Hunting Horn Back in North America for W. L. McKnight

Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational Stakes (G1T) entrant Magic Wand didn't travel alone on the flight from Ireland as trainer Aidan O'Brien also had group 3 winner Hunting Horn shipped to Gulfstream Park for a start in the W. L. McKnight Stakes (G3T).

The 1 1/2-mile McKnight for older horses is one of four turf stakes of at least two turns on the Jan. 26 Gulfstream card, along with the $7 million Pegasus Turf, $200,000 La Prevoyante Stakes (G3T) for older fillies and mares at 1 1/2 miles, and the $125,000 South Beach Stakes for older fillies and mares at 7 1/2 furlongs.

Hunting Horn, who races for the Coolmore-connected owners Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, and Susan Magnier, will need to bounce back from an eighth-place finish in the Nov. 3 Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T) at Churchill Downs.

The 4-year-old son of Camelot earned his first stakes win last year in the Hampton Court Stakes (G3) at Royal Ascot one start before finishing third in the Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes (G1T) in his North American debut. Upon returning to Europe, he just missed a group 2 score by a nose to Brundtland in the Qatar Prix Niel in September at Longchamp.

The field's most accomplished runner is Colebrook Farms and Bear Stables' Johnny Bear, who won the Northern Dancer Turf Stakes (G1T) in both 2017 and 2018. Trainer Mike De Paulo said the 8-year-old son of English Channel  and full brother to Pegasus Turf runner Channel Maker, has improved with age.

"Johnny Bear has gotten better as he's gotten older," De Paulo said. "That's why he's been kept going. He's certainly a mile-and-a-half horse. He doesn't like soft turf. Any time it's soft, he doesn't show up. We're hoping it's going to be firm."

With 16 horses entered, a full field of 14 is expected for the McKnight, where trainer Mike Maker will look to win the race for a third consecutive year. After winning last year's race with Oscar Nominated and in 2017 with Taghleeb, Maker has entered grade 3 winner Zulu Alpha, grade 3-placed Soglio, and last year's Northern Dancer Turf fourth-place finisher Markitoff, who is cross-entered in the Jan. 27 John B. Connally Turf Cup Stakes (G3T) at Sam Houston Race Park. Maker also has also-eligible All Go.

Ken and Sarah Ramsey's Soglio enters the McKnight a winner of 5 races from 24 starts and has earnings of $383,769. The 5-year-old son of Scat Daddy is in good form as he eyes his first graded stakes win. 

"(Jockey) Jose Ortiz felt he had a little trouble around the three-eighths pole in that last race at Gulfstream, and that cost him the race," Maker said of a close runner-up finish in the two-mile H. Allen Jerkens Stakes Dec. 29 at Gulfstream. "He's always been a very consistent horse and shows up every time. … Ideally, we would like to see him somewhere midpack after they break Saturday."

Ortiz rides from post 2.

Michael Hui's Zulu Alpha, a 6-year-old son of Street Cry out of an A.P. Indy mare, enters the McKnight following a seventh-place finish in the Dec. 15 Ft. Lauderdale Stakes (G2T) at Gulfstream. A former claimer, Zulu Alpha won last year's Sycamore Stakes (G3T) at the 1 1/2-mile distance at Keeneland.

Maker said Zulu Alpha can be forgiven for his effort in the Ft. Lauderdale.

"The winner (Glorious Empire) was loose on the lead, and the soft ground my horse didn't seem to care for," Maker said.

The La Prevoyante will feature a rematch of the top two finishers from the Dec. 29 Via Borghese Stakes on the Gulfstream turf: Takaya Shimakawa's Si Que Es Buena and Stronach Stables' Holy Helena. In the 1 3/16-mile Via Borghese Stakes, Si Que Es Buena, a group 3 winner in Peru, edged Canadian classic winner Holy Helena by a neck.

That effort marked the second North American start for Si Que Es Buena, who is trained by Graham Motion.

Also among the dozen fillies and mares entered are Susan Magnier, Madaket Stables, and Deron Pearson's Santa Monica, who won a grade 2 race and secured a grade 1 placing last year at Woodbine; Calumet Farm's English Affair, making her first start since closing out 2018 with a victory in the Cardinal Handicap (G3T) on the Churchill turf; and Jon Marshall's Tricky Escape, who won three straight stakes races in 2018.

In the South Beach Stakes, Gary Barber and John Oxley's Road to Victory makes her return. The daughter of Quality Road  won the 2017 Golden Rod Stakes (G2) at 1 1/16 miles on the main track at Churchill and won the Alywow Stakes going 6 1/2 furlongs on the Woodbine turf last year. Road to Victory will be making her first start since a runner-up finish in the June 30 Mother Goose Stakes (G2) on the Belmont Park dirt.

Entries: South Beach S.

Gulfstream Park, Saturday, January 26, 2019, Race 6

• STK
• About 7 1/2f
• Turf
• $125,000
• 4 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
• 2:02 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Fire Key (NY)	Jose L. Ortiz	121	Joseph C. Catanese, III	10/1
2	2Vendita (KY)	Romero Ramsay Maragh	117	Patrick L. Biancone	20/1
3	3Youngest Daughter (KY)	Robby Albarado	117	Victoria H. Oliver	20/1
4	4Everyonelovesjimmy (KY)	Chris Landeros	117	Ian R. Wilkes	12/1
5	5Lover's Key (NY)	Jonathan J. Gonzales	119	Sarah Nagle	20/1
6	6Miss O'Hara (KY)	Albin Jimenez	117	George R. Arnold, II	20/1
7	7Fizzy Friday (GB)	Julien R. Leparoux	119	Ignacio Correas, IV	10/1
8	8Corps de Ballet (KY)	Florent Geroux	119	Roger L. Attfield	20/1
9	9Dolce Lili (KY)	John R. Velazquez	117	William I. Mott	5/1
10	10Conquest Hardcandy (NY)	Tyler Gaffalione	117	Antonio Sano	15/1
11	11Piedi Bianchi (IN)	Flavien Prat	121	Todd A. Pletcher	20/1
12	12Road to Victory (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	117	Mark E. Casse	4/1
13	13Capla Temptress (IRE)	Joel Rosario	123	William I. Mott	7/2
14	14Andina Del Sur (KY)	Luis Saez	117	Thomas Albertrani	12/1
15	15Fashionably Wild (KY)	Jose A. Batista	117	Angel A. Penna, Jr.	30/1
16	16Peach of a Gal (MD)	Edgar S. Prado	117	H. Graham Motion	30/1

Entries: La Prevoyante S. (G3T)

Gulfstream Park, Saturday, January 26, 2019, Race 8

• Grade IIIT
• 1 1/2m
• Turf
• $200,000
• 4 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
• 3:05 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Holy Helena (ON)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	119	James A. Jerkens	3/1
2	2A. A. Azula's Arch (KY)	Luis Saez	117	Kevin Attard	20/1
3	3English Affair (KY)	Javier Castellano	123	George R. Arnold, II	8/1
4	4Beau Belle (KY)	Paco Lopez	117	Thomas Albertrani	30/1
5	5Tricky Escape (KY)	Christopher P. DeCarlo	123	John C. Servis	9/2
6	6La Manta Gris (KY)	Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.	117	George R. Arnold, II	20/1
7	7Si Que Es Buena (ARG)	Chris Landeros	121	H. Graham Motion	6/1
8	8Semper Sententiae (KY)	John R. Velazquez	117	Mark A. Hennig	8/1
9	9Santa Monica (GB)	Jose L. Ortiz	119	Chad C. Brown	7/2
10	10Rahway (KY)	Shaun Bridgmohan	117	Michael J. Maker	30/1
11	11Top Cats (ARG)	Julien R. Leparoux	119	Brendan P. Walsh	15/1
12	12Ickymasho (GB)	Florent Geroux	119	Roger L. Attfield	20/1

Entries: W. L. McKnight S. (G3T)

Gulfstream Park, Saturday, January 26, 2019, Race 10

• Grade IIIT
• 1 1/2m
• Turf
• $200,000
• 4 yo's & up
• 4:14 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Highland Sky (KY)	Chris Landeros	119	Barclay Tagg	10/1
2	2Soglio (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	117	Michael J. Maker	9/2
3	3Winter Union (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	117	Michael R. Matz	15/1
4	4Zulu Alpha (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	123	Michael J. Maker	4/1
5	5Johnny Bear (ON)	Luis Saez	123	Michael P. De Paulo	15/1
6	6Can'thelpbelieving (IRE)	Joe Bravo	119	H. Graham Motion	12/1
7	7Canessar (FR)	Javier Castellano	119	Arnaud Delacour	5/1
8	8Hunting Horn (IRE)	Wayne Lordan	117	Aidan P. O'Brien	8/1
9	9Hunter O'Riley (KY)	Flavien Prat	119	James J. Toner	20/1
10	10Nessy (KY)	Julien R. Leparoux	117	Ian R. Wilkes	20/1
11	11Markitoff (KY)	Florent Geroux	117	Michael J. Maker	20/1
12	12Village King (ARG)	John R. Velazquez	119	Todd A. Pletcher	10/1
13	13Postulation (KY)	Jorge A. Vargas, Jr.	119	Michael R. Matz	20/1
14	14Hay Dakota (KY)	Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.	119	Anthony T. Quartarolo	30/1
15	15Sentry (KY)	Joel Rosario	117	Claude R. McGaughey III	20/1
16	16All Go (KY)	Paco Lopez	117	Michael J. Maker	20/1