Foaled 19 March 1978 Colour Dark Bay or Brown Trainer J T Doyle Sex Stallion Grandsire Tom Rolfe | Country United States Breeder Tom Gentry Parents Hoist The Flag Damsire Royal Charger | |
Owner Kazuo Nakamura & Yorozu Sugawara | ||
Hoist The King (1978 – c. 1995) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who sold for a record-setting $1.6 million ($5.3 million inflation adjusted) as a yearling in 1979. He proved to be of little use as a racehorse, failing to win in nine races. He later stood as a breeding stallion in Japan with little success.
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Background
Hoist The King was a dark bay horse bred in Kentucky by Tom Gentry. His dam, Royal Dowry was a half-sister to Dear April whose descendants have included Bahri and Ajina. Before foaling Hoist The King, Royal Dowry had already produced the Frizette Stakes winner Tudor Queen and the Las Palmas Handicap winner Chargers Star. Hoist The King was sired by Hoist the Flag, the American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt of his generation whose other progeny included the dual Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Alleged.
At the 1979 Keeneland Sales he was bought for a then world-record price of $1.6 million by Kazuo Nakamura.
Racing career
Hoist the King began his racing career in Europe, finishing second and third in his two races as a juvenile and running unplaced on his only appearance as a three-year-old. He was then moved to the United States for the 1982 season, where he finished unplaced in all six of his starts.
Stud record
Hoist the King was retired from racing to become a breeding stallion in Japan. He was not a success, siring twenty winners in thirteen covering seasons from 1983 to 1995.