W.L. McKnight key link to big hit

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Saturday at Gulfstream Park brings the 50th running of the W.L. McKnight Handicap, and it’s an anniversary worth celebrating. The 1 1/2-mile turf race drew a field so deep and competitive that it was hand-picked to fill the slot directly preceding the Pegasus World Cup, making it a critical link in all the multirace wagers that bring the 12-race card to an end.

Mr Maybe, a remarkably consistent gelding trained by Chad Brown, is among the 12 older horses entered in the Grade 3, $200,000 McKnight. It’ll take one of his career-best efforts to defeat similarly capable turf pros Danish Dynaformer, Twilight Eclipse, Patterson Cross, Sadler’s Joy, and, perhaps most notably, the Mike Maker-trained duo of Taghleeb and Charming Kitten.

Taghleeb comes favorably drawn on the rail for the three-turn race. He quickened from well behind to capture the two-mile H. Allen Jerkens Stakes four Saturdays ago over the Gulfstream turf.

“He’s really on the top of his game,” said Maker, who also has the three favorites Sunday in the 1 1/2-mile Connally Turf Cup at Sam Houston. “The way he exploded to the lead in his last race was nice to see. We’re expecting another big effort from him.”

Charming Kitten, the winner of the 2015 McKnight and 2016 Jerkens, spent last summer in Ireland in the care of trainer Dermot Weld and has not raced since August.

“Obviously, the layoff is a bit of a concern, but he’s doing very well, and we want to get started with him,” said Maker.

Post time for the McKnight (race 11) is 4:50 p.m. Eastern.

KEY CONTENDERS

Mr Maybe, by Ghostzapper

Last 3 Beyers: 98-98-98

◗ Those identical Beyer Speed Figures fully illustrate how this gray 6-year-old has been reliable about firing his best shot for Brown, the 2016 Eclipse Award-winning trainer who has put him through a series of sharp works at Palm Meadows.

Taghleeb, by Hard Spun

Last 3 Beyers: 95-99-97

◗ Late-running 6-year-old likely will need pace to facilitate his kick, and the presence of Diamond Bachelor and Applicator suggests there’s enough speed in here to assure honest fractions.

Charming Kitten, by Kitten’s Joy

Last 3 Beyers: 98-102-93

◗ Ken and Sarah Ramsey homebred had developed into quite an effective turf marathoner before the Euro experiment interrupted his American campaign.

La Prevoyante: Suffused in post 12

The filly-and-mare counterpart to the McKnight is the Grade 3, $200,000 La Prevoyante Handicap (race 10, post 4:14), and it’s about as challenging from a handicapping standpoint as its twin brother.

Suffused, a Juddmonte Farms homebred, will be making her 5-year-old debut after ending 2016 with a nose defeat in the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor at Woodbine in October. She has drawn the tricky outside post in a field of 12 and could come a slight choice, with Arles as a chief threat.

Arles, a 5-year-old French-bred mare, was second to Suffused in the Grade 3 Glen Falls last summer at Saratoga after nine starts overseas.

“She really has been good since we’ve gotten her, perhaps a little bit unlucky,” said trainer Graham Motion. “She’s had two solid seconds, but she seems very consistent, and she’s been there each time.”

The lineup also includes Try Your Luck, a standout in the Midwest last year at 3, along with Paige, Desiree Clary, and Flipcup, the first three finishers in the recent Via Borghese over the local course.

KEY CONTENDERS

Suffused, by Champs Elysees

Last 3 Beyers: 95-97-95

◗ British-bred mare ended 2016 in terrific form as she just missed catching Al’s Gal in the E.P. Taylor at Woodbine following a victory in the Glens Falls and a head loss in the Grade 3 Waya, both at Saratoga.

Arles, by Monsun

Beyers: 95-96

◗ Owned in a partnership led by Team Valor International, this bay mare comes well prepped for her first start in nine weeks after having finished second in the Grade 3 Red Carpet at Del Mar in her latest.

Try Your Luck, by Lookin At Lucky

Last 3 Beyers: 87-92-80

◗ Maker-trained filly ran a couple of big ones last summer, winning the Pucker Up at Arlington and the Dueling Grounds Oaks. She stands to benefit from her Dec. 31 race in the Tropical Park Oaks, which was her first start in 3 1/2 months.