Spotlighting: Horn Knee Sal
In continuing the feature of the Spotlight series where I have been focusing on different horses of the game, I wasn’t sure where I would be heading next. So I decided to look at Seattle Slew as an available horse for breeding. After pulling up Seattle Slew, there is five years of history out there so I decided to scan each list. Then the idea struck me…I would cover the horse that had the most wins.
After scanning the lists, the horse that stuck out by far was one by the name of Horn Knee Sal. I wasn’t around when the game began many years back and the breeder is denoted as the CPU. I recall that the game originally bred horses for players and that there may have been a bidding process or some sort of draft process to pick up horses back in the day. In any event, I’m not able to confirm the original breeding for this fine Seattle Slew x Sadler’s Well x Believe it horse.
Horn Knee Sal won an incredible 35 races in 66 starts throughout his racing career. One item I find most interesting from a horse that won 53% of his races is that he finished second five times and third only once. A lifetime winner of over $5.2 million, this victorious horse began his racing career on May 13, 2000.
Trainer Chas owned this superstar throughout his racing career. On that pleasant sunny day, Horn Knee Sal would run in a maiden event going five furlongs. As the co-favorite at 3-2 with Carnival Kid, Horn Knee Sal would follow this one and lunge to the front to win by over a length, breaking his maiden first time out with a speed of 83.
Horn Knee Sal would quickly be moved up into the stakes level and run in the 7f Ferdinand Stakes. Sent off as the 5-2 favorite, he would not disappoint as he drew off by just over 2 lengths to win the event and would later be the only graded stakes winner to race in this field.
By the end of June, the George’s Futurity would become his first grade level race contested at a distance of 6.5 furlongs. The field would become congested at the head of the stretch and as the 3-1 favorite, Horn Knee Sal would suffer his first defeat, finishing second.
In August 2000, Horn Knee Sal would make his one and only grass appearance in the non-graded Darby Boss Stakes. Bettors loved his chances, sending him off at 8-5. But the turf was not his thing as he finished 6th, 11 strides back, recording his lowest career speed in a non-injury related race of 63.
In early September, he would return to the dirt in the G2 Deleware Challenge, making his seventh race in just under four months as two year old. Falling well back by the halfway marker, Horn Knee Sal was eased up and finished ninth in a field of ten, some thirty plus strides back, suffering his first injury. This may have been related to the youngster racing too aggressively early on.
After a three month layoff, he would return to race in early December, going 6.5 furlongs. Horn Knee Sal would finish a mid-field sixth returning in an allowance race. Three weeks later, he would go a mile for the first time and showed signs of returning to his prior form with a second place finish.
Kicking off the 2001 campaign, Horn Knee Sal would run on an off-track for the first time against a short allowance field. The chalk choice at 1-5, he ran away with the win by six strides, which led to his return to the stakes level.
Horn Knee Sal would continue to have an aggressive racing agenda, and in the month of March, would compete in three non-grade stakes, winning two, finishing third in another. From April, 2001 through June, 2001, this horse would run in five stake races, distances varying from 8.5 furlongs up to 12 furlongs, and winning each and every one of them. Speeds of 100 and up would be struck three times and in the 12f New York NIT, Horn Knee Sal would blow the field away by fifteen lengths, which was the biggest victory of his career.
In July, a return to the graded level came his way, and a poor outing in the Hoover Handicap (G3) saw a speed drop to 84. Concerning as this might be, in late July an entry into the 9.5, G2 Clerk of Scales had Horn Knee Sal as the second choice at 3-1. This would be his break through race as stalked the field and bullied his way to the front, winning by ¾ of a length, winning his first grade level race.
And good racing luck would continue a wins would come in the G1 Eddie Haskel (10f) and Rematch (12f) and favorite in both events. Both races were a week apart in August 2001 and would result in winning three consecutive grade level races.
Ironically, this would be the last win at this level for quite some time. After three failed grade level attempts, and picking up 13 wins in low-end stake level races, Horn Knee Sal would consistently strike speeds of 100 or more. In January, 2002, he would suffer another injury, paralyzing him for a good month and a half. Bouncing back is what he did and in September 2002, in the Valoric Stakes, Horn Knee Sal would record a stunning 122 speed, a career best. That is, until October 10, 2002.
With a five race win streak, and coming off that charming 122 speed, Horn Knee Sal would return to graded competition and entered into the prestigious Breeders Bowl for the first time, competing in the 10f Classic. In a field that today shows all entrants as G1 winners, this route runner would be the second choice of bettors at 5-1. Horn Knee Sal did not disappoint on this day, pulling off a three length victory in a speed of 123, which would be his lifetime best and winning this race, the biggest achievement of his career.
It wasn’t until 2003 when he would race with graded competition again, and through March, 2003, he would finish well back in two tries at this high level. A win in the Teddy’s Toy (11f) with a speed of 106 brought him into the June running of the G3 Peach State Classic (10f). After a pair of poor performances in prior grade level races, bettors put their money elsewhere, allowing Horn Knee Sal to go off at 8-1. Many would later regret overlooking this champ as he rallied hard to win with a speed of 111, putting away the field by 5 strides. This was to be his last grade win as well as the last time he would compete at this level.
A pair of stake wins would follow with the last coming on October 4, 2003. As the even money favorite in the King of Tfar Special (14f) he would draw off by a dozen strides by the third call, and coast home to win by three and a speed of 110, the final time he would achieve a speed north of 100.
The win would be the final of his career as Horn Knee Sal would not be any closer than 10 strides behind the winner in his next six races, failing to hit the board in any of the events. After watching the speeds rapidly dimish to 81 in an allowance race on May 1, 2004, trainer Chas would finally retire this remarkable horse, wrapping up a career that lasted four years. Some may say that he could have ran longer if he had more rest between races. Probably a true statement. By my count, 32 of the 35 wins came from the stake levels, which is a very difficult feat to accomplish.
RETIREMENT
As a male, Horn Knee Sal could only be used once as a game-dam. One male was produce, aptly named Horn Knee Sal II, who hit the track on June 19, 2004. It would take the son 7 races before he broke his maiden. By March, 2005, Horn Knee Sal II would gain his first stakes win in the Mammoth Limo. Following in the footsteps of his game dam, he would become a grade winner by taking the Mountainous Derby (G2,, 9f) in August of 2005. This would be his only grade level win for owner Chas and the horse has not raced since 2007.