Knicks Go goes distance, wires field in Breeders’ Cup Classic
DEL MAR, Calif. — Demonstrating that he possesses plenty of stamina to go with his trademark brilliant speed, Knicks Go led every step of the way and won Saturday’s $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar.
The 2¾-length victory over Medina Spirit cemented Horse of the Year honors for the Brad Cox-trained 5-year-old, who had never raced at the classic distance of 1¼ miles in his 23 previous races. The win was his fifth in a Grade 1 stakes and his second in the Breeders’ Cup, capturing the Dirt Mile last year.
Sent off as the 3-1 second choice in the wagering behind stablemate Essential Quality, the son of Paynter broke sharply from the gate under jockey Joel Rosario and quickly secured the lead. His nearest rivals laid back rather than risk ruining their chances of a big payday by engaging with a horse who had been in front at the first call in each of his nine previous victories.
Cox said he didn’t know what to expect when the gates opened.
“I didn’t really know what the tactics from the other trainers and jockeys would be,” he said. “I kind of felt like if they did try to go with him they may jeopardize their own opportunity to win the race.”
The early fractions were fast, with the first 6 furlongs going in 1:10.04 and the mile in 1:35.28. By the time he reached the backstretch, Knicks Go had opened almost three lengths on his pursuers, allowing Rosario to give him a quick breather before they turned up the heat.
A challenge materialized briefly entering the stretch, when Hot Rod Charlie moved up along the rail and briefly drew within about a length as the winner drifted out to toward the middle of the track. But Knicks Go switched gears and quickly repelled Hot Rod Charlie, who faded to fourth as the Bob Baffert-trained Medina Spirit and Essential Quality surged past in fruitless pursuit of the winner. The final time was a sparkling 1:59.57.
His owner, the Korean Racing Authority, named him after a proprietary genome selection program known as K-Nicks, which they use to select horses for purchase that have optimal chances of becoming top racehorses and stallions.
The Classic is expected to be the final race of Knicks Go’s career, after it was announced in October that he will retire to Taylor Made Stallions in Nicholasville, Kentucky. His stud fee is expected to be announced soon.
The race capped a successful two days of racing at Del Mar, unmarred by any reported injuries to horses or humans despite Friday’s scary incident in which Juvenile Turf entrant Albahr flipped in the starting gate. Trainer Charlie Appleby, who won three Breeders’ Cup races for owner/breeder Godolphin, the racing stable of Dubai’s ruling Maktoum family, said the 2-year-old appeared to sustain only minor cuts and bruises in the incident.
Del Mar reported that more than 20,000 fans attended Friday’s races, with another 26,553 turning out for the Saturday card.
Wagering on the Breeders’ Cup races set a record with more than $182 million bet around the globe.
Mike Brunker’s horse racing column appears Fridays. He can be reached at mbrunker@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4656. Follow @mike_brunker on Twitter.
Saturday's other Breeders' Cup races
$4 million Turf: British trainer Charlie Appleby, jockey William Buick and the powerful Godolphin stable teamed up to win three races at this year's Breeders' Cup, including the 1 1/2 mile Turf. Yibir (8-1) raced at the rear of the 14-horse field early and saved ground before moving out for room in the upper stretch and gamely running down Broome in the final yards. Europeans finished one-two-three in the race they usually dominate, with Teona filling out the placings. Team Godolphin's performance was even more impressive given the strange proceedings Friday when Modern Games won the $1 million Juvenile Turf. In that race, another Godolphin runner, Albahr, flipped in the starting gate and Modern Games was mistakenly scratched and removed from the parimutuel pools before being allowed to race for purse money only. The 2-year-old won the winner's share of the purse, but left outraged bettors who either had their wagers canceled or switched to the favorite due to the snafu.
$2 million Distaff: Japan's Marche Lorraine pulled the shocker of this year's Breeders' Cup at odds of 49-1, winning the 1 1/8th mile dirt race by a nostril and rewarding her backers with $101.80 for each $2 win bet. The win was the second of the day for trainer Yoshita Yahagi, who is now two-for-two in the series. The Japanese-bred 5-year-old mare raced near the back of the pack early under Irish jockey Oisin Murphy behind suicidal early fractions of :21.84 and :44.97 set by Private Mission. She launched a looping rally rounding the far turn to hit the front at the top of the stretch and had just enough in reserve to hold off Dunbar Road in deep stretch by a nose.
$2 million Mile: Favored Space Blues (2-1) gave Godolphin, Appleby and Buick their first victory on the day. Space Blues, a son of Godolphin's top sire Dubawi, had never run farther than 7 furlongs in Europe but had no difficulty navigating the extra real estate as he wore down speedy long shot Smooth Like Straight in midstretch to capture the turf test by half a length.
$2 million Sprint: Aloha West (11-1) won his first stakes race by closing from far back and just getting his nose down at the wire to nip Dr. Schivel by inches. The victory under jockey Jose Ortiz was the fourth for trainer and former rider Wayne Catalano in the Breeders' Cup. Jackie's Warrior, the 2-5 favorite, was under pressure from the start and melted down in the stretch to finish off the board.
$2 million Filly and Mare Turf: Japan's Loves Only You became the first horse based in Japan to win a Breeders' Cup race, spearing between rivals in the final yards to post a hard-fought 1/2-length victory over favored War Like Goddess in the 1 3/8th-mile race. The victory by the 4-1 third choice in the wagering gave trainer Yahagi and jockey Yuga Kawada their first victories in the series in their first starts. The only Japan-bred horse to previously win a Breeders' Cup race was Karakontie, who captured the 2014 Mile. But unlike Loves Only You he was raced in France prior to his victory. Both were produced by sires who were sons of the great U.S. runner Sunday Silence.
$1 million Dirt Mile: In the most scintillating performance of the day, 3-5 favorite Life Is Good set wickedly fast early fractions of :21.4 and :44.4 under pressure but still had plenty in the tank to spurt away from a briefly threatening Ginobili at the top of the stretch and coast home by 5 3/4 lengths. The 3-year-old son of Into Mischief was transferred to trainer Todd Pletcher by owners WinStar Farm and China Horse Club amid the controversy involving the positive drug test of previous conditioner Bob Baffert's Medina Spirit in the Kentucky Derby. Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. picked up his 14th Breeders' Cup win and third in two days at Del Mar.
$1 million Turf Sprint: 5-2 favorite Golden Pal did not disappoint, rocketing out of the gate and holding off a determined Lieutenant Dan by 1 1/4 lengths in a running time of :54.75 seconds to tie the course record. The victory gave the tandem of trainer Wesley Ward and Ortiz Jr. their second Breeders' Cup victory in two days, both in turf dashes.
$1 million Filly and Mare Sprint: Not often you see a $1 million race draw a field of five, but that's what we had here. The expected match race between reigning division champ Gamine and 3-year-old Bella Sofia materialized in the early going of the 7-furlong race, setting the table for the Michael McCarthy-trained Ce Ce to sweep past in midstretch under jockey Victor Espinoza and draw clear to win by 2 1/2 lengths at odds of better than 6-1. Edgeway, another stalker, snagged second and Gamine hung on for third.
— Mike Brunker
