Knicks Go Named Champion Older Dirt Male

The two richest and most important stakes for older dirt horses in the United States are the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) and the Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes Presented by 1/ST BET (G1). After that, you could probably add to that list the Whitney Stakes (G1) and the Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan Handicap (G1) without tremendous argument So when a horse wins three of those stakes and goes off as the 4-5 favorite in the fourth, it should come as no surprise when that equine star is voted the champion older dirt male. Needless to say, there were no disbelieving gasps Feb. 10 when the Eclipse Award for the Outstanding Older Dirt Male was presented to the Korea Racing Authority's Knicks Go. "This is huge for Knicks Go," said trainer Brad Cox, who guided the Maryland-bred son of Paynter through a 2021 campaign of five wins in seven starts with earnings of $7,324,140 and three grade 1 victories. "He's a special horse and deserves all of the awards he's received." Named the Longines World's Best Racehorse for 2021, Knicks Go enjoyed a memorable year by all standards. The grey son of the Outflanker mare Kosmo's Buddy started with a victory in the Jan. 23 Pegasus. Then he traveled to Saudi Arabia for the Saudi Cup and was outrun for the early lead by Charlatan and finished fourth. In his return to the United States, the 5-year-old bred by Angie Moore was sent off as a 4-5 choice in the Met Mile but faded to fourth after setting the early pace. Cox theorized that the one-turn distance of the Met Mile ill-suited Knicks Go and he was proven right when the multiple grade 1 winner romped by 10 1/4 lengths under regular rider Joel Rosario in the Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap (G3) and then rolled to a 4 1/2-length score in the prestigious Whitney at Saratoga Race Course over dirt male finalist Maxfield and Met Mile winner Silver State. As a tune-up for the World Championships, Knicks Go breezed to a four-length victory in the Lukas Classic (G3) at Churchill Downs. That set the stage for the huge year-end showdown in the $5.4 million Classic in which Knicks Go faced the top 3-year-olds, Essential Quality, Medina Spirit, and Hot Rod Charlie, as well as Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) winner Max Player. Immediately seizing the lead in the 1 1/4-mile test at Del Mar, Knicks Go never looked back and triumphed by 2 3/4 lengths in his penultimate race before finishing second in the 2022 Pegasus World Cup and heading to stud at Taylor Made Stallions. As the late rock star Meat Loaf sang, two out of three ain't bad. But for Knicks Go, three out of four major grade 1 wins was a performance worthy of a champion.