There was a quiet, heartfelt moment on the backstretch this week, when trainer Sarah Nagle pressed a soft kiss to Knockanara’s nose, whispering encouragement to the gelding who has grown into the pride of her barn. The gentle gesture captured more than affection — it carried the weight of family history. On Saturday, Knockanara steps onto South Florida ground for the first time, bidding to extend a remarkable legacy in the $70,000 Chasing Artie overnight handicap at Gulfstream.
“He’s a really fun horse to have in the barn. He really turned a corner this year,” Nagle said, smiling through the Florida sunshine. “He always shows up, so it’s fun to have him and to watch him develop.”
Knockanara Seeking to Honor His Champion Mother
The 5 ½-furlong Chasing Artie, run on the all-weather Tapeta and open to 3-year-olds and up, supports Saturday’s 11-race program beginning at 12:20 p.m. The feature sits alongside the $75,000 Juvenile Sprint for 2-year-olds over 6 ½ furlongs on the main track.
For Nagle and husband Reid, the race represents more than form and speed figures — it is personal. Knockanara is out of the incredible turf mare Queen Del Valle, who won nine of 12 races, including a flawless five-for-five record at Gulfstream Park and a track-record performance at Woodbine. The mare became a sentimental foundation of the family operation after they claimed her for $25,000 in 2016.
“She was just wonderful for us,” Nagle said. “She’s been a very sentimental part of the family. She won the stake at Gulfstream and took us to Canada to win a stake and set the track record. I’m glad we still have her in the field.”
Turned a Corner and Rising Fast
The now 4-year-old Knockanara, by champion Gun Runner, struggled early, going winless in his first six outings before turning dramatic form around. Since then he has finished third or better in seven straight races, including three consecutive spring-summer turf sprint wins across Mid-Atlantic tracks.
More recently, he has been:
• Second by a nose
• Disqualified to second after finishing first in allowance company
• Third by a half-length in his stakes debut, the six-furlong Turf Sprint Championship at Aqueduct on Nov. 1.
“He’s had throat surgery that seemed to help him quite a bit,” Nagle explained. “We tried him long and our best guess is it’s the throat that stopped him going long. We were sort of at our wit’s end with him and he just kind of got better and better.”
Knockanara breaks from Post 2 under jockey Micah Husbands, and while he enters rated the fourth choice on the morning line at 9-2, confidence is steady within the barn.
“There’s a spot in Maryland at the end of the month, but it’s a long ship if they come off the turf,” Nagle said. “He’ll go on vacation after this. He hasn’t had a break all year. The thought was just to see if he likes Tapeta. He’s in good form and we look more respectable than we thought in there.”
Competitors Set for a Wide-Open Field
The 2-1 favorite And Uwish (Post 7), owned and trained by Joe Orseno, shortens back to one turn after a disappointing mile attempt in September. Winner of the Successful Native in July, he leads a competitive field.
Other contenders include:
• Sosua Summer (Post 3, 5-2) and Roar Ready (Post 5, 20-1), trained by Victor Barboza Jr.
• Asher’s Edge (Post 1, 7-2), recent winner of the Bob Umphrey Sprint
• Big Paradise (Post 4, 12-1), Full Disclosure (Post 6, 15-1), and Neshume (Post 8, 10-1)
The race honors Chasing Artie, a versatile sprinter who captured the 2022 Bob Umphrey Sprint and notable stakes wins in 2021.
As Knockanara steps onto the Tapeta, he carries more than speed — he carries memory, lineage, and the hopes of a family deeply tied to the mare who began it all. If his recent spark continues, Saturday might write another proud chapter.
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