David Joseph/Gulfstream Park
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Twenty-seven races into his career and the fourth for his newest connections, Averill Racing’s 7-year-old gelding Harrow will make his stakes debut against several accomplished turf marathoners in Saturday’s $215,000 William L. McKnight (G3) presented by Visit Lauderdale at Gulfstream Park.
The 58th running of the McKnight for 4-year-olds and up, scheduled for 1 ½ miles on the grass, is the third of seven graded-stakes on a blockbuster 13-race Pegasus World Cup Day program that offers a total of 10 stakes worth $5.625 million in purses. First race post time is 11 a.m. (EST)
By Lea, a graded-stakes winner on both dirt and turf including Gulfstream’s 2014 Donn Handicap, precursor to the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1), Harrow has one previous win at the distance coming in his first start after being claimed for $16,000 last April at Tampa Bay Downs.
Harrow sprung an 8-1 upset of an optional claiming allowance Sept. 5 over the undulating course at Kentucky Downs, which Championship Meet leading trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said was actually a backup plan.
“Ironically, we raced at Kentucky Downs because his race at Saratoga rained off [the turf]. Going 1 ½ miles, he really handled it well,” Joseph said.
#12 Harrow with a minor upset at 8/1 in R5 at Kentucky Downs under Flavien Prat for trainer Saffie Joseph!
— TwinSpires Racing (@TwinSpires) September 5, 2024
#TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/fM1fudxPIi
“Rich Averill claimed him and he called me after he claimed him and said we’re going to give him some time off and then we’re going to have a nice starter horse. He picked a really good claim.”
Harrow will have jockey Edgard Zayas up from Post 7 in an overflow field of 16 for his first race at Gulfstream. Following his win he came from well back to be third, beaten a length, in a 1 1/16-mile turf allowance Nov. 16 and, most recently, won a similar spot going the same distance Dec. 14 at Tampa Bay Downs.
“We ran him at Tampa last time as a steppingstone for this race,” Joseph said. “He has to step up.”
Joseph also entered Ken Ramsey’s 2024 Mint Millions (G3) and Barbados Gold Cup runner-up Cash Equity, who drew outermost Post 12, and Remington Green winner Lorenz, the last of four also-eligibles.
Godolphin’s 5-year-old Irish homebred Bold Act will be chasing a second North American victory for England-based trainer Charles Appleby, a winner of 14 graded-stakes from 59 U.S. starters in 2024 including five Grade 1 triumphs.
Twice group-stakes placed in Europe, Bold Act captured the 1 ½-mile Sycamore (G3) at Keeneland in his domestic debut and followed up with a victory in the City of Gold (G2) last March in Dubai. He raced four more times in 2024 including a third in the 1 ½-mile Elkhorn (G2) and being beaten a nose in defense of his Sycamore title.
“He’s a little bit of a quirky character,” Appleby’s assistant trainer Chris Connett said. “He’s got his own mind about things, but we’ve got his [exercise] rider here, Michael Stainton, who really seems to gel with the horse. Sometimes we have some other riders on him, and he doesn’t quite enjoy it so much, but him and Michael got a group bond and they’ve both settled into American way of training and life. He’s a forward-going type of horse. He just likes to run and hopefully will, especially over that trip on Saturday will be ideal.”
Champion British jockey William Buick will ride Bold Act from Post 11.
Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb, Wonder Stables, Michael Kisber and Michael Caruso’s Grade 1-winning millionaire Rockemperor is entered to make his 9-year-old debut in the McKnight. Based since last spring in California, the bay gelding has been third or better in 12 graded-stakes topped by wins in the 2021 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic (G1) and 2022 Bowling Green (G2).
Stakes winner Limited Liability, trained by Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey, has placed eight times in graded-stakes including a third to Bold Act in the 2023 Sycamore. Lord Eddard Stark and Utah Beach cut back after finishing first and second, respectively, in Gulfstream’s two-mile H. Allen Jerkens Dec. 7. Also exiting the race is California Frolic, winner of the 1 ½-mile Presious Passion last fall on the Monmouth Park turf, who ran fifth by three lengths.
Cathkin Peak won the 1 5/8-mile John’s Call at Saratoga last summer first off an $80,000 claim for trainer Mike Maker, and has placed in five graded-stakes including the 2021 Hollywood Derby (G1). Anglophile was fifth in last year’s McKnight and third, beaten a half-length, in the 1 3/8-mile Mac Diarmida (G2) last winter at Gulfstream.
Yamato (three), also trained by Maker, and Goldeneye (two) have combined for five wins from 10 starts at the distance, including Yamato’s triumph in the 2023 Japan Turf Cup at Laurel Park. Dashman, Capture the Flag and Native Shaman join Lorenz on the also-eligible list.
