Calder: Twilight Eclipse unfazed by McKnight's switch to main track

Turf or dirt, it apparently doesn’t matter to Twilight Eclipse.

Despite the fact Twilight Eclipse had started just once on dirt in 13 career starts, trainer Tom Albertrani decided to leave the defending champ in Saturday’s $125,000 W.L. McKnight Handicap at Calder even after the race was moved from the grass to the main track. Twilight Eclipse rewarded Albertrani for his confidence when he led throughout en route to an easy seven-length length victory over Dannhauser in the 1 1/2-mile McKnight.

The McKnight is a Grade 2 race but loses that status by virtue of coming off the grass pending a review by the Graded Stakes Committee.

Twilight Eclipse ($3), who rallied from just off the pace to capture the 2012 McKnight, sprinted right to the front and was able to slow the race down under an astute ride by jockey Jose Lezcano. Twilight Eclipse dawdled on the lead while allowed to set slow fractions of 53.66 seconds for the opening half and 1:19.81 for the first six furlongs. As a result he had plenty in reserve when Lezcano set him down at the top of the stretch to easily pull away from Dannhauser, who had stalked the winner from the outset.

Flatter This finished third, followed by Ducduc, Ocean Seven, Twin, Suntracer, and Hariolus. Mucho Mas Mucho and Vertiformer, second and third behind Twilight Eclipse in the 2012 McKnight, were scratched as a result of the switch to the main track, as were Slumber and Franklinpark.

“I think he was the best horse in the race,” said Twilight Eclipse’s jockey, Jose Lezcano. “He broke good. I let him do his thing the comfortable way. When I asked him, he still had plenty in the tank.”