First Australian winner by King Of Swing

The Rocknroll Hanover horse King Of Swing, a triple Grand Circuit champion and Horse of the Year, was recently represented by his first Australian winner in the two-year-old colt Facet Prince.

He turned in a polished display, trailing the leader in the early part and then racing without cover for the last lap to win by two lengths with something in reserve.

Facet Prince, a half-brother to the million dollar winners Princess Tiffany and Rock Diamonds, is a well developed colt and promises to be a very good stayer.

FACET PRINCE REPLAY

Earlier in the season King Of Swing sired the NZ juvenile winner Fanfare, who won at his third start at Wyndham in 1:58.6.

King Of Swing, who began his career as a two-year-old in New Zealand, was a champion of his era. A courageous pacer with a lion-sized heart, he soon became the idol of all Australian trotting fans.

In all, King Of Swing recorded 44 wins including 11 Group 1’s and was the first horse to win the Miracle Mile on three occasions. He also won the A. G. Hunter Cup twice, the Victoria Cup, Breeders Crown, WA Derby, three heats of the Inter Dominion and seven Free-for-alls.

King Of Swing, a true champion of champions, retired with earnings of $3,390,546 – the highest amount by an Australasian bred entire when set – and took a mile mark of 1:47.9.

On the score of blood King Of Swing lacks nothing. His sire Rocknroll Hanover was a champion with stake earnings of $3,069,093 and was one of America’s leading sires for some time.

Twist And Twirl, the dam of King Of Swing, was a dual Group 1 winner and NZ Broodmare of the Year. She is also the dam of the dual Oaks winner and NZ 3YO Filly of the Year Bettor Twist ($605,437) and the Derby winner Rocknroll Hammer.

Twist And Twirl was an Artsplace mare from the noted producer Giveitawhirlgirl, by Jenna’s Beach Boy from Impish, by Falcon Seelster. Giveitawhirlgirl left the Group winner Feels Like Magic and the Listed winner Bettor Give It and is the second dam of the four-time Group 1 winner and millionaire pacer Mach Dan and the promising mare Miki Moo.

King Of Swing has covered a full book of mares in each of his four seasons at Belinda McCarthy’s Cobbitty Equine Farm, Cobbitty (NSW).

One of King Of Swing’s chief adversaries, Colt Thirty One, a three-time Queensland Horse of the Year, was credited with his second two-year-old winner from his first crop when the colt Bettor One prevailed in a slick 1:55.2 at his second attempt at the Albion Park midweek meeting.

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink