the Nunthorpe Stakes but finished sixth behind Borderlescott. Richardson explained that the colt had aggravated a joint injury sustained at Goodwood and would miss the rest of the season.
The gelding failed to win in six subsequent races that year but ran prominently in several major sprints. He finished sixth to Equiano in the King's Stand Stakes and fourth to Starspangledbanner in the July Cup before running unplaced in the Nunthorpe. In Autumn he finished fourth in the Haydock Sprint Cup and third in the Diadem Stakes before being sent to contest the Hong Kong Sprint at Sha Tin Racecourse in December where he finished sixth behind the South African gelding J J The Jet Plane.
As an eight-year-old, the gelding began his campaign in the Palace House Stakes on 4 May in which he was ridden by his new regular jockey Shane Kelly. He started a 25/1 outsider but produced his best performance for some time as he finished second, a length behind Sole Power. Three weeks later he attempted to repeat his 2010 success in the Temple Stakes. Sole Power started favourite ahead of Reckless Abandon and Swiss Spirit with Kingsgate Native starting at 14/1. Kelly tracked the leaders before taking the lead a furlong out the gelding ran on strongly in the closing stages to win by a neck and a head from Swiss Spirit and Reckless Abandon with Sole Power in fourth. After the race Cowell said "He is a very talented horse but so quirky, although when he is right he is right. His preparation has been awesome. Last year it was a bit hit and miss but he still showed a flash of brilliance and he has been training like a bloody good horse. And he has shown it today, I am absolutely thrilled". In later races that year he finished second in the Coral Charge, fifth to Jwala in the Nunthorpe and third to Maarek in the World Trophy.
In the spring of 2014, Kingsgate Native finished second in the Palace House Stakes, third in the Temple Stakes and second in the Coral Charge. Unplaced finishes in his next four starts led his connections to consider retiring the horse before he ended his season in a minor stakes race at Beverley Racecourse. After struggling to obtain a clear run in the closing stages he took the lead 75 yards from the finish and won by a length and three quarters from the three-year-old Green Door.
In 2015, the ten-year-old began his season as usual in the Palace House Stakes when he finished third before finishing unplaced in the Temple Stakes. A week later after his poor run in the Temple Stakes, Kingsgate Native was dropped in class for the Listed Achilles Stakes over the same course and distance. Having been held up by his jockey Graham Lee in the early stages he made rapid progress in the last quarter mile, took the lead inside the final furlong and won by one and a quarter lengths from Out Do. Lee said "This is why we do the job – when you meet guys like this fella. He just wants to please. It's great, and for a 10-year-old he has so much enthusiasm".
He went on to finish unplaced in the Coral Charge, City Walls Stakes and the King George Stakes before showing better form in September when he finished second in the Scarbrough Stakes at Doncaster. He began 2016 with four consecutive defeats, prompting talk of retirement, before he won a minor race at Nottingham in August. He was finally retired at the end of the 2016 season and moved to a new home at the British Racing School in Newmarket. A statement on Cowell's website stated "He will be sorely missed here as his antics around the yard never fail to make us laugh and he certainly still has the ability to act like a youngster and be extremely naughty at times... He has been an absolute super star and we look forward to hearing all about all the mischief he gets up to at his new".
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