McKnight Stakes (Grade 3)- $200.000 Purse
GP- For Four Year Olds and Upward
One Mile and One Half on the Inner Turf
January 24, 2026

Turf stars that went to keep running may not get their Pegasus race, but they still have the $200.000 McKnight Stakes to enjoy on the undercard, sending older horses a mile and a half on the inner turf. It’s a race that debuted in 2005, and was won by Dogma, but the story of the race will be whether or not King Z can reign over the race for the third year in a row. We’ve seen other two-time winners before him, with Eve Of Destruction doing so in 2014 and 2015, and Raj Action Packed doing so in 2020 and 2021. Only Raj Action Packed attempted to go three in a row, like King Z is doing here for Mb Stables. He may have the best potential storyline, but are one of the other seven in the field actually the one to beat? Let’s meet our participants:

1- Sick Boi (Royalty Stables, ridden by B Curtis)- Sick Boi has been seen in the starting gate of some pretty big races, such as the Travers and the Whitney, but all four of his wins come in overnights. The five-year-old was moved to the grass last fall and did run third in the Grade 3 Mint Million, accounting for about two-thirds of his career earnings. He was respectable afterward in the Shadwell Turf Mile but needed to show more last time out in the River City Handicap for me to have confidence in him here.

2- One Last Punch Line (Saratoga Stud, ridden by F Pennington)- The 43-race veteran has gone back and forth between the dirt and the turf, and has appeared in the BC on both surfaces. In 2024, he ran in the BC Dirt Mile but did not pick up a piece of the purse. Saratoga Stud added him to his stable in March, and the results have been hit and miss since then. Winning the DMR Handicap got him into the BC Turf, but he was a non-factor in that, beaten by four lengths. Works say he is ready for a nice bounce back here.

3- Kegger (Ajm Stables, ridden by Edg Perez)- Claimed by the trainer for $40.000 in April, and was regularly sent to the track afterward, with his best result coming in July when he won the Grade 3 Bowling Green at SAR. Following that, he narrowly missed in the Sword Dancer, but Great Vault had the head bob at the wire. Was not able to be a part of the BC festivities, and that weekend he would instead run in the Grade 2 Smith at AQU, placing fourth. He’s a capable horse, especially if he runs the way he did in the Sword Dancer.

4- Dangerous Fugitive (Night Rider Stables, ridden by T Gaffalione)- Ran in the McKnight last year, and finished sixth. During the Spring, he would put back-to-back wins together, first coming in the $200.000 Marathon at CD on dirt, and then the Grade 3 San Juan Capistrano over the SA turf. Continued to cash in after, grabbing a third place check in the Sword Dancer, then after a dud, was second in the Pattison. Sure, there can be some concern about those occasional bad races, but he may be the most dangerous threat to King Z’s crown.

5- Whipped (The Sidley Stud, ridden by P Lopez)- Arrived at The Sidley Stud around this time last year, and would two races over ten tries with his new trainer. In March, he won right here at the $165.000 Appleton, and if that does not wow you, his win later in the year in the Grade 2 Henry Championship at SA. When he’s not winning, he’s usually right in the mix to the end, regularly missing by a length in those races. Is he a horse that just has tough luck, and needs a trip to go just right in order to win? Either way, he should be a factor.

6- Jakarta (Nakamura Stables, ridden by J R Velazquez)- Enters his eight-year-old season and will make his 49th career start in the McKnight. Over that time, he’s won nine times, taking a particular liking to the Shoemaker Mile as he won that race in both 2023 and 2025, while being second in it in 2022. That win last year was one of two on the year for him, as he also grabbed the DMR Mile trophy. Unfortunately, after that he has not been impressive, with a mediocre performance in the Shadwell Turf as well as the Grade 3 Ft Lauderdale. Between those two was the BC Turf, where he did only run sixth, but only missed by a length, so certainly that’s a better effort that the finishing position shows. Nakamura needs to tell him this is the Shoemaker.

7- Tech App (The Sidley Stud, ridden by R Bejarano)- After a long career of running at BTP and TUP, Tech App was upgraded and began to show The Sidley Stud that he was capable of doing more. This ultimately led to a victory in the $200.000 Chorleywood Stakes in June at CD. Struggled in the Bowling Green after that, and would be given a length rest before appearing again in the November Grade 2 Smith. That rest did not lead to a turnaround, and now Tech App must show he is not obsolete at this level.

8- King Z (Mb Stables, ridden by Mario Gutierrez)- Now, all rise for the king for the McKnight. This has been a race that the now seven-year-old gelding has been able to rule over, winning it the last two years. His 2024 win was just his second start for Mb Stables and led to a productive year that concluded in the BC Turf. He was a non-factor there, but of course, rebounded after it to win the 2025 McKnight. After that, you could again say that his season was productive though maybe not glamorous, and he’d be a BC Turf runner once again. And again, he did not run well in the BC. So, does that mean it’s another McKnight win?

Prediction: 4-8-5-6

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES