Red Knight comes back running off extended vacation to win Colonial Cup

No races in 11 months? No problem. Red Knight returned from a long layoff in a long race, the 1 1/2-mile Colonial Cup, and won it like breaking sticks.

Caught four paths wide with no cover around the last of three turns, Red Knight never wavered through the homestretch run, beating Another Mystery to the wire by 1 1/2 lengths. Another Mystery, making a three-wide move around the turn, won a photo finish for second over Snap Decision, an Eclipse Award finalist for champion steeplechaser of 2021.

Red Knight, 8, was making his first start since being transferred from Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott to trainer Mike Maker, who readied Red Knight at Keeneland for his first start since last Aug. 25. A solid 1 1/2-mile graded-stakes turf horse at his peak, Red Knight went winless as a clearly diminished runner during 2021, but he returned from his long break with a vengeance.

Under Horacio Karamanos, Red Knight saved some ground around the first two turns of the three-turn Colonial Cup, but Karamanos took his mount wide before the half-mile pole and was caught uncovered while at least four paths off the fence on the final bend. Didn’t matter, as 3-2 favorite Cellist, who had pressed what looked like a moderate tempo, began struggling at the quarter pole, Another Mystery surged and briefly took the lead, but Red Knight was going much better and drew clear to the finish.

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The Colonial timer malfunctioned and no final time was immediately available.

Red Knight, a New York homebred owned by Trinity Farm, paid $11.60. The gelding is by Pure Prize out of Isabel Away, by Skip Away.

Before the first turn, Nathan Detroit clipped heels with Bakers Bay, who was right in front of him, and stumbled, which led to jockey William Humphrey losing his irons and falling. Nathan Detroit kept on riderless and eventually was caught by an outrider. Humphrey walked off the course before the field came around again. Another Mystery had to steady because of the incident while Happy Giant wound up checking hard behind the loose horse into the turn.