Grade 1 winner Red Knight arrives at Old Friends

Multiple graded-stakes-winning millionaire Red Knight has been retired to Old Friends in Georgetown, Ky.

The 9-year-old chestnut gelding arrived at the farm for his retirement on Tuesday, Nov. 7. He was donated to Old Friends courtesy of his owner, Tom Egan of Trinity Farm.

Bred by Trinity Farm, Red Knight, who is by Pure Prize out of the Skip Away mare Isabel Away, was foaled in New York on March 26, 2014.

Red Knight raced for seven years between 2017 and 2023, and seemed to get better with age, as he won some of his biggest races during his last two years on the track.

He began his racing career as a 3-year old in 2017 under the care of trainer Bill Mott. Owned his entire career by Egan, Red Knight finished second in his first start, a maiden special weight race at Belmont Park on June 18.

He followed that with three straight wins. The first two came at Belmont Park where he broke his maiden in a maiden special weight contest, and then followed that with a win in an allowance race. He then moved to Aqueduct where he won an allowance optional claiming race.

In 2014 as a 4-year old, he won his first stakes race in the H. Allen Jerkens at Gulfstream Park, where he set a course record of 3:19.87 for two miles at the track. Then, in 2020 as a 6-year old he captured his first graded-stakes win in the Sycamore (G3) at Keeneland.

In 2022 as an 8-year old, he began the year with a new trainer, Michael Maker, and went on to win some of the biggest races of his career. That year he won two stakes races, the Colonial Cup at Colonial Downs where he set a course record of 2:29.67 for 1 1/2 miles at the track, and then the Kentucky Turf Cup (G2) at Kentucky Downs.

Then, as a 9-year old in 2023, Red Knight won the William L. McKnight (G3) at Gulfstream Park. He capped things off with his biggest career triumph when he won the Man o' War (G1) at Belmont Park.

According to an NYRA news release, Red Knight became just the third 9-year old to win a Grade 1 race in New York. The previous two were John Henry, who won the 1984 Turf Classic at Belmont, and John's Call, who won the 2000 Sword Dancer and 2000 Turf Classic.

Red Knight went on to finish 2023 with four out-of-the-money finishes, the last one a sixth in the Sycamore at Keeneland on Oct. 13. Shortly after that race, Egan announced that Red Knight would be retired and sent to Old Friends.

The 9-year old gelding finished his career with a record of 12 wins, nine seconds, two thirds and $1,886,338 in 38 starts, which included seven stakes wins and nine in the money stakes finishes.

Egan contacted BloodHorse to make the announcement about Red Knight going to Old Friends. He believes that the New York-bred Red Knight will be a hit at the farm.

“He has a big personality,” Egan said. “He likes people, but he doesn't suffer fools, whether they're grooms or exercise riders.”

Egan went on to thank trainer Mike Maker, who he believes made all the difference with the horse, and helped him capture his Grade 1 win in the Man o' War Stakes in 2023.

“As I call him, he’s (Red Knight’s) a gift from above. He really is,” Egan said. “You’d never get into racing and think you’d have a horse like that.” Luckily for Egan, he did, and now Old Friends gets to enjoy the beautiful gelding every day.

“I stalked Tom Egan ever since the Saratoga meet concerning Red Knight,” said Michael Blowen, president and founder of Old Friends. “I adored Red Knight and knew that, at 9, his racing career was nearing the end. Tom was gracious enough to acknowledge my adoration and, now, his wonderful horse is here. What could be better?”