Award winner Knicks Go aiming to emulate Gun Runner and Arrogate in $3m Pegasus

Breeders' Cup winner Knicks Go will bid to add another big race to his CV on Saturday in the Pegasus World Cup, with connections buoyed on the eve of the $3 million contest by the five-year-old being named Top Midlantic-bred of 2020.

Knicks Go, who won the Dirt Mile at Keeneland in November in track record time, earned the honour in polling conducted by publications Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred and The Racing Biz.

In the poll, he was followed by Grade 3 Pimlico Special Stakes winner Harpers First Ride, 2019 Top Midlantic-bred winner Sharing, who won the 2020 Grade 2 Edgewood Stakes, and Field Pass, who won three Grade 3 races last year, as Maryland-breds took the top four spots and seven of ten overall.

Knicks Go is by Paynter and out of the Outflanker mare Kosmo's Buddy, and was bred in Maryland by Angie Moore.

"Never in my wildest dreams did I think we would get a horse like this so soon," said Moore's daughter Sabrina. "I'm really happy that he could send everybody on a ride, not just us. A big horse for Maryland is really cool."

"He's very fast," said Brad Cox, who trains Knicks Go for owners Korea Racing Authority. "He's a very aggressive horse; he loves to train. He's just very classy."

British and Irish bookmakers make Knicks Go general 6-4 favourite to win the Pegasus and follow in the illustrious footsteps of past winners Gun Runner, Arrogate, City Of Light and Mucho Gusto. Fellow Maryland-bred Harpers First Ride is one of his 11 rivals and rates a 16-1 shot.

There will be a limited crowd in attendance at Gulfstream, with the undercard featuring the $1m turf version of the Pegasus, in which the Todd Pletcher-trained duo Colonel Liam and Largent are vying for favouritism with British and Irish bookmakers at around the 9-2 mark alongside the Peter Miller-trained Anothertwistafate.

The card also features the debut of Triple Crown hero Justify's half-brother Stage Raider, who runs in a maiden special weight for Chad Brown and owner-breeders John and Tanya Gunther.

Stage Raider is by Pioneerof The Nile, whereas Justify, who was with Bob Baffert, is by Scat Daddy.

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