Knicks Go Stretches Out to Win Breeders' Cup Classic

There may have been some doubt over the identity of the Horse of the Year heading into the Nov. 6 second day of the Breeders' Cup, but there was not the slightest room for dispute as nightfall arrived at Del Mar. The Korea Racing Authority's Knicks Go answered every possible question about his qualifications by taking the lead at the start and then widening his margin in the final furlong and registering a 2 3/4-length victory over Medina Spirit in the $5.4 million Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) that stamped him as the brightest star of 2021. "I'm very proud of this horse and the year he's put together," trainer Brad Cox said. "His campaign started in January and he had a great second half," Cox said about the Maryland-bred son of Paynter who will stand at Taylor Made Stallions next year. For Cox, it was a year of firsts. Earlier in the year, he received his first Eclipse Award as the outstanding trainer. Then Godolphin's Essential Quality, who was third Saturday in the Classic, gave him his first Triple Crown victory when he captured the Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1). He also won his first Runhappy Travers (G1) thanks to Essential Quality. Knicks Go, who won last year's Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1), provided a first Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1), Whitney Stakes (G1), and Classic, and, oh yeah, a first Horse of the Year crown. "This was a big victory," Cox said. "It's been a great year for us. This one was very, very high on our list of races we wanted to win and we capped it off, but we would like to win again as well." It was also a huge year for winning rider Joel Rosario, who posted his 48th graded stakes win of the year in the Classic and is closing in on Jerry Bailey's record of 55 in a single season. "Its been an unbelievable year," Rosario said. The same could be said for the Korea Racing Authority, whose only North American starter in 2021 has been Knicks Go. "I'm extremely pleased with the result today. It had been a rough time when he was three years old, but we overcame the hard year and then turned the corner and then he became a special horse," Jin Woo Lee, senior manager of the KRA, said through an interpreter. "And actually winning the Breeders' Cup was the ultimate goal at the beginning of the year and we achieved that win, so he can go off feeling good and we want to say thank you to everybody." Best of all for fans of the sport, Knicks Go's racing career may not be over. Both Jun Park, racing manager for the KRA, and Cox said the door is open for Knicks Go to make a return trip to the $3 million Pegasus at Gulfstream Park in late January and add to his career earnings of $8,673,135 before beginning a life at stud. "We have to see how the horse comes out of the race and we have a breeding deal but there's a chance we may go to the Pegasus. We know he likes the track there," said Park about the son of the Outflanker mare Kosmo's Buddy who was bred by Angie Moore. Of course, even the Breeders' Cup with its 14 seven-figure stakes over two days, cannot answer every question and trainer Bob Baffert raised one about who is the best 3-year-old. After his Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) winner Medina Spirit finished in front of the two colts who had been considered the leaders of the 3-year-old division before the race, Essential Quality, who was three-quarters-of-a-length behind Medina Spirit in third as the 9-5 favorite, and Hot Rod Charlie, who was another length back in fourth, Baffert was asked about who should be the champion 3-year-old. "I don't vote," he said. When asked who in his mind was the best 3-year-old, he replied to the media members gathered around him, "In my mind? I never get involved in that. I don't go down that road. All I know is that we're very proud of him. He showed it today. You guys vote." When Baffert asked one reporter for his opinion and was told that Essential Quality will likely be the Eclipse Award winner, he said, "They should give it to the best horse." Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, who rode Medina Spirit, was more assertive about who is the best 3-year-old, especially since Medina Spirit beat Essential Quality and Hot Rod Charlie in both the Kentucky Derby and the Classic. "Absolutely," he said in support of Medina Spirit, "he proved it today." While best and champion can have different meanings and have different horses attached to them, Cox believes Essential Quality, with five wins in seven 2021 starts, deserves the crown as the champion 3-year-old male. "Medina Spirit is a very good horse and had a fantastic season," Cox said. "I don't have a vote, but if I did, you know who's getting it. I'm hopeful Essential Quality did enough to be the champion." Of course, the elephant in the room, is that Medina Spirit's victory in the Kentucky Derby is currently in dispute after the son of Protonico failed two post-race drug tests. At the moment, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission is awaiting the results of a third test before deciding on whether or not to disqualify Medina Spirit and elevate the Cox-trained Mandaloun into the win spot. Medina Spirit played a central role in the outcome Saturday for a different reason. Gifted with blazing speed that he used to capture the Kentucky Derby in front-running fashion, it was expected that he would engage Knicks Go in the early stages and create a battle that could benefit the closers in the race. But when Medina Spirit broke slowly from the gate, Velazquez felt it was best to bide his time and make up ground slowly rather than rush up and lock horns with an older rival as fast and formidable as Knicks Go. "I had to change my strategy," Velazquez said about the tardy start, "and try to make up ground gradually. I can't be that dumb and send him after that happens." While Medina Spirit circled the first turn three or four wide in third, Rosario and Knicks Go found themselves with a length lead after an opening quarter-mile in :23.16. The 3-1 co-second choice with Hot Rod Charlie, Knicks Go continued to lead through a half-mile in :45.77 and led by 1 1/2 lengths after six furlongs in 1:10.04. Watching the field race down the backstretch created mixed emotions for Cox. While it was a great turn of events for Knicks Go, it was detrimental to Essential Quality, who was inside and behind horses while seventh in the field of eight after a half-mile. "He wasn't getting the pace he needed and they were well-bunched in front of him," Cox said about Essential Quality, a son of Tapit who is unlikely to race again and will become a stallion for Godolphin at Jonabell Farm next year. "He was going to have to run down some good horses and he did. It was a big effort by him but when Knicks Go gets away like that he's hard to catch." As a crowd of 26,553 at Del Mar looked on, Knicks Go held a length lead over Hot Rod Charlie, Art Collector, and Medina Spirit passing the quarter pole, but then took charge by surging to a two-length lead at the eighth pole and holding sway after that. "I would have thought (Knicks Go) would have come back a little but, but then he just kept going," said Bill Strauss, one of Hot Rod Charlie's owners. Knicks Go covered the 1 1/4 miles in 1:59.57 in the Breeders' Cup second visit to Del Mar. Gun Runner won the first Classic at the seaside Southern California track in 2:01.29. Despite racing beyond 1 1/8 miles for the first time, Knicks Go posted the fastest winning time in the Classic since Raven's Pass was timed in 1:59.27 on a synthetic surface in 2008. It was his 10th win in 24 career starts and since moving to Cox's barn last year, he has won eight of nine starts, including last year's Dirt Mile. The lone stakes winner from Kosmo's Buddy's eight foals, Knicks Go was an $87,000 purchase by the KRA from Woods Edge Farm's consignment to the 2017 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. The dam also has a yearling filly by Justify named Go Go Princess and dropped a Ghostzapper filly April 19. Cox said Knicks Go will return home to Kentucky shortly and will likely put on display for breeders by Taylor Made at some point within a week or so. "I kind of relate it to maybe coaching a major league football team or major league baseball team. You're really just kind of under the gun. You always have to be ready to perform or have the horses ready to perform and you're always moving forward," Cox said. "So, like I've said, you got to celebrate for about 15 minutes, maybe 30, and then it's always back to work."