The old proverb 'blood will out' would certainly apply to Kikkuli if the son of Kingman follows in the giant footsteps of his half brother at stud.
Bred by Juddmonte, the 5-year-old is the last foal out of Kind, meaning he is a half sibling to the great Frankel , a dual British and Irish champion sire and unbeaten champion racehorse.
Kikkuli was no slouch on the track himself, winning on his second start when reappearing at Newmarket for his 3-year-old bow. Appropriately trained by the Charltons—Roger Charlton trained the late Kind to a brace of listed wins—he gained black type when second in the listed Heron Stakes in his third start and was then a neck second to Haatem in the Jersey Stakes (G3) at Royal Ascot.
That rival had finished a head second to Rosallion in the Irish Two Thousand Guineas (G1) on his previous outing, having also landed group 2 laurels as a juvenile.
Kikkuli ran five more times at a high level without success, although he was beaten only half a length in fourth in the Hungerford Stakes (G2) at Newbury. Regardless, his pedigree alone was enough to rate him an exciting stallion prospect.
He is standing at Paardeberg Stud in the Western Cape in South Africa. Explaining the circumstances, the farm's manager, Sally Bruss, says: "He was offered to us because we took Expert Eye, and I think Juddmonte saw on social media that Expert Eye was living a good life.
"They offered Kikkuli to us, but we weren't in the position to buy another stallion. My daughter is the South African racing manager for Bjorn Nielsen, and I said to her, 'Hasn't Bjorn spoken now and again about bringing a nice horse to South Africa?'
"She said, 'Yes, he actually has tried quite a few times, and the deals haven't come off. Why don't you ask him?'
"Bjorn went to look at Kikkuli. He and Oisin (Murphy) are really close, and Oisin, who had ridden him a few times, told him his connections thought a lot of the horse, that he had a lot of ability, but it didn't quite come to fruition on the track.
"Bjorn did the negotiations with Juddmonte and paid for the whole horse, but the plan is to syndicate him. I'm happy to say he's here and has settled in well."
Kikkuli is by a leading sire in Kingman, as well as being a half brother to Frankel and multiple group 1 winner Noble Mission.
His page includes a whole host of black-type winners, befitting a Juddmonte pedigree. Jonquil, last year's Celebration Mile (G2) winner and narrow Poule d'Essai des Poulains (G1) runner-up, is one such example.
Bruss says: "He's by Kingman, and we don't have a Kingman in this country—there's one by Kingman's sire Invincible Spirit—and down the years we tend to see the same old pedigrees and sire lines. Expert Eye is the first Acclamation here, and then this guy's the first Kingman; never mind the fact he's a half brother to Frankel.
"Oisin assured us he had a lot of ability, and that there had been some hard-luck stories (on the track). They wanted to take him back to the U.S. to campaign if Bjorn didn't buy him."
Kikkuli has taken to life in his new climes with aplomb and has reportedly gone down well with mare owners. If his reception is anything to go by, then the bay could be in for a busy time once the covering season begins.
Bruss says, "He was shown two weeks ago and was very well received, and he's starting to let down very nicely. You can see he's going to be a lovely sort once he's let down fully.
"People liked him, though it's still a bit early for everyone, and we've got a few big sales ahead. Once breeders have been paid, they start looking around for stallions."
Expert Eye has resided at the stud for nearly three years, and the 2018 Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T) hero has enjoyed a good run of form with his runners in Europe.
Among them are Lennox Stakes (G2) winner Witness Stand, along with fellow Pattern scorer Snellen and wide-margin listed winner Beset. Those stakes wins all came last year, and there should be plenty more to come, with his runners looking generally progressive and tough.
Bruss says: "Expert Eye has really let down again, and is a very good-looking horse. He's big and strong, and his foals are so nice, so hopefully his first runners make an impact here."
