Kingston Hill; Compton Place; Vale Of York; Quality Road/Keeneland Book 3; Munnings; Pauls Mill Stud

* KINGSTON Hill, the classic winning son of Mastercraftsman, has been retired to prepare for the start of his stud career with Coolmore in 2016.

“We had hoped to get Kingston Hill back for the latter part of this season but sadly this has not been possible and the decision has been made to retire him,” said trainer Roger Varian.

“He was a very special horse for our yard. He’s a beautiful mover with a great cruising speed and a turn of foot - pretty much everything you look for in a top class racehorse.”

The son of the Rainbow Quest mare Audacieuse, a G1 winner at two and three, was a 70,000gns purchase by Charlie Gordon-Watson Bloodstock out of Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Sale in 2012.

In 2013 he won each of his three 2YO starts including the G3 Autumn Stakes followed two weeks later by victory in the G1 Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster.

At three he was unplaced behind Night of Thunder first-up in the 2000 Guineas before he ran second to Australia in the G1 Epsom Derby.

He returned to Doncaster two starts later win the G1 St Leger before closing out the season with a fourth to Treve in the G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

Kingston Hill was the highweighted 3YO in England at 14 furlongs and beyond and, retires with a record of four wins from eight starts and earnings of £1,104,278.

• LONG serving UK sire Compton Place has died at the age of 21 after suffering a colic attack.

The son of Indian Ridge was retired in 1999 and stood at Whitsbury Manor Stud in Hampshire for 17 consecutive seasons.

He was found to be suffering from a severe bout of colic and was rushed into veterinary surgery where attempt to save him failed.

Compton Place, a July Cup winner as a 3YO, produced a steady flow of classy sprinters with his leading representatives being the dual Nunthorpe Stakes winner Borderlescott, Boogie Street, Deacon Blues, Intrepid Jack, Judd Street, Pearl Secret and Shifting Power.

He has sired 37 stakes performers, including 13 Group winners and 12 Listed winners.

Compton Place has also made his mark as a broodmare sire with his daughters having produced stakes winners Monsieur Joe and Stepper Point.

• VALE Of York (Invincible Spirit) has been sold to Qatar Racing and will stand at Haras des Faunes in France from 2016, having stood the last five Northern Hemisphere breeding seasons at Kildangan Stud in Ireland.

• A colt by Quality Road sold for $710,000 to lead the opening session of Book 3 at Keeneland’s September Yearling Sale.

The colt from the Dehere mare Paris Notion made the highest price for Book 3 since 2007.

After six sessions, Keeneland has sold 1234 horses sold for $224,536,000, down slightly when compared to last year’s seven-day gross of $227,389,500 for 1,290 horses.

However the average of $181,958 has increased 3.2 percent from $176,271.

• KENTUCKY-based Munnings sired his first G1 on Saturday when his 3YO filly I’m A Chatterbox won the Cotillion Stakes at Parx Racing.

Her win has pushed Munnings past his Ashford Stud barn mate Lookin at Lucky to the top of the North American Second Crop Sires List by earnings.

• PAULS Mill Stud in Kentucky has been put on the market for an asking price of US$8.5 million.