HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – No wonder the turf racing is so wickedly competitive at Gulfstream Park every winter. Not only are northern turf courses buttoned up for the winter, but Fair Grounds is prone to rain-offs, Oaklawn is dirt only, and purses at Tampa Bay Downs can’t compare to those at its in-state rival. Moreover, the Gulfstream turf-stakes schedule is orderly and widely varied. All of this helps to partly explain the allure of the Pegasus World Cup undercard here Saturday. Not only is there the $1 million Pegasus Turf, but longtime fixtures such as the Grade 3 W.L. McKnight and the Grade 3 La Prevoyante will further bolster a sensational day of racing. They’re among the seven turf races on the 12-race Pegasus Day card, a busy slate that also includes the Grade 3 Marshua’s River (race 7) and a trio of two-turn allowances (races 1, 3, 5). The $150,000 McKnight and $125,000 La Prevoyante, both to be run with fields of 12 at the three-turn distance of 1 1/2 miles over a course that figures to be quite firm, are key links in the Rainbow 6 (races 7-12) and the late pick five (races 8-12). W.L. McKnight (race 10) Sadler’s Joy has contested so many major turf races in recent years that it’s a mild surprise he’s entered in the 53rd McKnight and not the Pegasus Turf. A consistent closer whose $2.65 million bankroll attests to his class, the Woodslane Farm homebred might well have lost a step, however, which is why Tom Albertrani can’t be blamed for now granting the horse what amounts to class relief in his first start at 8. Jose Ortiz will be aboard when breaking from post 5. It’s been exactly 14 months since Sadler’s Joy won a race (he did finish first in the Grade 2 Bowling Green last summer, only to be disqualified), and therein lies one reason the other 11 older turf runners in here stand a fighting chance. Doswell (post 1, Junior Alvarado) has suddenly emerged as a player in this division since resurfacing last summer under Barclay Tagg’s care – an invitation to the Pegasus Turf was declined in favor of the McKnight – and other stalwarts such as Sir Sahib, Channel Cat, and Sir Anthony also could run themselves into the mix. :: Enhance your handicapping with DRF’s Gulfstream Park Clocker Report Sir Sahib (post 6, Luis Saez) came to peak form at Woodbine in the second half of 2020 when finishing second in the Grade 3 Singspiel and Grade 1 Northern Dancer. The Stronach Stables homebred has been working steadily at the Palm Meadows training center ahead of his first start in the care of Jose Corrales. Channel Cat (post 12, Corey Lanerie) can ease some of the sting of Jack Sisterson losing his Cigar Mile winner, True Timber, from the Pegasus lineup due to a minor setback. The 6-year-old Calumet Farm homebred has posted triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures on a multitude of occasions when racking up a $954,292 bankroll. Sir Anthony (post 8, Julien Leparoux) has two mega-upsets at Gulfstream to his credit – the 2018 Harlan’s Holiday at 25-1 and his last-out 28-1 score in the two-mile Allen Jerkens – and trainer Tony Mitchell would love to make it a hat trick. “That’s the intent,” laughed Mitchell. “This new angle of going these longer distances with him, I thought it was the way to go. Clearly the mile and a half is in his grasp. He’s in great shape right now. Hopefully, he’ll do what he can while he can.” The McKnight is named for the iconic 3M founder and philanthropist who died in 1978. The race directly precedes the two Pegasus events at 4:13 p.m. Eastern. La Prevoyante (race 8) Before saddling his three Pegasus Turf starters, Todd Pletcher will warm up by sending out two of the favorites in the 51st La Prevoyante. Always Shopping (post 1, Irad Ortiz Jr.) and Cap de Creus (post 9, John Velazquez) were the respective one-two finishers for Pletcher here four Saturdays ago in the ungraded Via Borghese, and there’s little reason to believe they can’t be similarly prominent once again. Among the top challengers to the Pletcher duo are Lovely Lucky (post 5, Jose Ortiz), making her first start since the Grade 1 Flower Bowl in October; Heavenly Curlin (post 7, Tyler Gaffalione), looking to extend a three-race win streak for Mark Casse; Delta’s Kingdom (post 8, Junior Alvarado), a late-running mare who finishes in the money more often than not; English Affair (post 10, Joe Bravo), a graded stakes-winning 7-year-old; and the likely pacesetter, Traipsing (post 11, Joel Rosario), who hails from the ever-dangerous Christophe Clement barn. The La Prevoyante is named for the Hall of Fame filly who was the Canadian Horse of the Year in 1972 as a 2-year-old. It goes at 3:09 p.m.