Presious Passion hopes to rekindle old form in McKnight

Reappearing in the June 12 Monmouth S. (G3), Presious Passion was outfooted

early by eventual winner Get Serious (City Zip), and he retreated to seventh in

a performance that scuppered any thought of a three-peat bid in the United

Nations. The seven-year-old veteran enjoyed a summer rest on a New Jersey farm,

and with just two works under his belt, he returned to action in a September 22

Delaware optional claimer. Although Presious Passion didn't run badly in fourth,

he failed to build on that tightener when fading to ninth in the October 21

Sycamore S. (G3) at Keeneland.

Presious Passion has turned in a pair of mile drills in advance of the

McKnight, where he will blast away from post 2 with regular pilot Elvis

Trujillo.

Two other contenders are coming off the Sycamore -- Grade 2 star MUSKETIER

(Ger) (Acatenango), who finished third, and multiple Grade 3 scorer FREE FIGHTER

(Out of Place), who wound up seventh. Musketier ran an excellent race in the

Sycamore, considering that he was making only his second start in a year. He

captured the April 23 Elkhorn S. (G2) off a six-month holiday for Roger Attfield,

and was returning from another six-month break in the Sycamore. The

eight-year-old gray also merits respect for finishing runner-up to Gio Ponti

(Tale of the Cat) in a deep renewal of the Man O' War S. (G1) in 2009.

Telling has visited the winner's circle exactly twice in two years, but those

victories came in the past two runnings of the Sword Dancer at Saratoga, and

that's enough to rank him as the 122-pound highweight here. While the Steve

Hobby trainee hasn't been the same horse away from the Spa, the well-bred

six-year-old is still capable of firing a big effort on his day. Telling hasn't

been disgraced in the last two editions of the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic

Invitational (G1) at Belmont, and he takes a class drop in the wake of his sixth

in the November 6 Breeders' Cup Turf at Churchill Downs. The projected fast

pace, and firm ground, should help the closer put his best foot forward. Eibar

Coa, who arguably moved too soon the last time he rode Telling to a sixth in the

July 3 United Nations, regains the mount.

Prince Will I Am, the only three-year-old in the 10-horse field, uncorked a

last-to-first move to take the Jamaica going away on October 9. His visually

impressive score advanced his mark to 3-2-0-1 on turf, but rather than facing a

tough group in the Breeders' Cup Turf, trainer Michelle Nihei opted to revert to

dirt for the 1 3/4-mile Breeders' Cup Marathon (G3). Prince Will I Am was full

of run when angled out abruptly by Javier Castellano, causing a chain reaction

of interference, and setting the stage for the infamous post-race fight with

jockey Calvin Borel in the winner's circle. After crossing the wire a clear

second, Prince Will I Am was disqualified and placed 10th. Nevertheless,

Castellano, who was suspended six days and fined $2,500 for the incident, gets

the return call for the McKnight.

Three entrants last competed in the November 6 Red Smith H. (G2) at Aqueduct

-- runner-up RESCUE SQUAD (Dynaformer) from the Shug McGaughey barn, third BOLD

HAWK (Silver Hawk) and fifth SIMMARD (Dixieland Band), who is a stablemate of

Musketier's from the Attfield barn.

Of the Red Smith trio, Bold Hawk has the most upside. An up-and-coming

sophomore of 2007, the year he won the Hawthorne Derby (G3) and finished third

in the Hollywood Derby (G1), the well-bred gelding was sidelined for almost

three years. Bold Hawk resurfaced to finish an encouraging fourth in an October

13 allowance at Keeneland, and he improved in the Red Smith. The Jimmy Toner

veteran is entitled to do even better in his third start back.

MEMORIAL MANIAC (Lear Fan), the winner of the 1 5/8-mile Stars and Stripes S.

(G3) in course-record time at Arlington on August 21, never landed a blow when

unplaced in the September 19 Northern Dancer Turf S. (Can-G1) and the October 16

Canadian International (Can-G1). Stakes-placed local hope BLACK SCORPION

(Scorpion) takes a big class hike off an optional claiming win.