Horse racing has long been known for its ability to attract and unite a wide variety of participants from all walks of life, even those that you wouldn’t normally expect to be involved in the sport.

William L. McKnight was a businessman with the ability to succeed in whatever enterprise drew his attention. When he was 20 years old, he was hired by the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co. to serve as an assistant bookkeeper. But within a decade, his business and financial skills had helped him rise to the rank of vice president, and his ascent didn’t stop there. Roles as president and chairman of the board eventually followed, and along the way the company garnered a new, shorter name: 3M. If you’ve ever used Scotch Tape or Post-It notes, you can thank McKnight, for these products were invented by the research scientists at 3M.

Having achieved phenomenal success in business (in the process becoming one of the richest men in the United States), McKnight found himself drawn to Thoroughbred horse racing and wished to get involved in a major way. Knowing that he needed help from someone with experience in the sport, McKnight hired future Hall of Fame trainer John Nerud in 1957 to serve as his trainer, manager, and partner. Together, McKnight and Nerud would build an empire that extends an influence on the sport to this day.

Dr. Fager (Jim Raftery/Blood-Horse photo)

Racing under the name of Tartan Stable, and with a sprawling breeding farm named Tartan Farm backing them up, McKnight and Nerud achieved almost immediate success. Thanks in part to an inexpensive mare named Aspidistra (a birthday gift to McKnight by some of the 3M employees), Tartan Farm was making headlines at a national level within a decade.

Aspidistra proved to be nothing short of legendary as a broodmare, producing the decorated Tartan champions Dr. Fager and Ta Wee. Dr. Fager was the first to reach the races, winning five championships and shattering track and world records to stamp himself as one of the greatest racehorses of all time. The filly Ta Wee picked up right where Dr. Fager left off, winning two championships of her own during a career that led to a spot in the Racing Hall of Fame.

By establishing Tartan Farm as a leading breeding farm, McKnight and Nerud helped strengthen the Thoroughbred breeding industry in Florida. Dr. Fager played a major role in that success, for in addition to being a Florida-bred, he stood at Tartan Farm in retirement, becoming the leading sire of 1977 while siring the champions Dearly Precious and Dr. Patches, the latter a Tartan Farms homebred.

To put it simply, William McKnight’s contributions to horse racing were immense, perhaps even comparable with his achievements in business. To honor his contributions to Florida’s Thoroughbred industry, Calder Race Course inaugurated the W. L. McKnight Handicap in 1973, and the race (now a Grade 3 held at Gulfstream Park) has been held every year since then.

The 2017 W. L. McKnight Handicap will be run on Jan. 28 as part of a spectacular day of racing at Gulfstream Park that will also include the Grade 1, $12 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational. Gulfstream will also pay homage to a couple of other memorable racing stars of the past – let’s take a look at some of the legends behind this week’s race names!

Grade 3 La Prevoyante Handicap at Gulfstream Park

It’s very rare for a 2-year-old Thoroughbred to win Horse of the Year honors, so it’s almost impossible to imagine that in 1972, 2-year-olds finished 1-2 in the voting! The winner was the legendary Secretariat, while the runner-up was La Prevoyante, a Canadian-bred filly who went unbeaten in 12 starts during a sensational campaign, including virtually every significant stakes race in her division. She eventually packed 39 starts into three years of racing (an average of 13 races per year!) while winning 25 times to become one of Canada’s greatest champions.

Grade 3 Hurricane Bertie Stakes at Gulfstream Park

Bernard Flint has trained many talented horses during his 45-year career, but perhaps none more accomplished than Hurricane Bertie. A talented female sprinter back before her division had its own Breeders’ Cup race, Hurricane Bertie frequently traveled the country and competed at 11 racetracks in six different states. Perhaps her biggest win came in the 2000 Grade 3 Princess Rooney Handicap, which became a Grade 1 race just six years later.

Grade 3 John B. Connally Turf Cup at Sam Houston Race Park

This 1 1/2-mile turf race is named in honor of politician John Bowden Connally, Jr., who served as governor of Texas from 1963 through 1969. During his lengthy political career, Connally also held roles as secretary of the Navy and secretary of the treasury. He was wounded during the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on Nov. 22, 1963 while traveling in a motorcade with President Kennedy, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, and his wife, Nellie, through the streets of Dallas.

Gander Stakes at Aqueduct

While he never had the good fortune to win a Grade 1 race, Gander was a tough-as-nails New York-bred gelding who compiled an impressive record from 1998 through 2004. A speedy front-runner who liked nothing better than playing “catch me if you can,” Gander’s biggest win came in the 2001 Grade 2 Meadowlands Cup Handicap, but he also ran second in the 2000 Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup and competed in two renewals of the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Gander’s career was brought to a premature end when he broke a pastern bone while training at Saratoga, but dedicated veterinary care helped Gander recover, and less than a year later he retired to live at historic Runnymede Farm in New Hampshire.