King's Theatre (horse)

King's Theatre
Racing colours of Sheikh Mohammed
Sire	Sadler's Wells
Grandsire	Northern Dancer
Dam	Regal Beauty
Damsire	Princely Native
Sex	Stallion
Foaled	1991
Country	Ireland
Colour	Bay
Breeder	Michael Poland
Owner	Michael Poland (1993) Sheikh Mohammed (1994-1995) Godolphin (1996)
Trainer	Henry Cecil (1993-1994) Bill Mott (1995) Saeed bin Suroor (1996)
Record	17: 5-3-3
Earnings	£756,921
Major wins
Racing Post Trophy (1993) Craven Stakes (1994) King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (1994)
Awards
European Champion Three-year old colt (1994) Leading jump racing sire in Britain & Ireland (2011-12, 2013-14)
Last updated on June 22, 2007

King's Theatre (1 May 1991 – 13 June 2011) was an Irish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He was trained in the United Kingdom and the United States during a racing career which lasted from July 1993 to June 1996, winning five of his seventeen races. He is best known for winning the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes in 1994, a year in which he was named European Champion Three-year old colt. King's Theatre later became a sire of both flat racers and jumpers.

King's Theatre was bred in Ireland by Michael Poland. He was from the sixth crop of the fourteen times Champion sire Sadler's Wells out of the mare Regal Beauty, making him a half-brother to the Royal Lodge Stakes winner High Estate, who was European Champion Two-Year-Old in 1988. He was sent into training with Henry Cecil at Newmarket.

King's Theatre made his first appearance in July 1993, finishing fifth in a maiden race at Newmarket. A five-length win in a Yarmouth maiden race was followed by a four-length win in the Haynes, Hanson and Clark Conditions Stakes at Newbury. He was then moved up to the highest level to contest the Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster, in which he defeated the Fillies' Mile winner, Fairy Heights.

King's Theatre went into the winter of 1993–4 as a leading Derby candidate. On his 1994 debut, however, he proved himself to be a serious contender for the 2000 Guineas by taking a narrow victory in the Craven Stakes. Sent off as 9-2 favourite for the Guineas, he led early but faded into 13th place behind Mister Baileys. A well-beaten fourth place behind Erhaab in the Dante Stakes followed, and his price for the Derby drifted out to 14-1. At Epsom, however, he showed himself to be a top-class middle-distance performer, taking the lead a furlong from home and finishing second of the twenty-five runners behind Erhaab. As a result of his Epsom performance, he was sent off evens favourite for the Irish Derby and duly defeated his male rivals, but could only manage second place to the European Champion filly Balanchine.