Report: Grade 1 winner Red Knight is retired at age 9

Red Knight, who won the Grade 1 Man o' War at Belmont Park in May, has been retired.

The 9-year-old will take up residence at Old Friends Farm in Georgetown, Ky. according to a report from BloodHorse. Red Knight retired with a 38: 12-9-2 record and $1,886,338 in earnings.

The New York-bred son of Pure Prize, a homebred for Tom Egan's Trinity Farm, began his racing career for trainer Bill Mott as a 3-year-old in 2017. He broke his maiden at second asking and strung together two allowance wins after that. After two more allowance wins as a 4-year-old, he broke through in stakes company when he won the two-mile H. Allen Jerkens at Gulfstream in December of that year.

Red Knight continued to be a solid long-distance turf performer for Mott over the next three years. He broke through at the graded level at age 6 in the 2020 Sycamore (G3), which he won by two lengths over Postulation. His best finish in 2021 came when he was second in the Louisville (G3), a length behind Arklow. However, after going winless in five starts that year, he was laid off from August 2021 through July 2022.

After that 11-month break Red Knight, still owned by Trinity Farm, resurfaced for trainer Mike Maker. He came back as good as ever at age 8, winning the Colonial Cup in his first start back and following up with a victory in the Kentucky Turf Cup (G2).

As a 9-year-old, he got his season off to a sharp start with a one-length win over Value Engineering in the William L. McKnight (G3). He missed by only a head to Verstappen in the Elkhorn (G2) at Keeneland next out, then achieved his signature win at Belmont, when he won the Man o' War by 1 1/2 lengths over Soldier Rising. The Man o' War was Red Knight's final win. In four more starts he finished in the money once more, when he was third behind stablemate Therapist in the United Nations (G1).