By Alan Carasso
Less than 48 hours after Team Godolphin celebrated Horse of the Year success, among other plaudits, at the Eclipse Awards ceremonies in nearby Palm Beach, 'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard Knightsbridge (Nyquist) kept the good times rolling, as he contested a hot pace outside of his less-experienced chief market rival Life and Times (Justify), got the better of that duel turning for home and kicked on gamely to take out Saturday's GIII Fred W. Hooper Stakes at Gulfstream Park.
Favored at 4-5 off a maiden success at the graded level in the seven-furlong GIII Mr. Prospector Stakes last time, the May foal bounced away alertly from gate six and argued the pace from the outside, as the rail-drawn Life and Times–big-figure winner of each of his two career starts to date–showed the way through an opening quarter mile in :23.64 down the chute and the duo were well and truly after one anonther after four furlongs in :45.25.
Going nicely in hand on the turn, Knightsbridge nosed in front under a hold at the five-sixteenths, opened a winning margin and held sway to the wire, as 26-1 Back Em Up (Take Charge Indy) spiced up the exotics. Life and Times managed to hold on for third.
“Our horse was on his game today,” said Bill Mott, who won his fifth Eclipse Award Thursday evening. “He's had his third race in this cycle and finally up to showing what we thought he could do. He's showed signs of that before. Some of his races have been very easy wins, but today was against the better field and he drew away from them pretty handily.”
Mott indicated that the GIII Gulfstream Park Mile on Feb. 28 could be next for his charge.
Named a 'Rising Star' when demolishing Churchill maidens by better than 10 lengths in November 2023, Knightsbridge took a course-and-distance allowance by nine lengths the following March, but was not seen again until that October, when he dead-heated for third in the GIII Perryville Stakes at Keeneland. Runner-up in a mile allowance here last Feb. 15, the dark bay resumed from a nine-month absence to take a muddy Aqueduct allowance Nov. 22 before romping in the Mr. P. last time.
Pedigree Notes:
Knightsbridge is one of 22 horses to strike at the graded level for his sire, and the cross over Bernardini has been a particularly potent one, resulting in top-level scorers champion Immersive, 'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard Nysos and Gretzky the Great. Godolphin's 2024 GIII Stonestreet Lexington Stakes hero Encino is also bred on the same cross.
A half-brother to Grade I winner Speaker's Corner (Street Sense)–himself a winner of the Gulfstream Park Mile–Knightsbridge is out of an unraced daughter of $5.75-million Fasig-Tipton November acquisition Round Pond, who won the 2006 GI Breeders' Cup Distaff the same day the aforementioned Street Sense took out the Juvenile. Tyburn Brook is therefore a half-sister to GISW Highland Falls (Curlin), former UAE Group 1 winner Long River (A.P. Indy) and SW & GSP Lake Lucerne (Dubawi {Ire}). This is also the family of G1 Irish 2000 Guineas winner Black Minnaloushe.
Tyburn Brook is also the dam of the 3-year-old filly Lady Brompton (Street Sense) and a yearling full-brother to Speaker's Corner. She is due to produce a full-sibling to Knightsbridge in 2026.
Saturday, Gulfstream Park
FRED W. HOOPER S. PRESENTED BY VISIT LAUDERDALE-GIII, $150,000, Gulfstream, 1-24, 4yo/up, 1m, 1:35.12, ft.
1–KNIGHTSBRIDGE, 124, h, 5, by Nyquist
1st Dam: Tyburn Brook, by Bernardini
2nd Dam: Round Pond, by Awesome Again
3rd Dam: Gift of Dance, by Trempolino
'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard. O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-William I. Mott; J-Junior Alvarado. $90,210. Lifetime Record: 7-5-1-1, $379,755. *1/2 to Speaker's Corner (Street Sense), GISW, $739,963. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus* Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Back Em Up, 118, g, 4, Take Charge Indy–Archer City, by Silver City. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($37,000 RNA Wlg '22 KEENOV; $65,000 Ylg '23 KEESEP; $32,000 2yo '24 OBSMAR). O-Keough and Meaney, LLC and TCC Stables, LLC; B-Chris & Mackenzie Johnson (KY); T-Bobby S. Dibona. $29,100.
3–Life and Times, 118, g, 5, Justify–Silky Serenade, by Unbridled's Song. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. O-Michael B. Tabor; B-Chelston (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. $14,550.
Margins: 4 3/4, 3HF, 1. Odds: 0.80, 26.70, 1.70.
Also Ran: Racing Driver, Tour Player, Steal Sunshine, Catalytic, Nelson Avenue. Scratched: Con Compania (Chi).
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
#6 KNIGHTSBRIDGE ($3.60) had plenty left late after an all out battle with Life and Times from the start to win the $175,000 Fred W. Hooper (G3) at @GulfstreamPark. The son of Nyquist (@DarleyAmerica) was ridden by @JuniorandKellyA, trained by Bill Mott, and owned by @godolphin. pic.twitter.com/lJJYndSS21
— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) January 24, 2026
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
