Red Knight Turns in Gallant Effort to Win Sycamore
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Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt
Red Knight wins the Sycamore Stakes at Keeneland
At long last, Trinity Farm's 6-year-old homebred Red Knight picked up his first graded stakes win on his 21st start Oct. 15 at Keeneland when he cut through the pack on the final turn and ran down his rivals to take the $150,000 Sycamore Stakes (G3T).
Ridden by James Graham in the 1 1/2-mile feature race, Red Knight broke a tad slow in the 10-horse field and soon found himself boxed in near the back of the pack. Postulation, ridden by Julien Leparoux, sped to the front at the break and settled on the rail.
In command by a half-length, Postulation set the pace through fractions of :24.84 and :51.08 through the opening half-mile. Aquaphobia stalked in the two path, followed closely by Big Agenda in third.
As the mile went in 1:16.04, Postulation opened his lead to 1 1/2 lengths. Still running near the back of the field, Red Knight saved ground around the first two turns.
Heading into the third and final turn, Graham maneuvered Red Knight out, cut a path between horses, and got his head in front of Postulation as they hit the top of the stretch. Postulation dropped back slightly at the furlong pole, allowing Red Knight room to pass, but refused to yield and shifted out slightly in the lane to continue his surge to the wire.
Once he was free and clear of Postulation at the furlong pole, Red Knight found his second gear and pulled even farther away from the pack. The gelding crossed the wire two lengths clear in a final time of 2:28.81 on turf rated firm.
"Mr. Graham made it a great ride and a great trip," said owner Thomas Egan of Trinity Farm. "I think the announcer said that he sifted his way through horses and changed lanes, and that was very correct. They had originally put him in a box and they wanted to keep him there."
"I saw what was happening around me," Graham said. "Manny (Franco on Ziyad (GB)) moved out around the backside. (Eons) started to come out under pressure, and I split two horses and (Red Knight) came right back on the bridle, which was great. And then he accelerated turning for home. Everything went great. He was probably two lengths further back than I wanted to be, but it worked out."
Postulation held for second by a head in a photo finish with Ziyad, who took third. North Dakota, He's No Lemon, Big Agenda, Aquaphobia, Eons, Split the Wickets, and Morning Stride completed the order of finish.
"(It was) a wonderful ride by James—a great decision on the turn to split those horses," said Kenny McCarthy, an assistant to winning trainer Bill Mott. "And then he really picked the horse up and finished strongly."
The Sycamore was only the third start of the season for Red Knight, who entered off a runner-up finish in the Sept. 12 Calumet Farm Kentucky Turf Cup Stakes (G3T) at Kentucky Downs. His previous stakes win came in 2019, when he won the Point of Entry Stakes at Belmont Park.
The connections of Red Knight in the winner's circle
Egan said he was confident that Red Knight had what it takes to pull off the victory.
"I thought he'd win," Egan said. "If he were a dog, he would be an Irish Setter. If you go to Bill Mott's barn in the afternoon when they aren't racing, there is always one horse with his head looking out at things, and that's 'Red.' The others are in their stall sleeping. He's very gregarious. He's not a sleepy horse, he's a big personality."
As for a possible next start, Egan said he will leave the planning to Mott.
"In his last race at Kentucky Downs, he finished second between Arklow and Zulu Alpha," Egan said. "At that time, Zulu Alpha was the leader of the division, and he beat him. They're both going to the Breeders' Cup, but I don't know about us. I will leave that up to the best trainer in the country.
"I would like to thank Don Brown and Chad Stewart, who are trainers. Also the veterinarian in Ocala, Dr. Clark, who rehabbed 'Red' from pneumonia last winter. I would also like to thank Bill's assistant at Belmont Park, Leanna, and Maggie Wolfendale's uncle, Rudy Wolfendale, who was his first exercise rider and did things way beyond what a normal exercise rider does."
A son of Pure Prize, Red Knight was bred in New York out of the Skip Away mare Isabel Away. He improved his record to 8-6-1 from 21 starts with $732,158 in earnings.