by Tim Nichols

Winless in his previous four starts, Grade 1 winner Presious Passion will try for a repeat victory in the $150,000 W. L. McKnight Handicap (G2) on Saturday during Calder Race Course’s Grand Slam card.

The 1½-mile turf race drew a full field of 12 horses and one also-eligible entrant.

Trained by Mary Hartmann for owner Patricia Generazio, the five-year-old Royal Anthem gelding has finished no better than fourth since winning the United Nations Stakes (G1) on yielding turf at Monmouth Park on July 5.

Presious Passion owns two victories in four career starts at the 1½-mile distance. In addition to winning the 2007 W. L. McKnight, he won the Pan American Handicap (G3) by 1½ lengths on April 5 at Gulfstream Park.

Presious Passion, who enters off a sixth-place finish in the Red Smith Handicap (G2) on November 8 at Aqueduct, was assigned co-high weight of 118 pounds with Always First (GB).

A multiple graded stakes-winning seven-year-old Barathea (Ire) gelding trained by Thomas Voss for Merriefield Farm, Always First enters off a fourth-place finish in the Red Smith. Prior to that race, Always First scored by three-quarters of a length in the 1½-mile Sycamore Stakes (G3) on firm turf at Keeneland Race Course on October 18.

Always First has excelled at the distance with five wins in 10 races at 1½ miles since he was shipped to the United States from England for the 2005 season.

Grade 3 winner It’s a Bird has won three of his last four starts and also is entered in both the $100,000 Fred W. Hooper Handicap (G3) and Kenny Noe Jr. Handicap (G3) on the Grand Slam card.

Hawthorne Derby (G3) winner Strait of Mewsina (Ire) will make his first start in a race longer than 1¼ miles.

English Group 2 winner Hard Top (Ire) is winless in two starts in the United States. The Darshaan gelding closed his three-year-old campaign with a fifth-place finish in the 2006 Ladbrokes St. Leger (Eng-G1).

Argentine classic winner Gran Estreno (Arg) is an intriguing contender. The 2006 Gran Premio Jockey Club (Arg-G1) winner, trained by Richard Dutrow Jr., enters off his first North American win in a 1 3/8-mile allowance/optional claiming race on October 14 at the Meadowlands.


The field, in post-position order, with (sire), jockey, weight, and trainer:

1. Summer Patriot (Unbridled's Song), Javier Castellano, 115, Barclay Tagg;
 
2. Gran Estreno [ARG] (Lucky Roberto), Jose Lezcano, 113, Richard E. Dutrow, Jr.;

3. Picou (With Approval), Jeremy Rose, 114, Chad C. Brown;
 
4. Strait of Mewsina [Ire] (Spartacus [Ire]), E. T. Baird, 116, Larry Rivelli;
 
5. Al Basha (Aljabr), Jermaine V. Bridgmohan, 114, Angel J. Penna, Jr.;
 
6. Hard Top [Ire] (Darshaan [GB]), Christopher P. DeCarlo, 115, Todd A. Pletcher;
 
7. Windward Islands (Cozzene), Joe Bravo, 117, Mark R. Frostad;
 
8. It's a Bird (Birdonthewire), Eddie Dominguez, 114, Martin D. Wolfson;

9. Presious Passion (Royal Anthem), Elvis Trujillo, 118, Mary Hartmann;

10. Phil the Power (Red Bullet), Anthony S. Black, 114, Joseph F. Orseno;

11. Logic Way (Freud), Manoel R. Cruz, 116, Richard E. Dutrow, Jr.;

12. Always First [GB] (Barathea [Ire]), Rene R. Douglas, 118, Thomas H. Voss; and

AE. Running Aptitude (Aptitude), Carlos Olivero, 109, Mario Morales.