Knicks Go Wins Breeders’ Cup Classic in Front-Running Fashion

There was no early problem to Knicks Go within the $6 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic on Saturday at Del Mar – and he was gone.

The 5-year-old son of Paynter settled into an superior rhythm for coach Brad Cox and jockey Joel Rosario and was by no means threatened in simply dispatching Medina Spirit and third-place stablemate Essential Quality to undoubtedly safe Horse of the Yr honors.

Knicks Go, making an attempt the basic distance of a mile and 1 / 4 for the primary time, simply handed that check when, remarkably, he was allowed an uncontested lead in a contest that appeared to function important different early pace. He cruised by a gap quarter of a mile in 23.16 seconds. He rolled by a gap half of a mile in 46.14 seconds. He clicked off six furlongs in 1:10.04 and a mile in 1:35.28 en path to a last time of 1:59.57.

“He’s an amazing horse. He’s a champion now. I’m simply very pleased with the efficiency in the present day,” stated Cox of final 12 months’s Dirt Mile winner.

Knicks Go turned the sixth horse to win two completely different Breeders’ Cup races. He paid $8.40, $6.20 and $4. Hot Rod Charlie took fourth adopted by Stilleto Boy, Art Collector, Tripoli and Max Player.

The opposite horses to win completely different Cup races are Zenyatta (Basic and Distaff), Beholder (Juvenile Fillies and Distaff), Stephanie’s Kitten (Juvenile Fillies Turf and Filly & Mare Turf), Secret Circle (Juvenile Dash and Dash) and Golden Pal (Juvenile Turf Sprint and Saturday’s Turf Sprint).

“We had an exquisite journey. He does precisely what he needs to do,” Rosario stated. “I attempted to avoid wasting as a lot as I may as a result of we had a mile and 1 / 4 to go. However he was going simple. On the quarter pole, he simply took off once more. He’s simply an incredible horse.”

The Maryland-bred Knicks Go prevailed for the ten^th time in 24 lifetime begins, with half of these coming as Grade 1 scores. The winner’s share of $3,120,000 hiked his lifetime earnings to $8,673,135. Knicks Go positioned second within the 2018 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile however the wheels got here off as he went 0 for 8 as a 3-year-old, prompting a switch to Cox’s barn.

Cox’s fortunes proceed to soar. He received 4 Breeders’ Cup races final 12 months to safe his first Eclipse Award as main coach in North America. He might have this 12 months’s Kentucky Derby victor this 12 months in present runner-up Mandaloun if Medina Spirit is disqualified for a post-race optimistic drug check. He saddled the Belmont and Travers winner in Important High quality. And now Pegasus and Whitney winner Knicks Go rocketed to supply his first Basic triumph.

Cox admitted he regarded on with blended feelings since he had not one however two prime contenders. “These are like your children,” he stated. “Once they face one another, it’s powerful to observe.”

Important High quality, in his finale, misplaced for less than the second time in 10 profession begins. His solely different defeat occurred when he misplaced worthwhile floor within the Kentucky Derby and missed by one size in fourth.

Cox expressed the hope that Important High quality has carried out sufficient to win the Eclipse Award as 3-year-old champion. “I believed he was the chief within the clubhouse and, hopefully, that was sufficient,” he stated.

Coach Bob Baffert countered {that a} case will be made for Medina Spirit. “The winner was simply an excessive amount of,” Baffert stated. “I’m pleased with the truth that he beat these 3-year-olds.  To me, he’s the very best 3-year-old. He confirmed it in the present day. That’s what racing is all about, proving it on the racetrack. And he proved it in the present day that he’s the actual deal.”

Most handicappers anticipated Medina Spirit to sort out Knicks Go early. That by no means materialized. “I broke gradual and by the wire the primary time I needed to take just a little maintain of him,” stated John Velazquez, who was aboard the runner-up. “I gave him his head across the first flip and across the second flip. He got here operating and saved operating. Who’s the very best 3-year-old now?”

Luis Saez, astride Important High quality, famous that the race hardly unfolded as he had anticipated. “I wasn’t anticipating the tempo to be that gradual. Every little thing was a multitude,” he stated. “I believed there was going to be a whole lot of tempo, however the plan was to attend, sit nonetheless and make one transfer. However the tempo was so gradual, we couldn’t do something.”

The sturdy Basic exhibiting instructed that the long run might be blindingly vibrant for Cox, who grew up within the shadow of Churchill Downs. “I don’t look within the rearview mirror a lot,” stated the hard-driving conditioner. “There’s a lot left to perform on this sport. I’m very pleased with what we’ve carried out. We’ve received a fantastic staff – nice house owners, nice assistants, nice assist.”

And one nice horse in Knicks Go.