HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Trainer Brian Lynch was a bit surprised when F Five was buried four deep on the also-eligible list when entries were taken Sunday for Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 William L. McKnight Stakes at Gulfstream Park. On Friday, Lynch learned that F Five had drawn into the race and now the red-hot trainer has two solid chances to win McKnight, scheduled for 1 1/2 miles on turf. Lynch also has Anglophile, a troubled fourth in the Tropical Park Derby, in the McKnight. With two more wins on Friday at Gulfstream, Lynch is 14 for 36 at the winter meet with seven winners from his last nine starters entering Saturday’s card. F Five drew in when Grand Sonata was forced to scratch from the McKnight due to a foot bruise, according to trainer Todd Pletcher. He became the fourth scratch - joining the Sam Houston-bound trio of Palazzi, Red Run, and Catch That Party - out of the McKnight, which drew 16 but is limited to 12 starters. F Five, who will have to break post 12 under Luis Saez, has won three of his last four starts, including the two-mile H. Allen Jerkens on Dec. 24. “He was slated for this race,” Lynch said earlier in the week. “I was a little bit shocked when he didn’t draw in, but I guess it’s based on graded earnings and he’s a little light on that. I would love to run him, he might be able to dictate terms.” Anglophile overcame trouble to win the Grade 3 Dueling Grounds Derby at Kentucky Downs on Sept. 3. After finishing last in the off-the-turf Jockey Club Derby at Aqueduct, Anglophile got stymied behind a wall of horses down the backside in the Tropical Park Derby here on Dec. 23. He was able to find room in the stretch but ran out of ground when beaten three-quarters of a length by Souper Blessing. “He was way the best horse in there,” Lynch said. “He’s going in off three good efforts in his last four and the Aqueduct race is a throw out.” John Velazquez rides Anglophile from post 10. Verstappen won the Grade 2 Elkhorn at Keeneland last April and though he lost his last five starts of the year, he was only beaten three-quarters of a length by Master Piece in the Grade 2 Red Smith at Aqueduct. There was a runaway speed horse in that field and Verstappen might have made the lead too soon, according to trainer Brendan Walsh. :: Access morning workout reports straight from the tracks and get an edge with DRF Clocker Reports “We were there to be shot at a little earlier than we would have liked,” Walsh said. “That’s the way the race panned out, but he ran a very good race. I think he’s competitive in any company right now.” Though he plans to scratch Red Run and Catch That Party, trainer Mike Maker still has the trio of Value Engineering, Starting Over, and Shawdyshawdyshawdy in the McKnight. Value Engineering looks to bounce back from a seventh-place finish in the H. Allen Jerkens, while Starting Over should appreciate the return to firm turf, which he got in September at Colonial Downs where he won the Colonial Cup. Shawdyshawdyshawdy has not won since Oct. 22, 2022 at Aqueduct and has post 12. Francesco Clemente was beaten in the Grade 2 Hollywood Turf Cup in his stakes debut for trainer Chad Brown last November. Still, he is one of many closers in a race that appears void of early speed. La Prevoyante Stakes After missing a year of action due to an ankle chip, R Calli Kim went 4 for 4 in 2023, capped by a solid victory in the Grade 3 Long Island on Nov. 12 at Aqueduct. Saturday, the now 7-year-old mare with only 13 lifetime starts kicks off her 2024 campaign in the Grade 3, $150,000 La Prevoyante scheduled for 1 1/2 miles on turf. Walsh said R Calli Kim has been training exceptionally well at Palm Meadows for this race. “She’s been doing great since she came down here,” Walsh said. “She’s got a lot of tactical speed. I don’t have any concerns about her handling the track. I’m pretty hopeful she’s going to run her best race. If she does, it’ll put her right there.” Romagna Mia is 2 for 3 since coming to trainer Graham Motion, most recently winning the Via Borghese Stakes going 1 1/2 miles over Gulfstream’s synthetic surface on Dec. 26. She also won the Grade 3 Dowager going 1 1/2 miles at Keeneland two months prior. :: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets. “I think she’s improving every time I’ve run her; that certainly was her best performance,” Motion said of the Via Borghese. “I think this is a tougher race. Brendan’s filly is very, very good.” Motion also entered Sister Otoole, but said she is likely to scratch. Alpha Bella, beaten a half-length at 11-1 in the Tropical Park Oaks, will have blinkers removed for this spot. Viva La Red, Anatolian, Sensitivity, Tass, and Highland Grace complete the field. The La Prevoyante goes as race 6 (1:33 p.m. Eastern) and is the first of seven graded stakes on Saturday’s card. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.