Divine Oath, North Slope Meet in McKnight

Trainer Todd Pletcher will send out Divine Oath, a close-up third in the Twilight Derby (gr. IIT) at Santa Anita Park, in the $100,000 W. L. McKnight Handicap (gr. IIIT) Dec. 27 at Gulfstream Park. 

 

The 1 1/2-mile turf event for 3-year-olds and older drew a field of 14 plus two also-eligible entrants and goes as final race on the 10-race card, with an approximate post time of 4:57 p.m. EST.

 

Let's Go Stable's 3-year-old Divine Oath was just a half length behind winner Long On Value and Sawyer's Hill in the 1 1/8-mile Twilight Derby on the Breeders' Cup undercard Oct. 31 at Santa Anita. 

 

The Broken Vow   colt will bid for his third stakes win of the year after capturing the American Derby (gr. IIIT) this summer at Arlington International Racecourse and Kent Stakes (gr. IIIT) two starts later Sept. 20 at Delaware Park. He also was runner-up in the Coolmore Lexington Stakes (gr. III) this spring at Keeneland.

 

Four-year-old North Slope captured the grassy Bowl Game Stakes by a neck from trainer Chad Brown's favored Slumber Oct.  19 at Belmont Park last time out. He has been assigned starting highweight of 118 pounds, one more than Slumber, Unitarian, and Margano, and two more than Divine Oath. A Darley homebred, the Elusive Quality   gelding is trained by Kiaran McLaughlin and tries the McKnight distance for the first time.

 

Pletcher also sends out Robert S. Evans' Unitarian, winner of the Dixiana Elkhorn Stakes (gr. IIT) at 18-1 odds during the Keeneland spring meet. He checked in fourth in the Nov. 14 Red Smith Handicap (gr. IIIT) on yielding ground last time out at Aqueduct Racetrack. 

 

Trainer Arnaud Delacour has entered Lael Stables' Margano, who finished third in the Red Smith.

 

Tucci Stable's Midnight Aria, who was claimed at Gulfstream for $35,000 before going on to win the 2013 Queen's Plate, is assigned 116 pounds.

 

Royal Blessing, St. Albans Boy, Manchurian High, Fixador, Calvados, Rapscallion, Avie's Quality, and Greengrassofyoming were also entered in the McKnight, along with also-eligibles Developer and Dashing David.