Air Recruit on good campaign into Listed Knickerbocker

Mark B. Grier’s Air Recruit is 2-for-3 this year and will look to return to his winning ways in Saturday’s Listed $150,000 Knickerbocker, a nine-furlong outer turf test for 3-year-olds and up, at Aqueduct Racetrack. 

Trained by Arnaud Delacour, the 4-year-old Air Force Blue gelding looks to rebound from an off-the-board result last out in the one-mile Grade 3 Mint Millions on September 6 at Kentucky Downs. Air Recruit was previously 2-for-2 in 2025, capturing a 1 1/16-mile optional claimer in July at Colonial Downs ahead of a nose score over There Are No Words in the 1 1/16-mile Oceanport in August at Monmouth Park.

“We freshened him up a little bit after Kentucky Downs,” said Delacour. “We had to ship there and then have had this race on target.”

In both scores this year, Air Recruit traveled forwardly-placed, earning a career-best 92 Beyer Speed Figure when setting the pace in the Colonial optional claimer. 

“He’s got a lot of tactical speed. We are going to try to use it to his advantage,” said Delacour of Air Recruit, who stretches beyond 1 1/16-miles for the first time.

Air Recruit returned this year from a more than 20-month layoff dating to a pacesetting 3 1/4-length seventh in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf in November 2023 at Del Mar. The chestnut made that race through a dominant score in the 1 1/16-mile Laurel Futurity and a third in Colonial’s 5 1/2-furlong Rosie’s. 

“He was breezing very well for his return this year,” Delacour said. “We quite liked him back when we had to stop on him. I liked him enough to go in the Breeders’ Cup and he got beat just about three lengths after he went a little quick in front. I’ve always thought he was a nice horse.”

Bred in Kentucky by Springhouse Farm, Air Recruit [post 7, Dylan Davis], a $105,000 purchase at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Select Yearling Sale, is a half-brother to graded stakes-placed Howling Time out of the winning Arch mare Werewolf. 

Amerman Racing’s Trikari [post 3, John Velazquez] won the 1 3/16-mile Grade 1 Belmont Derby last July here. Trained by Graham Motion, the 4-year-old Oscar Performance ridgling exited to win the one-mile Grade 2 Secretariat the following month at Colonial Downs, which represents his last win seven starts back. 

Trikari has earned over $1.4 million through a 14-5-1-4 record, racing four times this year with three thirds, including in the Grade 1 Maker’s Mark Mile in April at Keeneland, the Prince George's County in June at Laurel Park, and last out in a local 1 3/16-mile optional claimer on October 17. 

Trikari, bred in Kentucky by Michael A Slezak and Amy Boll, is out of the Motion-trained graded stakes-winner Dynamic Holiday and was a $27,500 purchase at the 2022 OBS October Yearling Sale. 

West Point Thoroughbreds, Woodford Racing, Edward Hudson, Jr. and Lynne Hudson’s Ohana Honor [post 4, Flavien Prat] boasts a field-best 100 Beyer Speed Figure for a dead-heat for third in last year’s Grade 1 Manhattan at Saratoga Race Course. Trained by Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey, the 5-year-old Honor Code dark bay seeks his first win since a 1 1/2-mile Keeneland allowance last April under returning rider Flavien Prat.

Ohana Honor enters from a three-length fourth as the favorite in the 1 1/2-mile Grade 2 Sycamore on October 10 at Keeneland, where the upset winner Desvio exited to run third to the McGaughey-trained Cugino in the Grade 2 Red Smith here. Ohana Honor is 18-3-5-3 all-time with $553,897 in earnings. 

Rounding out the field are stakes-winners Ohio Joe [post 5, Anthony Salgado] for trainer Louis Linder, Jr. and Signator [post 6, Julio Hernandez, blinkers ON] for trainer Panagiotis Synnefias; stakes-placed Naptown [post 8, Manny Franco] for conditioner Jose Magana; as well as a pair for trainer Antonio Arriaga in graded stakes-placed Fuerteventura [post 2, Ruben Silvera] and Dear Dad [post 1, Jaime Rodriguez].

Bank Frenzy is entered for the main track-only. 

The Knickerbocker is slated as Race 9 on Saturday’s 10-race card, which also features the Grade 3, $350,000 Jockey Club Oaks in Race 7. First post is 11:40 a.m. Eastern.  

America’s Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of the Aqueduct Racetrack fall meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule/.

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