Happy Knight

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Happy Knight
Sire
2000 Guineas
(1946)

Happy Knight (1943 – 19 September 1963) was a British

2000 Guineas in 1946. After finishing unplaced on his only run a two-year-old in 1945, he was an emphatic winner of the 2000 Guineas on his first appearance of 1946. He ran poorly when strongly-fancied for The Derby
and never recovered his Guineas form although he won two races as a five-year-old in 1948. He made no impact at stud.

Background

Happy Knight was a "big, strong, rather coarse" bay colt with a small white

Derby Stakes. Happy Morn was a great-granddaughter of the influential broodmare Flitters, whose other female-line descendants have included Blenheim, Footstepsinthesand, Power, Westerner and Golden Lilac.[2]

The colt was sent into training with the Belgian Henri Albert Jelliss at his Beverley House stable in Newmarket, Suffolk. Jelliss had been a successful jockey, winning three classics including the 1935 Epsom Oaks on Quashed, before setting up as a trainer in 1937.[1]

Racing career

Happy Knight showed little promise as a two-year-old, finishing unplaced on his only start at Newmarket Racecourse but was highly regarded and considered a serious contender for the classics. The top-rated juvenile of the year was Lord Derby's Gulf Stream, the winner of the Gimcrack Stakes.[3]

The end of the

28/1[4] outsider in a thirteen-runner field. He won by four lengths and a head from Khaled and Radiotherapy. After the race, Happy Knight was reportedly cut from 50/1 to 3/1 favourite for The Derby. Cooke explained that he had not intended to run the horse at Epsom but had neglected to sign the form that would have cancelled his entry.[5] Despite an interrupted preparation,[6] Happy Knight was joint-favourite for the Derby with Gulf Stream on the eve of the race[7] but finished unplaced behind Airborne
.

For the 1947 season, Happy Knight was moved to George Todd's stable at Manton in Wiltshire. He failed to win that year but hon twice over sprint distances as a five-year-old in 1948.

Assessment

In their book A Century of Champions, based on a modified version of the Timeform system, John Randall and Tony Morris rated Happy Knight a "poor" winner of the 2000 Guineas.[8]

Stud record

Happy Knight was retired to stud in 1949, but made very little impact as a breeding stallion. He was euthanized on 19 September 1963.[9]

Pedigree

Pedigree of Happy Knight (GB), bay stallion, 1943[10]
Sire
Colombo (GB)
1931 		Manna (IRE)
1922 		Phalaris
Polymelus
Bromus
Waffles Buckwheat
Lady Mischief
Lady Nairne (GB)
1919 		Chaucer
St Simon
Canterbury Pilgrim
Lammermuir Sunstar
Montem
Dam
Happy Morn (GB)
1930 		D'Orsay (GB)
1920
Son-in-Law
 Dark Ronald
Mother-in-Law
My Dame Littleton
Estelle
Cicely (GB)
1919 		Cicero Cyllene
Gas
Flittervil Marcovil
Flitters (Family 1-e)[2]

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 0-354-08536-0
    .
  2. ^ a b "Prunella – Family 1-e". Thoroughbred Bloodlines.
  3. ISBN 0-85112-902-1
    .
  4. ISBN 978-1-873626-15-3
    .
  5. ^ "Happy Knight's Win". Daily Mercury. 3 May 1946.
  6. ^ "Derby Most Open Race In History". Border Watch. 1 Jun 1946.
  7. ^ "ENGLISH DERBY Big Race To-day". Kalgoorlie Miner. 5 Jun 1946.
  8. ISBN 1-901570-15-0
    .
  9. ^ The Jockey Club (1964). General Stud Book (35 ed.). London. p. 1090.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  10. ^ "Happy Knight pedigree". Equineline. 2012-05-08. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
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