Happy Knight

Happy Knight
Sire	Colombo
Grandsire	Manna
Dam	Happy Morn
Damsire	D'Orsay
Sex	Stallion
Foaled	1943
Country	United Kingdom
Colour	Bay
Breeder	Sir William Cooke
Owner	Sir William Cooke
Trainer	Henri Jelliss George Todd
Record	16: 3-x-x
Major wins
2000 Guineas (1946)

Happy Knight (1943 – 19 September 1963) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire, best known for winning the classic 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 Epsom 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 star bred in England by his owner William Cooke, a noted huntsman and orchid grower who had established his Wyld Court Stud at Newbury, Berkshire in 1912.^[1] He was one of two classic winners sired by Colombo an outstanding two-year-old who went on to win the 2000 Guineas in 1934. Happy Knight's dam Happy Morn, had previously produced Happy Landing who finished third in the 1944 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 War meant that 1946 saw the first full season of flat racing in Britain since 1939. The winter of 1945/1946 was unusually severe and many of the leading three-year-olds were held up in their preparation for the major spring races. Happy Knight was still a maiden when he contested the 138th running of the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket Racecourse on his three-year-old debut. The race, run on 1 May, returned to its traditional Rowley Mile course after being run over the July course for the last six years. Ridden by Tommy Weston, he started a 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 Epsom 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
		Phalaris	Bromus
		Waffles	Buckwheat
		Waffles	Lady Mischief
	Lady Nairne (GB) 1919	Chaucer	St Simon
		Chaucer	Canterbury Pilgrim
		Lammermuir	Sunstar
		Lammermuir	Montem
Dam Happy Morn (GB) 1930	D'Orsay (GB) 1920	Son-in-Law	Dark Ronald
		Son-in-Law	Mother-in-Law
		My Dame	Littleton
		My Dame	Estelle
	Cicely (GB) 1919	Cicero	Cyllene
		Cicero	Gas
		Flittervil	Marcovil
		Flittervil	Flitters (Family 1-e)^[2]

References

1 2 Mortimer, Roger; Onslow, Richard; Willett, Peter (1978). Biographical Encyclopedia of British Flat Racing. Macdonald and Jane’s. ISBN 0-354-08536-0.
1 2 "Prunella - Family 1-e". Thoroughbred Bloodlines.
↑ Morris, Tony; Randall, John (1990). Horse Racing: Records, Facts, Champions (Third Edition). Guinness Publishing. ISBN 0-85112-902-1.
↑ Abelson, Edward; Tyrrel, John (1993). The Breedon Book of Horse Racing Records. Breedon Books Publishing. ISBN 978-1-873626-15-3.
↑ "Happy Knight's Win". Daily Mercury. 3 May 1946.
↑ "Derby Most Open Race In History". Border Watch. 1 Jun 1946.
↑ "ENGLISH DERBY Big Race To-day". Kalgoorlie Miner. 5 Jun 1946.
↑ Morris, Tony; Randall, John (1999). A Century of Champions. Portway Press,. ISBN 1-901570-15-0.
↑ The Jockey Club (1964). General Stud Book (35 ed.). London. p. 1090.
↑ "Happy Knight pedigree". equineline.com. 2012-05-08. Retrieved 2013-02-03.

2000 Guineas winners

1809 Wizard 1810 Hephestion 1811 Trophonius 1812 Cwrw 1813 Smolensko 1814 Olive 1815 Tigris 1816 Nectar 1817 Manfred 1818 Interpreter 1819 Antar 1820 Pindarrie 1821 Reginald 1822 Pastille ♥ 1823 Nicolo 1824 Schahriar 1825 Enamel 1826 Dervise 1827 Turcoman 1828 Cadland 1829 Patron 1830 Augustus 1831 Riddlesworth 1832 Archibald 1833 Clearwell 1834 Glencoe 1835 Ibrahim 1836 Bay Middleton 1837 Achmet 1838 Grey Momus 1839 The Corsair 1840 Crucifix ♥ 1841 Ralph 1842 Meteor 1843 Cotherstone 1844 The Ugly Buck 1845 Idas 1846 Sir Tatton Sykes 1847 Conyngham 1848 Flatcatcher 1849 Nunnykirk 1850 Pitsford 1851 Hernandez 1852 Stockwell 1853 West Australian ₩ 1854 The Hermit 1855 Lord of the Isles 1856 Fazzoletto 1857 Vedette 1858 Fitz-Roland 1859 The Promised Land 1860 The Wizard 1861 Diophantus 1862 The Marquis 1863 Macaroni 1864 General Peel 1865 Gladiateur ₩ 1866 Lord Lyon ₩ 1867 Vauban 1868 Formosa ♥ Moslem 1869 Pretender 1870 Macgregor 1871 Bothwell 1872 Prince Charlie 1873 Gang Forward 1874 Atlantic 1875 Camballo 1876 Petrarch 1877 Chamant 1878 Pilgrimage ♥ 1879 Charibert 1880 Petronel 1881 Peregrine 1882 Shotover ♥ 1883 Galliard 1884 Scot Free 1885 Paradox 1886 Ormonde ₩ 1887 Enterprise 1888 Ayrshire 1889 Enthusiast 1890 Surefoot 1891 Common ₩ 1892 Bona Vista 1893 Isinglass ₩ 1894 Ladas 1895 Kirkconnel 1896 St. Frusquin 1897 Galtee More ₩ 1898 Disraeli 1899 Flying Fox ₩ 1900 Diamond Jubilee ₩ 1901 Handicapper 1902 Sceptre 1903 Rock Sand ₩ 1904 St. Amant 1905 Vedas 1906 Gorgos 1907 Slieve Gallion 1908 Norman 1909 Minoru 1910 Neil Gow 1911 Sunstar 1912 Sweeper 1913 Louvois 1914 Kennymore 1915 Pommern ₩ 1916 Clarissimus 1917 Gay Crusader ₩ 1918 Gainsborough ₩ 1919 The Panther 1920 Tetratema 1921 Craig an Eran 1922 St Louis 1923 Ellangowan 1924 Diophon 1925 Manna 1926 Colorado 1927 Adam's Apple 1928 Flamingo 1929 Mr Jinks 1930 Diolite 1931 Cameronian 1932 Orwell 1933 Rodosto 1934 Colombo 1935 Bahram ₩ 1936 Pay Up 1937 Le Ksar 1938 Pasch 1939 Blue Peter 1940 Djebel 1941 Lambert Simnel 1942 Big Game 1943 Kingsway 1944 Garden Path ♥ 1945 Court Martial 1946 Happy Knight 1947 Tudor Minstrel 1948 My Babu 1949 Nimbus 1950 Palestine 1951 Ki Ming 1952 Thunderhead 1953 Nearula 1954 Darius 1955 Our Babu 1956 Gilles de Retz 1957 Crepello 1958 Pall Mall 1959 Taboun 1960 Martial 1961 Rockavon 1962 Privy Councillor 1963 Only for Life 1964 Baldric 1965 Niksar 1966 Kashmir 1967 Royal Palace 1968 Sir Ivor 1969 Right Tack 1970 Nijinsky ₩ 1971 Brigadier Gerard 1972 High Top 1973 Mon Fils 1974 Nonoalco 1975 Bolkonski 1976 Wollow 1977 Nebbiolo 1978 Roland Gardens 1979 Tap On Wood 1980 Known Fact 1981 To-Agori-Mou 1982 Zino 1983 Lomond 1984 El Gran Senor 1985 Shadeed 1986 Dancing Brave 1987 Don't Forget Me 1988 Doyoun 1989 Nashwan 1990 Tirol 1991 Mystiko 1992 Rodrigo de Triano 1993 Zafonic 1994 Mister Baileys 1995 Pennekamp 1996 Mark of Esteem 1997 Entrepreneur 1998 King of Kings 1999 Island Sands 2000 King's Best 2001 Golan 2002 Rock of Gibraltar 2003 Refuse to Bend 2004 Haafhd 2005 Footstepsinthesand 2006 George Washington 2007 Cockney Rebel 2008 Henrythenavigator 2009 Sea the Stars 2010 Makfi 2011 Frankel 2012 Camelot 2013 Dawn Approach 2014 Night of Thunder 2015 Gleneagles 2016 Galileo Gold

Legend - ₩ = Triple Crown Winners, ♥ = Filly

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