knight dream
Knight Dream was bred and owned,during his racing career,by Robert Armstrong and brothers Jere and Percy Gray. He was a trotting-bred pacer by Nibble Hanover out of Lydia Knight by Peter The Brewer. Lydia Knight was a world champion double-gaited performer on a half-mile track.
At two, Knight Dream set a pair of world's records: the fastest mile by a two-year-old pacer (2:00.2) and the fastest two heats by a 2-year-old pacer (2:02.2 and 2:00.2) at Lexington's Red Mile. This lowered his own record, since he had taken the two-heat laurels by winning the Fox Stake in 2:01.2 and 2:01.3, cutting two seconds from the previous record.
As a three-year-old, Knight Dream won the fastest two heat race ever for his age on Goshen's half-mile track (2:03.1 and 2:01.3). His 1:59 mile at Lexington made him the fastest colt in 1948. Trained and driven by Frank Safford, Knight Dream retired with two-season earnings of $76,973, the highest ever for a freshman and sophomore season.
Knight Dream quickly established himself as a sire with the success of Torpid 2,1:58 ($187,358). Like his sire he became a world champion at two and three, and in 1957 a Little Brown Jug winner. That same year Torpid was named Horse of the Year. Torpid also sired a Jug winner, Vicar Hanover 3,1:59.1f ($266,323), thus making Knight Dream the first stallion to win the Jug and have a son and grandson also win it.
Knight Dream also sired the brilliant pacers Adora's Dream, Duane Hanover, Maxine's Dream, Stormy Dream, Reed's Knight, and Bobby T. Knight.
Knight Dream's contribution as a broodmare sire is also quite remarkable. He sired the dams of Best Of All, Coffee Break, Honest Story, Kat Byrd, Valiant Bret, AC's Dandy and 1968 Triple Crown winner Rum Customer. His daughter, K Nora, is considered a modern foundation mare.
Knight Dream is the maternal grandsire of Abercrombie and his blood is also found in the maternal side of some of Abercrombie's greatest sons, including Albert Albert, Artsplace and Life Sign.
Knight Dream died at Hanover Shoe Farms on March 9, 1977. He was 32.
Hanover Shoe Farms, Hanover, PA
Published in the Harness Racing Museum's 2002 Souvenir Journal