October, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Knicks Go All Alone in Final Classic Prep

Going…going… gone. Leading older horse Knicks Go (Paynter), as expected, punched his ticket to the GI Breeders' Cup Classic with a facile victory in Saturday's GIII Lukas Classic S. at Churchill Downs.

The overwhelming 1-9 favorite took his usual spot on the front end and led the field of six through very manageable fractions of :23.53 and :47.27. Joel Rosario hit the gas entering the far turn, and Knicks Go responded in spades. He passed the quarter pole as the one to catch, cornered for home in the four path and cruised down the lane to a comfortable score under very confident handling. It was four lengths back to Independence Hall (Constitution) in second.

“We're excited to get this race under our belt,” winning trainer Brad Cox said. “He's a fast horse and he's dangerous when he gets to show that speed around two turns. Joel gave him an easy trip on the front end. He seemed like he was able to take a breather and open back up around the turn. On to the Breeders' Cup.”

Rosario added, “I kept him off the rail today a little bit but he was going very easy. He's a really fast horse and he did what he needed to do. He's always been an impressive horse to ride and always been quick. Today, he did things very easily and now on to bigger things.”

Fourth as the 4-5 favorite in the GI Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan H. around a one-turn mile at Belmont June 5, the gray returned to his best form around two turns when airing in the GIII Cornhusker H. at Prairie Meadows in July with a gaudy 113 Beyer Speed Figure and was coming off another dominant tally in Saratoga's GI Whitney S. Aug. 7.

Knicks Go's loaded resume also includes top-level wins in the 2018 GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity, 2020 GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and this year's GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S.

Pedigree Notes:

Knicks Go stands alone as the only Grade I winner to date for Paynter, who has four graded winners among his 19 black-type winners. The breeding of Knicks Go has been well-documented, with his dam's last two matings being significantly upgraded: Kosmo's Buddy has a yearling filly by Justify and a filly by Ghostzapper of this year. Ghostzapper, like Paynter, is a son of Awesome Again.

Knicks Go, the fifth Maryland-bred generation of his family, is one of 10 stakes winners out of daughters of the Danzig sire Outflanker.

The Moore family's GreenMount Farm claimed the two-time stakes winner Kosmo's Buddy for $40,000 in her penultimate career start at Monmouth in 2010. She RNA'd for $195,000 at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Mixed Sale.

Saturday, Churchill Downs
LUKAS CLASSIC S.-GIII, $337,000, Churchill Downs, 10-2, 3yo/up, 1 1/8m, 1:47.85, ft.
1–KNICKS GO, 125, h, 5, by Paynter
                1st Dam: Kosmo's Buddy (MSW, $298,095), by Outflanker
                2nd Dam: Vaulted, by Allen's Prospect
                3rd Dam: Aube d'Or, by Medaille d'Or
($40,000 Wlg '16 KEENOV; $87,000 Ylg '17 KEESEP). O-Korea
Racing Authority; B-Angie Moore (MD); T-Brad H. Cox; J-Joel
Rosario. $184,140. Lifetime Record: MGISW, 23-9-3-1, $5,553,135.
Werk Nick Rating: F. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Independence Hall, 121, c, 4, Constitution–Kalahari Cat, by
Cape Town. ($100,000 Ylg '18 KEESEP; $200,000 RNA 2yo '19
FTFMAR). O-Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Twin Creeks
Racing Stables, LLC, WinStar Farm, LLC, Kathleen & Robert
Verratti; B-Woodford Thoroughbreds, LLC (KY); T-Michael W.
McCarthy. $79,400.
3–Shared Sense, 121, r, 4, Street Sense–Collective, by
Bernardini. O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-Brad H. Cox. $39,700.
Margins: 4, 1HF, HD. Odds: 0.10, 10.00, 27.70.
Also Ran: Tacitus, Chess Chief, Sprawl.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Knicks Go Wins Lukas Classic in Final Breeders’ Cup Tune-Up

Knicks Go made his final prep race for the $6 million, Grade 1 Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic a winning one on Oct. 2, using his formidable cruising speed to defeat five opponents in the $400,000, Grade 3 Lukas Classic at Churchill Downs.

Andy Belfiore Named Executive Director of FHBPA

Industry veteran Andy Belfiore, who has honed her skills on both the backside and on executive teams, has been named the new Executive Director of the Florida Horsemen's Benevolent & Protective Association (FHBPA). For the last two years, Belfiore has been the Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association's Project Manager for the Mid-Atlantic Strategic Plan to Reduce Equine Fatalities. The Massachusetts native spent the four years prior to that as Executive Director of the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association.

“The FHBPA board members as well as myself are delighted that Andy accepted our offer to serve as Executive Director,” said FHBPA President Stephen Screnci. “With her experience, knowledge, and industry contacts, she's undoubtedly the perfect fit.”

Belfiore's extensive CV also includes serving as Executive Director of the TAKE2 Second Career Thoroughbred Program Inc. and as co-Chair of the Board of the Backstretch Employee Service Team. She has also been part of the communications and marketing departments at New York Racing Association and spent 18 years as the editor-in-chief of TDN. Additionally, she is also a former hotwalker, groom, exercise rider, and assistant trainer.

“I'm looking forward to working with Stephen and the Florida HBPA,” Belfiore said. “Racing in South Florida faces its challenges, but the horsemen have elected a terrific board, and Stephen has proven to be a strong leader. I'm excited to be a part of the team.”

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Gotimer: You Never Know Where The Next Big Horse Will Come From

On the day of this year's Champagne Stakes for 2-year-old, writer William Gotimer looked back on the 1978 edition of the race. Writing for Saratoga Today, Gotimer recalled working as a teller at Belmont at the time of that race, which came along in one of the golden ages for superstar racehorses.

Gotimer remembers being all in on General Assembly, who he thought could take the same route as his sire Secretariat to stardom. He was surprised when he took a hefty wager from a horseplayer on another 2-year-old — who turned out to be Spectacular Bid.

“Spectacular Bid's New York debut taught me some lessons,” said Gotimer. “In ascending order of importance, never ignore early money; respect what others know; and most importantly – 'you never know who or what is waiting around the corner. As in racing as in life – the strongest opponent you may face is the one you don't see coming – you simply never have everything figured out.'”