Windfields Farm’s former leading Canadian sire Ascot Knight has been retired from stud duties due to declining health after 19 seasons at stud, and will be pensioned at the farm. The 24 year-old son of Danzig (Bambee T.T. by Better Bee) has sired 32 stakes winners and earners of more than $28 million, including champion Pennyhill Park [G2] ($694,569), Italian Derby [G1] winner Bahamian Knight, Canadian Oaks [G1C] winner Plenty of Sugar ($781,765), Breeders’ S. [G1C] winner Pinafore Park ($416,064) and additional graded SWs Influent [G1] ($956,601), Hey Hazel [G2] ($874,238), Ascot Yael [G2], Reclain [G2], Cheery Knight [G2C], and Scotman [G3].
Bred in Canada by Bob Anderson, Ascot Knight was purchased by Gainsborough Farm for $1,400,000 at the 1985 Keeneland July yearling sale. He was sent to England, where he won or placed in seven of 10 starts, including a victory in the Mecca Bookmakers’ Scottish Derby and placings in four graded stakes including a second in the Matchmaker International S. [G1] before retiring to stud at Windfields for the 1989 season.
A son of leading sire and sire of sires Danzig, Ascot Knight is a full brother to champion Petit Loup, and a half-brother to champion and Canadian classic winner Bounding Away and stakes winner Overreaction, and from the immediate family of major sire Clever Trick and millionaire and multiple graded SW Tenpins.
His runners have excelled on the turf, and are showing quite an affinity for the Woodbine polytrack surface as well. He had 2007 progeny earning of more than $1.5 million, with over $1.1 million of it realized on synthetic surfaces.
He is also gaining a reputation as an exceptional broodmare sire, as evidenced by the $385,000 hammer price for his graded stakes-producing daughter Ascot Starre at the 2008 Keeneland January sale. His daughters have produced 23 stakes winners of more than $16 million US at this writing, including 2007 SWs He’s No Pie Eater [G1], Divine Park [G3], Suva [L], Pretoria Light and Molly’s Pride, and additional graded SWs Mula Gula [G2] ($684,070 US), Greeley’s Galaxy [G2] ($466,222 US), Trailthefox [G2] ($388,217 US), A La Reine [G3] ($266,400 US), and High Button Shoes [G3].
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