John S. Knight 1894-1981 - Thoroughbred Park
Posted by: 
krsmith2
N 38° 02.509 W 084° 29.379
16S E 720293 N 4213430
Important figures in Thoroughbred racing.
Waymark Code: WMF2AT
Location: Kentucky, United States
Date Posted: 08/10/2012
Views: 5
John S. Knight
1894 - 1981
Adjacent to this park is the building of the Lexington Herald-Leader, one of the large Knight-Ridder chain of newspapers. Both Messrs. Knight and ridder were longtime owners and breeders of racehorses. John S. Knight started with the Akron Beacon Journal after World War I and built a chain of papers including such major markets as Miami, Detroit, and Chicago. Hepersonally authored a series that won one of his papers' twenty-six Pulitzer Prizes. He and Marshall Field began a racing partnership named Fourth Estate Stable, which Knight later carried on by himself. His best horses also had journalistic names, such as War Censor, Editorialist, Copy Chief, and Journalist. His son, Landon Knight, owned the 1977 English Derby winner, Benny the Dip, which was then sent to stud at Claiborne Farm in Kentucky.
In 1974, Knight Newspapers merged with Ridder Publications, which had properties in New York, Minnesota, and California. Bernard J. Ridder (1913-1983) was a third-generation newspaperman who joined his family firm after World War II. He bought Murrieta Stud in Southern California, and raced the champion mare Cascapedia and the prominent Flying Paster.
Marker Name: John S. Knight 1894-1981
Marker Location: City
Type of Marker: Person
Marker Number (for official markers): -blank-
Group(s) Responsible for placing Marker:
Lexington and Visitors Bureau
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Visit Instructions:
A picture of the site or anything specific to the text on marker.