'He's got a great shot' - can blue-collar hero Knicks Go match racing glories?

Less than two weeks after racing for the final time, earning $585,000 of the $9,258,135 total he amassed over four years with a runner-up effort in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes, Knicks Go had already covered five mares at Taylor Made Stallions in Kentucky.

Displaying the same sharp work ethic that, joined with his speed, propelled him to honours as not only America’s 2021 Horse of the Year but also as king of the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings, Knicks Go hardly took a deep breath, switching careers as easily as he changed leads in his stretch runs.

Now well on the way to serving an initial book of around 160 mares at a fee of $30,000, the six-year-old dappled grey son of Paynter is being patronised by a mix of commercial breeders and those who breed to race, with names including some prominent American sporting leaders.