Twilight Eclipse Returns in Mac Diarmida

West Point Thoroughbreds' grade I winner Twilight Eclipse is scheduled to kick off his fifth season of racing in the $200,000 Mac Diarmida Stakes (gr. IIT) March 12 at Gulfstream Park.



A 7-year-old gelded son of Purim, Twilight Eclipse will be making his seasonal bow in the Mac Diarmida for the fourth straight year. Fourth in 2013, he was a one-length winner as the favorite in 2014 and finished second to Main Sequence in 2015.



Twilight Eclipse finished in the money six times in eight starts last year with one win—the Man o' War (gr. IT) at Belmont Park, also at 1 3/8 miles on turf—and earnings of $528,200 to push his career bankroll over $1.8 million.



NOVAK: Twilight Eclipse Scores Big in Man o' War



"The last two years he's had (great seasons)," said trainer Tom Albertrani. "He's been probably the most unlucky horse on the track. He always seems to run his race, but there's always a race or two where he's found himself in some trouble. Hopefully we can get a little better racing luck with him, and if he keeps his form, I think we'll have another great season with him."



Albertrani gave Twilight Eclipse his annual winter vacation after an eighth-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Turf (gr. IT) at Keeneland Oct. 31, and he shows a regular string of works since Jan. 8 at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream's satellite training facility in Palm Beach County.



"Twilight is doing super. For 7-years-old, he couldn't be better," Albertrani said. "You would never know it. Being around him, he looks better now than I think I've ever seen him. He's just physically really filled out. The horse looks super."



Wertheimer and Frere's All Included will make his third start of the Championship Meet in the Mac Diarmida. He finished third in the Fort Lauderdale (gr. IIT) Jan. 9 and in the Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap (gr. IT) Feb. 6, when he was beaten a length.



The Mac Diarmida will be the longest trip to date for the 5-year-old son of Include  , who had narrow losses last year in the Knickerbocker (gr. IIIT), Bernard Baruch (gr. IIT) and Poker (gr. IIIT), never by more than 2 1/4 lengths.



"We've always kind of considered him the type that always keeps going, so I want to give him a try and see how he handles it," said trainer Todd Pletcher. "I think he's shown that he's got a steady clip to him. I thought he ran really well in the Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap and just missed, finishing third. We're just going to experiment a little bit and hope that we're guessing right."



Gary Barber, Quintessential Racing Florida, and Horse'n Around Racing Stable's millionaire gelding Kaigun enters the Mac Diarmida on an eight-race winless streak since taking the Seabiscuit (gr. IIT) in November 2014 at Del Mar. Trained by Mark Casse, Kaigun has finished second in each of his last three starts, all grade III stakes.



"He's a versatile horse. He can do a little bit of anything," Casse said. "We need to get lucky and win one of these."



Also entered are John B. Connally Turf Cup (gr. IIIT) winner Da Big Hoss, third in the McKnight; multiple graded stakes-placed Grand Tito, a Gulfstream allowance winner Feb. 13; Mr Maybe, a winner of three straight including the Red Smith Handicap (gr. IIIT) Nov. 14 in his last start; and grade II-placed O'Prado Ole.