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Knicks Go to Stand at Taylor Made

Four-time Grade I winner and one of the favorites for 2021 Horse of the Year Knicks Go (Paynter–Kosmo's Buddy, by Outflanker) will retire to Taylor Made Stallions at the conclusion of his racing career, the farm announced Monday. Campaigned by Korea Racing Authority, Knicks Go is currently the top-ranked older horse on the NTRA Thoroughbred Poll as he prepares for his next start in the $6-million GI Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar Nov. 6. A stud fee will be announced after the Breeders' Cup.

“The KRA's goal was to buy and race in the U.S. with an eye toward developing stallions,” said Jun Park, racing manager for the KRA's United States stable. “As his name suggests, Knicks Go is a horse that was selected by a genome selection program called K-Nicks, which was designed to help select optimally excellent racehorses and stallions. To have done this for such a short time and to already have a multiple Grade I-winner like Knicks Go is very gratifying. We are excited to stand him at Taylor Made, and we look forward to his next career as a stallion.”

An earner of $5,553,135 thus far in his racing career, Knicks Go has registered triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures of 113, 111, 108 (twice), 107, and 104 and has recorded two track records at Keeneland, one of them in winning last year's GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile where he stopped the clock in a sizzling 1:33.85. He also established a new course standard in his prep for the Dirt Mile, winning an allowance race at 1 1/16 miles by 10 1/4 lengths in a brisk 1:40.79.

Breaking his maiden on debut in July of his 2-year-old season, Knicks Go went on to capture that year's GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland with a 5 1/2-length romp. He was then second to eventual champion Game Winner (Candy Ride {Arg}) in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Dominating the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. to start his 5-year-old campaign, he also proved uncatchable in winning the historic GI Whitney S. at Saratoga in August by 4 1/2 lengths after crushing his rivals by 10 1/4 lengths in his prior start, taking the GIII Cornhusker H. at Prairie Meadows in July with a career-best 113 Beyer. He most recently cruised to a four-length score in the GII Lukas Classic S. Oct. 2 at Churchill Downs in his final prep for the Breeders' Cup.

“He really is what a horse is supposed to be,” Brad Cox said of Knicks Go. “They are supposed to get faster and stronger as they get older. He's a little bit of a throwback horse as far as accomplishing things early and then still being in training three years later.”

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Knicks Go To Stand At Taylor Made Stallions Upon Retirement

Knicks Go, a four-time Grade 1 winner and a dominating winner of the 2020 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and the 2018 Grade 1 Breeders' Futurity at two, will retire to Taylor Made Stallions at the conclusion of his racing career, the farm announced today.

Campaigned by Korea Racing Authority, Knicks Go is currently the top-ranked older horse on the NTRA Thoroughbred Poll as he prepares for his next start in the $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar on Nov. 6. A stud fee will be announced after the Breeders' Cup.

“The KRA's goal was to buy and race in the U.S. with an eye toward developing stallions,” said Jun Park, racing manager for the KRA's United States stable. “As his name suggests, Knicks Go is a horse that was selected by a genome selection program called K-Nicks, which was designed to help select optimally excellent racehorses and stallions. To have done this for such a short time and to already have a multiple Grade 1 winner like Knicks Go is very gratifying. We are excited to stand him at Taylor Made, and we look forward to his next career as a stallion.”

An earner of $5,553,135 thus far in his racing career, Knicks Go is a Grade 1 winner from eight to nine furlongs and has run triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures of 113, 111, 108 (twice), 107, and 104, all in top company.

With his blend of speed and stamina, Knicks Go has recorded two track records at Keeneland, one of them in winning last year's Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile where he sizzled a mile in 1:33.85. He also established a new course standard in his prep for the Dirt Mile, winning an allowance race at 1 1/16 miles by 10 1/4 lengths in a brisk 1:40.79.

While Knicks Go is a leader in the handicap division, he was also precocious. He broke his maiden on debut in July of his 2-year-old season, winning wire-to-wire by 3 1/2 lengths. Knicks Go went on to capture that year's Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland, running his rivals off their feet with a 5 1/2-length romp. He also finished second to eventual champion Game Winner in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile.

Heading into the Breeders' Cup, Knicks Go has been in a class by himself. He proved uncatchable in winning the historic G1 Whitney Stakes at Saratoga in August by 4 1/2 lengths, defeating Grade 1 winners Maxfield and Silver State with a 111 Beyer. The 5-year-old simply crushed his rivals by 10 1/4 lengths in his prior start, taking the G3 Cornhusker Handicap at Prairie Meadows in July, earning a career-best 113 Beyer.

In the $400,000 G2 Lukas Classic at Churchill Downs on Oct. 2, Knicks Go toyed with the competition again, this time winning by four lengths geared down at the wire in his final prep for this year's Breeders' Cup Classic. His final time for the 1 1/8 miles was 1:47.85, about a half a second off the 1999 track record set by Victory Gallop.

Among Knicks Go's signature wins was a record-setting triumph in last year's Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile at Keeneland. With regular rider Joel Rosario aboard, Knicks Go assumed his customary position at the head of the field shortly after the break. He blitzed through fractions of :21.98, :44.40, and 1:08.25 before reporting home a facile winner in the sizzling time of 1:33.85 with a Beyer of 108. The final clocking lowered Liam's Map's previous record of 1:34.54 set in winning the 2015 Dirt Mile.

Knicks Go's most lucrative victory to date came in this year's $3 million G1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes at Gulfstream Park. In his seasonal debut and his first start since winning the Dirt Mile, Knicks Go sped to the front at the break of the 1 1/8-mile event and maintained a clear advantage throughout, ultimately scoring by 2 3/4 lengths. The tremendous effort earned a 108 Beyer. Following the Pegasus win, Cox said, “Great horses do great things, and he just did something great.”

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Asmussen, Cox Horses Lead List Of Nominations For Clever Trevor At Remington

The nation's leading trainer, Steve Asmussen, has nominated six 2-year-olds for the $100,000 Clever Trevor Stakes, a seven-furlong sprint to be contested at Remington Park in Oklahoma City, Okla., on Friday, Oct. 29.

The Clever Trevor serves as the last local prep event for the $400,000 Springboard Mile, run on the final night of the season, Dec. 17.

Asmussen's horses have earned in excess of $25 million this year. His $25,667,467 is tops in the country with Brad Cox second at $24,149,520. Cox has nominated two juveniles to the Clever Trevor.

There were 34 total nominations to the Clever Trevor with Asmussen leading the way. Other trainers with multiple noms include Dallas Stewart with five; Austin Gustafson, three, and Scott Young, Terry Eoff, Michael Biehler, Bret Calhoun, and Ronnie Cravens III with two each.

Asmussen's six nominees are Kip Deville Stakes winner Concept, Chattalot, Hern, Royal Tap, Down Cold, and Briar. Concept and Chattalot appear to be Asmussen's top two nominated here.

Concept, a 2-year-old Gun Runner colt out of the Cindago mare Majestic Jewel, broke his maiden while winning the Kip Deville at Remington Park on Sept. 26, on the undercard of Oklahoma Derby Day. He had previously finished third in a maiden race at Lone Star Park on July 2 in Grand Prairie, Texas, and fifth in the Prairie Gold Juvenile Stakes at Prairie Meadows in Altoona, Iowa, on Aug. 14. He is owned by Tony Holmes and Winchell Thoroughbreds (Ron Winchell). Concept took them wire to wire in the Kip Deville at 9-5 odds.

Gun Runner is the top sire in the country for 2-year-old runners this year. Asmussen campaigned Gun Runner, the 2017 Horse of the Year and Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic winner. Gun Runner's top 2-year-old in training is Echo Zulu, who has won the Frizette Stakes and Spinaway Stakes, both Grade 1 events. She will likely be the favorite in the upcoming Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies race and is owned by L&N Racing of Tulsa, Okla.

Chattalot is an undefeated colt by Midnight Lute, out of the Kingmambo mare Mamboalot. He has won both of his career races, one at Saratoga in upstate New York and the other at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. Neither of those races came against stakes company.

Hern is another 2-year-old Gun Runner colt, this one out of a Distorted Humor mare, Sweet Opportunity. He has raced only three times, breaking his maiden at Remington Park on Sept. 8, his last race. Five of Asmussen's six noms are Kentucky-breds. The only one that is not is Royal Tap, who was bred in Texas.

These horses figure to be strong contenders to win the Clever Trevor if they are entered (trainers in parenthesis) – Rowdy Rascal (Boyd “Jobe” Caster), Chrome Baby (Calhoun), Feel the Fear (Gustafson), Kaely's Brother (Cox), Keep Your Promise (Donnie Von Hemel), Stan's Miracle Man (Gustafson), Tejano Twist (Calhoun), and Unified Report (Stewart).

Rowdy Rascal, a gelding by Den's Legacy, out of the Affirmatif mare Dancing Diva, just won the Oklahoma Classics Juvenile at Remington Park on Oct. 15 after breaking his maiden here on Sept. 18. He is owned by JT Stables (Theresa Moore) and was bred in Oklahoma.

Chrome Baby, a Kentucky-bred by 2014 Kentucky Derby winner California Chrome, showed major improvement in his second start, winning by 5 1/4 lengths in open maiden company. He is lightly raced with only those two starts for owners Levings Racing (Brian Levings) of Edmond, Okla.

Feel the Fear, a Kentucky-bred Honor Code colt out of the Kitten Joy's mare Fresh Feline, won the Prairie Gold Juvenile on Aug. 14 at Prairie Meadows. He is owned by Forge Ahead Stables (Kevin Kuta).

Kaely's Brother is a colt by Twirling Candy, out of the Yes It's True mare Policy of Truth, that races for Cox. The Kentucky-bred broke his maiden at Keeneland on Oct. 9 as the 3-2 favorite.

Keep Your Promise is a filly who broke her maiden by five lengths on Sept. 3 from trainer Donnie Von Hemel's barn here at Remington Park. She is a Kentucky-bred by Broken Vow, out of the Geri mare Bedanken. She is owned by Pin Oak Stud.

Stan's Miracle Man is on a three-race win streak out of Gustafson's barn, but none of the three wins was against stakes horses. The Texas-bred son of Run Away and Hide, out of the Mineshaft mare Platinum Blue, is owned by Michael and Linda Mazoch of Sulphur Springs, Texas.

Tejano Twist ran second to Concept in the Kip Deville as the even-money favorite. Calhoun trains this Kentucky-bred gelding by Practical Joke. He has been the runner-up in stakes events in his last two starts. He also ran second at Colonial Downs near Richmond, Va., in the $100,000 Rosie's Stakes. He is owned by Tom Durant of Grapevine, Texas.

Unified Report, a Louisiana-bred by Unified, out of the Closing Argument mare Closing Report, won his only start by one length in a maiden race at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.

Remington Park racing continues next week with a Wednesday-Saturday, Oct. 20-23, schedule. First post time is 7:07 p.m. each night.

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Gam’s Mission, Plum Ali Lead List For Valley View At Keeneland

Lazy F Ranch's Gam's Mission and Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables and Bethlehem Stables' Plum Ali, both graded stakes winners on the grass, head a list of 42 3-year-old fillies nominated to the 31^st running of the $150,000 Grade 3 Rubicon Valley View to be run Oct. 29 at 1 1/16 miles on the turf at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky.

Cherie DeVaux trains Gam's Mission, winner of the Grade 3 Regret at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., this spring who since has finished fourth in the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., and fifth in the Grade 3 Saratoga Oaks Invitational at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Plum Ali, trained by Christophe Clement, won the Grade 2 Miss Grillo last fall and this year has two graded stakes placings.

Also scheduled for Oct. 29 is the new $150,000 Myrtlewood for 2-year-old fillies going 6 furlongs on the main track.

The Myrtlewood drew 24 nominations headed by Barry and Joni Butzow's undefeated Sea Level. Trained by Brad Cox, Sea Level won the E.L. Gaylord Memorial Stakes at Remington Park in Oklahoma City, Okla., in her most recent start.

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