Paynter’s multiple Grade 1 winner Knicks Go couldn’t have been more impressive in the $300,000 Cornhusker H. (G3) on Friday evening at Prairie Meadows as he roared through the stretch to score by 10 1/4-lengths.
Knicks Go was never seriously threatened as he took the lead soon after the start. He maintained a one-length lead through a half-mile in :47.02, then began to pull away from the field. He was up about five lengths at the top of the stretch and doubled that gap the rest of the way.
The final time for the 1 1/8-miles was 1:47.33 on a fast track.
Knicks Go earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 113 for the win, the highest speed figure of 2021 for any horse in North America.
“The other horse (second-place finisher Last Judgment) looked like he was going to go the lead for a little bit,” winning rider Joel Rosario told Prairie Meadows TV. “When (Knicks Go) found himself in the lead, the other horse decided to ease up a little bit, so I just took it from there.”
The winner is owned by the Korea Racing Authority and has earned $4,833,995 in his stellar career that includes victories in the Breeders Cup Dirt Mile, Pegasus World Cup Inv., and the Breeders’ Futurity, all Grade 1 races.
Knicks Go is one of Paynter’s four graded winners among his 17 black-type winners. He was bred by Angie Moore. Paynter leads the 2021 Fifth-Crop sire list with $6.8 million in progeny earnings, nearly $4 million ahead of the competition.
