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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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Army Wife Marches To Iowa Oaks Victory; Stilleto Boy Tiptoes On Lead For Derby Upset

Coming off an impressive victory in the Grade 2 George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan Stakes on May 14, Army Wife invaded Prairie Meadows in Altoona, Iowa, to take Friday night's Grade 3, $225,000 Iowa Derby by 3 3/4 lengths as the even-money favorite.

The Oaks was one of two graded stakes on the night, along with the G3 Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap. The third big race of the evening was the $250,000 Iowa Derby

Trained by Mike Maker and racing for W. Kirk Wycoff's Three Diamonds Farm, Army Wife was ridden to victory by Joel Rosario, who was aboard the Declaration of War filly for the first time in the Black-Eyed Susan at Pimlico. She covered 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.10 and paid $4 to win, It was her fourth victory from nine career starts.

Shesa Mystery finished second, with 8-5 second choice Pauline's Pearl 2 1/2 lengths farther back in third and The Grass Is Blue fourth in the field of six 3-year-old fillies. Sister Annie finished fifth, with Windmill trailing the field. Oliviaofthedesert was scratched.

Rosario was content to secure a cozy spot on the rail aboard Army Wife, who raced in fourth position early and in the run down the backstretch. Sister Annie hung up fractions of :24.27, :48.18 and 1:12.06 for the first six furlongs, with Shesa Mystery putting pressure on her going into the far turn.

Sister Annie and Shesa Mystery battled for the lead on the turn for home, but Rosario had them both measured, swinging Army Wife off the rail three wide into the stretch, hitting the front nearing the eighth pole and drawing off for the victory.

In the $250,000 Iowa Derby, New York-based jockey Jose Ortiz gunned Stilleto Boy to the lead at the start and the Kentucky-bred gelding by Shackleford relaxed on the front end, repelled a challenge from Flash of Mischief around the far turn, then cruised to victory by 4 1/2 lengths.

Trained by Doug Anderson and bred by John and Iveta Kerber, the Iowa Derby winner is owned by the Kerbers, Michael Coleman, Aaron Kennedy and trainer Anderson. Stilleto Boy was winning for the second time in seven career starts, having earned his maiden diploma in his fifth start, going wire to wire at Oaklawn Park on April 17. In his most recent start, Stilleto Boy finished fourth after never getting the lead in the Prairie Mile Stakes at Prairie Meadows on June 4.

Sent off the longest shot in the field of six (following scratches of Proxy, Bourbon Thunder and Snow House), Stilleto Boy paid $35.40 for the win. He ran the 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:42.64 after setting fractions of :23.79, :47.73, 1:11.48 and 1:36.12.

“We wanted him on the front end and Jose did a fantastic job of getting him there,” said Andersen.

Flash of Mischief, who chased Stilleto Boy throughout, held second as a 12-1 outsider for trainer Karl Broberg, with Gagetown2 1/2 lengths back in third and 2-1 second choice Super Stock a neck back in fourth. Nova Rags, the 9-5 favorite, finished fifth, with Rightandjust trailing the field.

Jose Ortiz and Stilleto Boy upset the Iowa Derby

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Knicks Go Returns In Prairie Meadows’ Cornhusker Handicap

Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and Pegasus World Cup winner Knicks Go will headline this Friday's Grade 3, $300,000 Cornhusker Handicap at Prairie Meadows Racetrack in Altoona, Ia. The somewhat unusual spot for a two-time Grade 1 winner could be seen as a confidence-booster after a pair of lackluster efforts, as Knicks Go faded to fourth in both the Saudi Cup and in his stateside return earlier this month in the G1 Met Mile.

Despite his off-form record, Knicks Go has been made the even-money morning-line favorite in a field of seven expected for the 1 1/8-mile Cornhusker. Trained by Brad Cox, the 5-year-old son of Paynter will be ridden by Joel Rosario.

The second choice on the morning line at 4-1 is Last Judgement, the last-out winner of the G3 Pimlico Special for trainer Mike Maker. He won that race with a strong front-running effort, and could challenge Knicks Go for the early lead.

Should those two engage in a tiring speed duel, Bill Mott trainee Modernist may be perfectly poised to pick up the pieces. He won the G3 Excelsior at Aqueduct in April, then finished second to Last Judgement in the Pimlico Special in his most recent start.

Other classy older horses in with a chance include Rated R Superstar and Tenfold, trained by Federico Villafranco and Steve Asmussen, respectively.

The full field is as follows:

Drifting West – Joe Offolter – Walter De La Cruz
Dinar – Heath Lawrence – Alonso Quinonez
Tenfold – Asmussen – Ricardo Santana, Jr.
Last Judgement – Maker – Jose Ortiz
Knicks Go – Cox – Rosario
Rated R Superstar – Villafranco – David Cabrera
Modernist – Mott – Junior Alvarado

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Royally-Bred Pauline’s Pearl Tabbed Morning-Line Favorite For Iowa Oaks

Sired by Tapit and out of the Grade 1 winner Hot Dixie Chick, Stonestreet homebred Pauline's Pearl has been tabbed as the 2-1 morning line favorite for Friday's Grade 3, $250,000 Iowa Oaks at Prairie Meadows Racetrack in Altoona, Ia. The 3-year-old filly, trained by Steve Asmussen, won the G3 Fantasy Stakes at Oaklawn before finishing eighth in the G1 Kentucky Oaks.

A close second choice on the morning line at 5-2 is G2 Black-Eyed Susan winner Army Wife, trained by Mike Maker. The Declaration of War filly will break from the rail under top jockey Joel Rosario.

Winner of the listed Busanda Stakes in January, The Grass is Blue also ships west for trainer Bill Mott. The Broken Vow filly most recently finished sixth in the Black-Eyed Susan.

The full field is as follows:

Army Wife – Maker – Rosario
Pauline's Pearl – Asmussen – Ricardo Santana, Jr.
Sister Annie – Brad Cox – Florent Geroux
Shesa Mystery – Jeff Hiles – David Cabrera
The Grass Is Blue – Mott – Junior Alvarado
Oliviaofthedesert – Ken McPeek – Shane Laviolette
Windwill – Larry Jones – Alex Birzer

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