Promising 3-Year-Old Knightsbridge Scores By Nine Lengths In Gulfstream Allowance

Godolphin’s Knightsbridge ($2.20) made a dazzling return Thursday at Gulfstream Park, scoring a nine-length victory in his first start since capturing his debut by 10 ½ lengths Nov. 4 at Churchill Downs.

“He’s been off a while. His first race was good. This race was good,” Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott said. “He had a couple of setbacks trying to get ready. Maybe we would have preferred to be ready a month ago or sooner, but this is the way it worked out. Fortunately, we were able to get the race here. I’m grateful that the race filled and we were able to get the race in him.”

While the undefeated 3-year-old son of Nyquist got started too late to make the May 4 Kentucky Derby (G1), he could turn up next in the Pat Day Mile (G2) at Churchill Downs on the undercard of the first leg of the Triple Crown.

“When he broke his maiden, I said, ‘Well I think I’d like to run him in the Pat Day Mile next on Derby Day’…. that’s what I was looking at before the race,” said Mott, noting that a decision would be made following discussions with the Godolphin team.

Knightsbridge broke alertly from his outside post position to lead the way along the backstretch, pressed to his inside by Turn Up the Trees into the far turn. After setting solid fractions of 23.40 and 45.40 seconds for the first half-mile of the one-turn optional claiming allowance in Race 6, he was joined by Sea Streak, who pulled up alongside the pacesetter as Turn Up the Trees backed off. After straightening into the stretch, Knightsbridge asserted his class and drew off under a motionless Junior Alvarado.

Knightsbridge ran a mile over fast main track in 1:37.75 under Alvarado, who delayed his trip to Dubai for his riding engagement aboard Senor Buscador in Saturday’s $12 million Dubai World Cup (G1) in order to ride the talented Mott trainee. Sea Streak, the 4-1 second choice in a five-horse field, held second under Jose Ortiz, 13 lengths clear of Speed Control.

The Mott trainee is Triple Crown-nominated.

“We had a little of this and a little of that – just the stuff you go through when you come to Florida. Who knows? Maybe, it’s all for the better,” Mott said. “We nominated for the Triple Crown, but I didn’t feel like we had enough momentum to think about it.”