Korea Racing Authority | Horse Racing Free Tips

Knicks Go Gets 111 Beyer Speed Figure For Whitney Win

Korea Racing Authority's Knicks Go continued to flaunt his winning ways, defeating a compact but talented group of all graded stakes-winning millionaires in Saturday's $1 million Grade 1 Whitney Stakes at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Trained by Brad Cox, the now four-time Grade 1 winner arrived at the nine-furlong Whitney, which offered a “Win and You're In” berth to the Breeders' Cup Classic, off a sharp in-hand victory in the Grade 3 Cornhusker on July 2 at Prairie Meadows.

Knicks Go captured the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile in November at Keeneland and the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup in January at Gulfstream Park.

Piloted by Joel Rosario on Saturday, Knicks Go led the field at every point of call and drew away in the stretch to a 4 ½-length win, garnering a 111 Beyer Speed Figure.

Cox said he has not yet made plans for the next start for his talented son of Paynter, but he would like to race him once before the $6 million Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic on November 6 at Del Mar.

“We'll let the dust settle, but my thoughts would be to give him a race five to six weeks out [from the Breeders' Cup Classic],” Cox said. “I haven't really dug into it yet, the biggest thing is how he came out of yesterday's race. It would be nice to get a race into him between now and then, but where that might be I don't know.

“I was really pleased with how he looked this morning,” Cox added. “He ate up well, so everything is really positive.”

Knicks Go made his first start for Cox in February 2020 with an allowance optional claiming triumph at Oaklawn Park. Following an eight-month hiatus, Knicks Go burst back onto the scene with a Keeneland allowance optional claiming score ahead of a victory in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile at the Lexington oval.

Cox said Knicks Go has taken big leaps forward in his 2021 campaign.

“He was a very good horse last year and he's a better horse now,” Cox said. “Last year, he was able to win the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile against a great group of horses. He had one prep going into that about five weeks out. This year, he's been able to race throughout the winter and rebounded well. He's had three races this summer, so he's been campaigned with more foundation this year, so I just have to think he's a better horse. He's a more accomplished horse and built a nice foundation.”

Boasting a record of 22-8-3-1, Knicks Go has lifetime earnings of $5,368,995.

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Knicks Go Gains ‘Confidence’ In Iowa, Headed To Aug. 7 Whitney

The Korea Racing Authority's Knicks Go may have disappointed in the Saudi Cup and the Met Mile, but the 5-year-old son of Paynter got back on track Friday night at Iowa's Prairie Meadows with a 10 1/4-length romp in the Grade 3 Cornhusker Handicap. Trainer Brad Cox was pleased with the horse's effort, and told the Thoroughbred Daily News his next target will be the G1 Whitney at Saratoga on Aug. 7.

“It's always great to run in Grade 1's and it's great to have horses that are Grade 1 horses,” Cox told the TDN. “He's a Grade 1 horse. But I do think a race like this one can give the horse confidence and fitness without really getting to the bottom of them. It was a nice race going a mile-and-an-eighth and I think it, being five weeks out, was a nice set up for the Whitney. A race like that can do a lot for a horse. He's a sound, happy horse and we witnessed that last Friday.”

The Whitney is a “Win and You're In” race for the Breeders' Cup Classic, which Cox indicated could be a future target for Knicks Go. The horse won the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile at Keeneland last fall, so Cox would be changing things up to aim for the 1 1/4-mile Classic. The trainer suggested Knicks Go is better around two turns, as both of his poor efforts in 2021 came in one-turn races.

“With the way he ran Friday and the configuration of Del Mar, the Classic is definitely in play,” Cox continued. “Both Breeders' Cup races are in play. At Del Mar, we think a mile-and-a-quarter is something he can handle. I think he's a horse that benefits from a shorter stretch. Keeneland has a short stretch when you run a mile there. Gulfstream has a bit of a shorter stretch. There was a shorter stretch the other night at Prairie Meadows and Del Mar doesn't have a long stretch. Those are things we've picked up on over the last year that seem to benefit him.”

Read more at the Thoroughbred Daily News.

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Knicks Go Dominates Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap

After two consecutive fourth-place finishes, Korea Racing Authority's Knicks Go regained his winning ways on Friday night at Prairie Meadows in Altoona, Iowa, crushing his five rivals with a 10 1/4-length front-end score under Joel Rosario in the Grade 3, $300,000 Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap.

Last Judgment, who tried to keep up with Knicks Go in the early stages of the race, held second, with 8-year-old veteran Rated R Superstar a half-length back in third. Tenfold finished fourth, Dinar fifth and Modernist trailed the field. Drifting West was scratched.

Sent off as the 3-5 favorite, Knicks Go paid $3.20 to win after running the 1 1/8 miles on a fast track in 1:47.33. He set fractional times of :23.33, :47.02, 1:10.77 and 1:35.06. Knicks Go is trained by 2020 Eclipse Award winner Brad Cox. He was bred in Maryland by Angie Moore.

Under the handicap conditions of the Cornhusker, Knicks Go carried 126 pounds, conceding six pounds to the runner-up and 10 pounds to Rated R Superstar.

Rosario sat motionless on Knicks Go for most of the Cornhusker and the 5-year-old son of Payner was geared down even further approaching the wire.

A G1 winner of the Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland in 2018, Knicks Go went winless in his next 10 starts until returning to the winner's circle after a February 2020 allowance race at Oaklawn Park. That began a four-race win streak culminating in victories in the G1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile in November and G1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational in January.

But Knicks Go tired to be fourth in the Group 1 Saudi Cup in Saudi Arabia, run less than a month after the Pegasus, then set the pace and wound up fourth again in the G1 Metropolitan Mile Handicap on June 5.

The Cornhusker was Knicks Go's seventh career win from 21 lifetime starts.

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Knicks Go Headed to Saudi Cup; DWC Possible

Coming off a dominant win in the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational, Knicks Go (Paynter) is scheduled to make his next start in the $20 million Saudi Cup on Feb. 20 in Riyadh.

“As long as he breezes well this weekend, we're going to the Saudi Cup,” trainer Brad Cox said. “We plan to ship him out Monday [Feb. 8].”

Cox said the decision became easier when it became clear that Knicks Go came out of the Pegasus in perfect shape.

“The owners [the Korea Racing Authority] would like to go to the Saudi Cup and they've made that clear. I looked for a reason not to run him back in four weeks and he's given me no indication that would not be a good idea. That's why I've said I want to see him breeze one more time before we put him on a plane. He really rebounded from the Pegasus in great shape and in good order. He's not giving me any reason to not run him, so we're going to press forward.”

In Saudi Arabia, Knicks Go may be going up against the only horse in training that could possibly beat him. Charlatan (Speightstown) is being pointed to the race for trainer Bob Baffert and is coming off a dazzling win in the GI Runhappy Malibu S.

“It will be a good match-up between those two,” Cox said. “Our horse does have to make the adjustment back to one turn and we don't know how he will handle that. I do like that he handled not having any Lasix at Gulfstream just fine. That's a positive and one thing we have going for us. He's in great form right now and, hopefully, we can keep him that way.”

With explosive early speed, Charlatan and Knicks Go have the same running style, which could cause a problem for both.

“Sure, that is a possibility,” Cox said when asked about the potential of a speed duel. “It will be up to the jockeys. Once the post positions are drawn, we'll have to handicap the race and we will know more after that.”

Joel Rosario will ride Knicks Go in the Saudi Cup and Mike Smith has the mount on Charlatan.

While some may believe running in both the Saudi Cup and the Mar. 27 Dubai World Cup may be asking too much of a horse, Cox said the $12 million race at a mile-and-a-quarter is also a target.

“Dubai is definitely under consideration,” he said. “The team that we have shipping over to Saudi Arabia has been told to pack enough clothes for several weeks. As long as he runs well in Saudi Arabia and comes out of it in good order, we will turn our attention to Dubai.”

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