Snow Knight (28 February 1971 – 15 September 1992) was a

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racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...

and sire. As a three-year-old in 1974, he won Britain's most prestigious race, the

Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...

, then the following year earned an

Eclipse Award The Eclipse Award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th-century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. An Eclipse Award Trophy is presented to the winner in each division. The trophy is made by a few small selected A ...

as the

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Background

Snow Knight was bred by J. A. Claude Lilley, a textile manufacturer and the proprietor of Quarry Stud on Duffield Bank in Makeney,

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south a ...

. Lilley had owned and raced Pretendre, sire of the 1971

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby () is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is run by three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of . Colt (horse), Colts and geldin ...

and

Preakness Stakes The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held annually on Armed Forces Day, the third Saturday in May at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland (except in 2026 when it will move to Laurel Park (race track), Laurel Park dur ...

winner, Canonero II. Snow Knight's dam was Snow Blossom, a daughter of Flush Royal, winner of England's Great Yorkshire Stakes and the Prix Noailles in

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. His sire was the speedy runner Firestreak who had been owned by

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Neil F. Phillips, whose wife Sharon purchased Snow Knight at auction as a yearling for £5,200.

Racing career

Europe

Trained by Peter Nelson, at the age of two Snow Knight made five starts, winning two and finishing second twice. At three, in the trial races for the Derby, he finished second in the Ladbrokes Classic Trial Stakes at Sandown Park and third in the Lingfield Derby Trial. Small injuries slowed him but he would fight back. Always a fractious colt, in the paddock at

Epsom Downs Racecourse Epsom Downs is a Grade 1 racecourse in a hilly area near Epsom in Surrey, England which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. The "Downs" referred to in the name are part of the North Downs. The course has a crowd capacity of 130,000 including ...

, Snow Knight threw jockey Brian Taylor, and at the starting gate was still fighting his handlers, before Tylor famously rode him to victory that day in the 1974

Epsom Derby The Derby Stakes, more commonly known as the Derby and sometimes referred to as the Epsom Derby, is a Group races, Group 1 flat Horse racing, horse race in England open to three-year-old Colt (horse), colts and Filly, fillies. It is run at Ep ...

. Sent off at odds of 50:1, he ran in the middle of the pack until the field made the turn at

Tattenham Corner Tattenham Corner is in north Surrey, England, the name is principally associated with Epsom Racecourse. The Tattenham Corner railway station, railway station of the same name is in the Tattenhams ward of Reigate and Banstead Borough. Location ...

, when he sped to the lead and won by two lengths.

North America

In the fall of 1974, Snow Knight was sold for a reported C$1 million to Canada's leading horseman, E. P. Taylor, and sent to Taylor's

Windfields Farm Windfields Farm was a six square kilometre (1,500 acre) Thoroughbred Stud farm, horse breeding farm that was founded by businessman E. P. Taylor in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. Origin The first stable and breeding operation of E. P. Taylor o ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

. For new trainer Jim Bentley, Snow Knight made three starts at

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Woodbine Racetrack Woodbine Racetrack is a race track for Thoroughbred horse racing in the Etobicoke area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Owned by Woodbine Entertainment Group, Woodbine Racetrack manages and hosts Canada's most famous race, the King's Plate. The track ...

but performed poorly. For the 1975 racing season, Snow Knight was sent to race in the United States, where MacKenzie Miller was entrusted with his race conditioning. Miller, known for his patience, spent months working with the high-strung colt. His diligence paid off when Snow Knight won the important Manhattan Handicap and Man o' War Stakes. Sent back to Woodbine Racetrack for the prestigious Canadian International Championship, he defeated an international field on the

turf Sod is the upper layer of turf that is harvested for transplanting. Turf consists of a variable thickness of a soil medium that supports a community of turfgrasses. In British and Australian English, sod is more commonly known as ''turf'', ...

Honours and awards

On 23 January 1977, Snow Knight was elected to the Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame. He was voted

in the Eclipse Awards for 1975. Retired to

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duty at Windfields Farm, in 1986 Snow Knight was sent to stand in

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and Died on 15 September 1992. Although he met with limited success as a sire, Snow Knight did sire the outstanding racemare Awaasif who won the Yorkshire Oaks and the Gran Premio del Jockey Club and finished third in the 1982 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

Pedigree

References

* Reeves, Richard Stone, Bowen, Edward L. ''Belmont Park: A Century of Champions'' (Snow Knight section) (2005)

Eclipse Press Blood-Horse Publications is an American multimedia publishing house focused on horse-related magazines headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky. It began in 1916 through its flagship magazine, ''The Blood-Horse''. From 1961 to 2015, Blood-Horse Public ...

{{Epsom Derby Winners 1971 racehorse births 1992 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Eclipse Award winners Thoroughbred family 6-e Racehorses trained in Canada Racehorses trained in the United States Epsom Derby winners