Pixie Knight

Pixie Knight made his racecourse debut in a contest for previously unraced two-year-olds over 1400 metres on firm ground at Chukyo Racecourse on 26 September. Starting the 0.7/1 favourite in an eleven-runner field he came from fifth place on the final turn to win by half a length from Air Shrub.[5] In the Shumeigiku Sho over the same distance at Hanshin Racecourse in November he started favourite but finished third behind Blue Spirit and Grande Fiore, beaten two and a quarter lengths by the winner.[6]

Pixie Knight's former jockey Yuichi Fukunaga

On 19 January 2021 Pixie Knight was stepped up in class to begin his second campaign in the Grade 3 Shinzan Kinen over 1600 metres at Chukyo and started the 12/1 fourth choice in the betting. He took the lead from the start and was never headed, coming home one and a quarter lengths clear of Rooks Nest.[7] After a break of almost three months he returned in the Grade 3 Arlington Cup at Hanshin when he started second favourite but finished fourth behind Ho O Amazon, Rickenbacker and Raymond Barows after leading for most of the way. The colt was then moved up to Group 1 class for the 26th edition of the Grade 1 NHK Mile Cup over 1600 metres at Tokyo Racecourse on 9 May and started at odds of 14/1. He set the pace from the start and maintained his advantage until the last 200 metres but then faded badly and came home twelfth of the seventeen finishers behind Schnell Meister.[8] Pixie Knight was dropped back to sprint distances on 4 July for the Grade 3 CBC Sho a handicap race over 1200 metres at Kokura Racecourse, which saw him matched against older horses for the first time. In a change of tactics he was restrained by Fukunaga in the early stages before producing a strong late run but failed by half a length to overhaul the five-year-old First Force who was carrying a kilogram less.[9]

After a summer break Pixie Knight returned to the track in the Grade 2 Centaur Stakes over 1200 metres at Chukyo on 12 September when he went off the 3.6/1 second favourite behind the four-year-old filly Resistencia. He settled in sixth place before switching to the outside and making sustained progress in the straight to take second place behind Resistencia, beaten a neck by the favourite.[10] On 3 October at Nakayama Racecourse Pixie Knight contested the 55th edition of the Grade 1 Sprinters Stakes and went off at odds of 4.3/1 in a sixteen-runner field. Danon Smash started favourite ahead of Resistencia while the other contenders included First Force, Mozu Superflare (Takamatsunomiya Kinen), Gendarme (Daily Hai Nisai Stakes), Meikei Yell (Tulip Sho), Bien Fait (Hakodate Sprint Stakes), Shivaji (Silk Road Stakes), Taisei Vision (Keio Hai Nisai Stakes), A Will A Way (2020 Silk Road Stakes) and Eighteen Girl (Keeneland Cup). After racing in third place behind Mozu Superflare and Bien Fait made a forward move entering the straight, overtook Mozu Superflare 150 metres from the finish and went clear in the closing stages to win by two lengths from Resistencia. After the race Fukunada said "We got the best position than anyone could have hoped for. From the beginning of his career, I’ve always believed in the strength and potential this colt obtains and have voiced it too, but to be honest, I never thought he would give such a strong performance and land a Grade 1 win this fast. He’s still not physically balanced yet but he will improve, mature and definitely become a target to beat in numerous future sprint races in or outside the country".[11]

Pixie Knight went on to race at the Hong Kong Sprint held at Sha Tin Racecource, where he was involved in a four-horse spill that led to two other horses being euthanized. While Pixie Knight and his jockey Fukunaga both survived, Pixie Knight's legs suffered a fractured radiocarpal bone that took him out of racing for over a year, and Fukunaga suffering a broken collarbone.[12][13][14][15][16]

Pixie Knight finally returned to the race track at the Takamatsunomiya Kinen on March 26, 2023, with Keita Tosaki as his new jockey as Fukunaga retired to become a horse trainer,[17] but came in 13th place behind First Force.[18]