Kingsbarns

Kingsbarns was a winner of his career debut early in his 3-year-old season in a one-mile race maiden at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 14, 2023. He followed that up with another victory in his second lifetime outing, taking a 1 mile & 40 yard allowance optional claiming race by 7 3/4 lengths on Feb. 12 at Tampa Bay Downs.

Kingsbarns made his stakes debut in his third start, jumping up in class into the Grade 2 $1 million Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds on March 25. Sent off as the 9-2 odds second choice in a 12-horse field in the Louisiana Derby, Kingsbarns found himself controlling the pace in slow fractions under jockey Flavien Prat, and was able to draw off to an easy 3 1/2-length win in wire-to-wire fashion in a winning time for the 1 3/16 miles of 1:57.33. The Louisiana Derby was a maximum points race on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, and Kingsbarns' win earned him 100 points which will ensure him a spot in the starting gate for the run for the roses.

In his subsequent start in the 2023 Kentucky Derby, Kingsbarns settled for a 14th-place finish in a field of 18 horses at Churchill Downs on May 6.

Kingsbarns made his first post-Derby return to the races at Monmouth Park on June 17 in the $150,000 Pegasus Stakes at 1 1/16 miles. Sent off as the 1-2 odds favorite on the tote board in a field of six in what was presumed to be a tune-up for the Haskell, Kingsbarns came up short and settled for second in the Pegasus when narrowly defeated by Salute the Stars. 

Kingsbarns took the rest of 2023 off and returned from an eight-month layoff to continue his racing career as a 4-year-old in 2024. His first start of the year was a seven-furlong allowance win at Gulfstream Park on March 2. He then successfully stepped back up in class against stakes competition in his next start and stretched back out to two turns in the Grade 3 $300,000 Ben Ali Stakes going 1 3/16 miles at Keeneland in April 20. Sent off as the 8-5 favorite on the tote board atop a nine-horse field in the Ben Ali, Kingsbarns scored a convincing victory.

Kingsbarns finished a disappointing second in his following start as the 0.70-1 favorite in the Grade 2 Pimlico Special and then looked to rebound in his next race, which came in the Grade 1 $1 million Stephen Foster Stakes going 1 1/8 miles at Churchill Downs on June 29. Somehow overlooked on the tote board at nearly 10-1 odds (9.95-1) in the field of eight in the Stephen Foster, Kingsbarns made amends for his midstep at Pimlico with a powerful-looking 2 1/2-length win over a field that included favorites First Mission, Disarm, and Skippylongstocking. 

Kingsbarns is trained by Todd Pletcher. He was bred in Kentucky by the sire Uncle Mo out of the mare Lady Tapit by Tapit.