Knicks Go blitzes the field to win Grade 1 Whitney

Trainer Brad Cox had his doubts about whether Knicks Go, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, might be ready to step up to the mile-and-a-quarter Classic at Del Mar on Nov. 6. Those doubts were eased with a dazzling front-running victory in the Grade 1, $1 million Whitney Stakes on Saturday at Saratoga Race Course.

Knicks Go easily shook off an early challenge from the filly Swiss Skydiver, maintained command as he led an ultra-talented field of five down the backside and then spurted away to a commanding 4 1/2-length victory against Maxfield under a strong hand ride from Joel Rosario.

Maxfield absorbed only his second defeat in nine career starts. Silver State, who had won six consecutive starts in a streak that culminated in the Met Mile, was another 1 3/4-lengths back in third. Swiss Skydiver and By My Standards completed the order of finish.

Knicks Go blazed the mile and an eighth in 1:47.70. The scintillating performance led Cox to abandon his usual caution and declare the gray-roan son of Paynter to be the best horse in the country.

“I think right now he is. I think he ran against the best group of horses assembled to this point around two turns and he performed extremely well,” Cox said. “This group of horses today, all five are very accomplished, nice horses. They are all Breeders’ Cup contenders, and I’m sure they’ll make their presence felt on Breeders’ Cup Day.”

Much can happen between now and the journey to the West Coast for the Breeders’ Cup, but Cox said he will “probably” opt for the Classic.

Ken McPeek, who trains Swiss Skydiver, knew his star filly did not have a chance once Knicks Go really got going. “He’s a freak,” McPeek said. “My goodness, as fast as he went early and kept going, tip of the hat.”

The wow performance in the 94th edition of the Whitney secured an automatic berth in the $6 million Classic for Knicks Go, owned by the Korea Racing Authority.

“We’ll come up with a plan and end up at Del Mar somehow, the Dirt Mile or the Classic,” Cox said. ‘There’s a big difference in the purses, obviously. The Classic would be the first choice, but we’ll let the dust settle and see how things go.”

Knicks Go dominated the $1 million Dirt Mile by 3 ½ lengths last November at Keeneland in providing Cox with one of his four Breeders’ Cup winners.

In the 94th edition of the Whitney, Knicks Go laid down an opening quarter of 23.42 seconds and settled into a comfortable rhythm that allowed for an opening half-mile in 46.76 seconds and three-quarters in 1:10.32.

“He loved what he was doing,” Rosario said. “He was very relaxed.”

Cox is undecided about what race he might use as a Breeders’ Cup prep. “We’ll come up with something between now and then and see what happens,” he said. “It’s going to be timing thing, not necessarily a graded thing or a purse thing. Just something to get a run into him between now and then.”

Trainer Brendan Walsh said of his runner-up: “He ran his race. No excuse, really. I think the best horse won on the day.”

Swiss Skydiver had not raced since April 17, when she weakened to be third behind Letruska and Monomoy Girl. She had lost time to a fever and then an outbreak of equine herpesvirus in her barn. McPeek was not discouraged when he filly came up empty in the late stages of the Whitney.

“She needed a good deep one and that’s what we got,” he said. “Expectation to win today wasn’t that high so much as we got to get her going again.”