Saturday night’s Rod Knittel Pace at Cal Expo is named for the longtime owner/breeder who passed away in 2022 at the age of 85.
Rod, along with his brother Wayne, bred and campaigned some of the top performers of the last five decades as co-owners of KB Farms.
Included in that outstanding group is Allmyx’sliventexas, who is coming off back-to-back victories here for Wayne, trainer Bob Johnson and driver James Kennedy while pushing his career earnings past the $376,000 mark.
“Rod was a big guy with an even bigger heart,” said fellow owner/breeder and good friend David Neumeister. “He had a wry sense of humor and an infectious laugh.
“As big brother to Wayne and Dennis, he was instinctively protective. If you messed with either one of them, you had Rod to deal with.
“For decades KB Farms has been the largest and most successful standardbred operation in California. Every night for as long as I lived in Bakersfield, I could find Rod driving a tractor around the training track at the farm, getting it in shape for training the next morning.
“He lived a good life, caring for his family, the farm and his friends. He is missed by everyone who was fortunate enough to know him.”
