{{Infobox racehorse
, horsename = Cloudy's Knight
, image = Breeders_Cup_2009_006_(4107815695).jpg
, caption = Cloudy's Knight (#4) in the 2009 Breeders' Cup Marathon
, sire =
Lord Avie
Lord Avie (April 25, 1978 – December 28, 2012) was an American thoroughbred champion racehorse.
Background
A descendant of the great Nearco through his sire Lord Gaylord, his dam, Avie, was a daughter of U.S. Racing Hall of Fame induct ...
, grandsire = Lord Gaylord
, dam = Cloudy Spot
, damsire = Solar City
, sex =
Gelding
A gelding is a castration, castrated male horse or other equine, such as a pony, donkey or a mule. Castration, as well as the elimination of hormonally driven horse behavior, behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male equine to be calmer a ...
, foaled = May 2, 2000
, country = United States
, colour =
Chestnut
The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce.
The unrelate ...
James McMullen
James McMullen (November 29, 1833 – March 18, 1913) was a Canadian politician.
Born in County Monaghan, Ireland, the second son of Archibald McMullen and Mary Moorehead, he emigrated to Canada West with his family in 1846 setting near ...
Jonathan E. Sheppard
Jonathan E. Sheppard (born December 2, 1940 in Ashwell, Hertfordshire, England) is an English Hall of Fame trainer in American Thoroughbred horse racing.
Sheppard came to the United States in 1961 and in 1966 won his first race with Haffaday in ...
, record = 41: 14-9-4
, earnings =
US$
The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
Sky Classic Stakes
The Sky Classic Stakes is a Grade II Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Raced in mid to late August on turf over a distance of miles (10 furlongs), it is open to horses three years of age ...
(2007)
Canadian International Stakes
The Canadian International Stakes is a Grade I stakes race for thoroughbred racehorses three years of age and up on Turf. It is held annually in October at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The current purse is
Since its creation i ...
Kentucky Cup Turf Stakes
The Kentucky Turf Cup is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for three years olds and older, over a distance of miles on the turf held annually in September at Kentucky Downs racetrack in Franklin, Kentucky during their short turf meeti ...
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virgini ...
) is an American
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are ...
racehorse
Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, 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 basic ...
.
Out of Northern Dancer's granddaughter Cloudy Spot, he was sired by the 1980
American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt The American Champion Two-Year-Old Male Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually in Thoroughbred flat racing. It became part of the Eclipse Awards program in 1971.
The award originated in 1936 when the ''Daily Racing F ...
,
Lord Avie
Lord Avie (April 25, 1978 – December 28, 2012) was an American thoroughbred champion racehorse.
Background
A descendant of the great Nearco through his sire Lord Gaylord, his dam, Avie, was a daughter of U.S. Racing Hall of Fame induct ...
. The horse has been successful racing on both synthetic dirt and
turf
Sod, also known as turf, is the upper layer of soil with the grass growing on it that is often harvested into rolls.
In Australian and British English, sod is more commonly known as ''turf'', and the word "sod" is limited mainly to agricultu ...
.
In 2007, under trainer Frank Kirby, ridden by Ramsey Zimmerman, Cloudy's Knight won the richest and most important race of his career, the $2 million
Grade 1
First grade (also called Grade One, called '' Year 2'' in England or Primary 2 in Scotland) is the first grade in elementary school and the first school year after kindergarten. Children are usually 6–7 years old in this grade.
Examples b ...
Canadian International Stakes
The Canadian International Stakes is a Grade I stakes race for thoroughbred racehorses three years of age and up on Turf. It is held annually in October at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The current purse is
Since its creation i ...
at
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 ...
in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...
This win combined with his victory in Woodbine's G2
Sky Classic Stakes
The Sky Classic Stakes is a Grade II Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Raced in mid to late August on turf over a distance of miles (10 furlongs), it is open to horses three years of age ...
, contributed to his being voted Canada's
Sovereign Award for Champion Male Turf Horse The Canadian Champion Male Turf Horse is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse racing honour that is part of the Sovereign Awards program awarded annually to the top male Thoroughbred turf horse competing in Canada. Created in 1975 by the Jockey Club ...
.
In 2009, following a year-long layoff as a result of a serious
tendon
A tendon or sinew is a tough, high-tensile-strength band of dense fibrous connective tissue that connects muscle to bone. It is able to transmit the mechanical forces of muscle contraction to the skeletal system without sacrificing its ability ...
injury, the nine-year-old
gelding
A gelding is a castration, castrated male horse or other equine, such as a pony, donkey or a mule. Castration, as well as the elimination of hormonally driven horse behavior, behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male equine to be calmer a ...
came back to another highly successful campaign for trainer
Jonathan Sheppard
Jonathan E. Sheppard (born December 2, 1940 in Ashwell, Hertfordshire, England) is an English Hall of Fame trainer in American Thoroughbred horse racing.
Sheppard came to the United States in 1961 and in 1966 won his first race with Haffaday in a ...
. Under
Champion
A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, ...
jockey
Rosemary Homeister, Jr.
Rosemary Homeister Jr. (born July 5, 1972) is a retired American jockey in Thoroughbred racing.
Background
Both of Homeister's parents were jockeys, and as a result she grew up riding horses. Her mother is now a horse trainer at the Calder Ra ...
, Cloudy's Knight raised his career earnings to more than $2.4 million with wins in the
Kentucky Cup Turf Stakes
The Kentucky Turf Cup is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for three years olds and older, over a distance of miles on the turf held annually in September at Kentucky Downs racetrack in Franklin, Kentucky during their short turf meeti ...
br> and Sycamore Stakesbr> at tracks in Kentucky, a second by a nose in the mile and three-quarter
Breeders' Cup Marathon
The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Stakes, is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds and up, and contested on dirt at usually at a distance of miles. The race has a purse of US$350,000. It is run as part of the undercar ...
at
Santa Anita Park
Santa Anita Park is a Thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent horse racing events in the United States during early fall, winter and in spring. The track is home to numerous prestigious races ...
br> and on December 6, he won in the mile and three-quarter Valedictory Stakes at Woodbine In his final race in the year 2009, the 9-year-old took the W. L. McKnight Handicap from Presious Passion, who had won the race in 2007 & 2008.