IN their advertisement in The Irish Field Directory 2022, Airlie Stud stated that horses bred or raised there “have been winning the world over in 2021”.

The list included the Group 2 Celebration Mile winner Lavender’s Blue, Group 2 Brisbane Cup winner Knights Order, Group 3 winners Summerghand and Lismore, stakes winner Meu Amor, and the blacktype-placed runners Fifty Stars, Valeria Messalina, Marie’s Diamond, Red Lark and Quarantine Dream. That was just their 2021 form – you will know, for example, that Fifty Stars is a Group 1 winner and now standing his first season at Sunnyhill Stud.

The record for 2022 has been given a great boost as Knights Order, or Knight Errant when he ran in England, last weekend won the Group 1 Sydney Cup at Randwick. The son of So You Think (High Chaparral) was bred in partnership by Airlie Stud and Sonia Rogers, and it took a private deal at Goffs to get him sold as a newly turned yearling for €5,000.

Eight months later he sold to William Jarvis for only 6,000gns, won for times in his care, and was bought to race in Australia by Susie McKeever on behalf of Gai Waterhouse for 250,000gns.

Checking back on my report on the sale in Newmarket, at which Knight Errant was among the top 10 lots sold, I found the following post-sale quote from Susie.

She said: “Gai has been such a supporter of this sale, and we have usually managed to buy one or two for her here, and they have gone on well. We bought The Offer here and he went on to win the Sydney Cup.” Well, now Susie has done it again. The weekend success for Knight Errant means that he has won some £900,000 for connections.

Reacquired

Lamanka Lass, the dam of Knight Errant, was bred by Airlie Stud in the USA. A daughter of Woodman (Mr Prospector), she sold as a yearling for 230,000gns and won a mile maiden at Nottingham when in the care of Henry Cecil. Sixteen years later she was reacquired for the Airlie broodmare band at just €17,000, and she foaled Knight Errant, her eleventh and final foal, at the age of 20.

Perhaps his sale price as a young horse was affected by a bias that exists among some buyers against progeny of old mares. How wrong they were on this occasion. All of Lamanka Lass’ offspring won, nine won and the others were placed. In addition to Group 1, she is dam of the Grade 2 Oak Tree Derby winner Dark Islander (Singspiel).

Knight Errant, or Knights Order as we should now call him, is the ninth Group 1 winner sired by So You Think. Like a good wine, he is getting better with age.