Sporting Life
King Of Steel wins under Frankie Dettori

King Of Steel recovering well but future plans remain fluid

By David Ord
09:32 · TUE September 03, 2024

King Of Steel is reported to be recovering well from the setback he suffered earlier in the season but whether he'll return to action or head to stud remains undecided.

Winner of last season's QIPCO Champion Stakes at Ascot, the four-year-old suffered a setback in May which forced him to miss his summer targets. He was removed from Roger Varian's yard shortly afterwards and is currently with Adrian Murray in Ireland.

Speaking on Monday's Nick Luck Daily Podcast, owner Kia Joorabchian said: “He’s done really, really well touch wood. The guys are very happy with him in Ireland, the vets are very happy with him.

"It’s going to be very difficult to get him to race between now and January, everything is going to come way too soon for him, he's such a big and such a strong horse you have to give him all the time in the world to make sure he’s 100%.

"So we won’t be rushing him and are going strictly by the vet’s advice at the moment on the training regime but they are very happy with him.

“He’s still on the walker but he will be ridden again very shortly, the vets have a very stringent programme for him and have laid it out but they keep assessing that programme and between them and Robson (Aguiar) and Adrian, are putting that plan into action."

And a decision over future plans is unlikely to be made before the end of the calendar year.

“If you see him he’s almost like the athlete who is gagging to get back out onto the field. He’s become almost quite unbearable to keep in the stalls and on the walker, he wants to get out there and wants to do everything that he used to do," the Amo Racing boss added.

“He seems a little bit frustrated with his injury more than we are. We’re going to see how he feels, he’s such a pleasant guy and is a wonderful, wonderful horse to have around.

“The guys who train and take care of him, everyone loves him but everyone says his biting to the bit, he’s frustrated. We’ll play it by ear but hopefully we’ll make a decision in January.

“I think he has achieved all the dreams we wanted to achieve. Winning the Champion Stakes at Ascot and the way he did it with Frankie on, that scene and whole scenario there, I don’t think you could wish for a better moment in racing.

“Everything he does from here going forward is a positive, whether he races again or goes to stud whatever he does is a positive. I am looking forward in the next year or maybe the following year to seeing a lot of King Of Steel babies and we are desperately looking at making sure he comes back sound and well and healthy in himself.

“He has nothing left to prove."

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