Flavien Prat guides Ohana Honor to victory in the Knickerbocker, NYRA Photo
Christian Abdo
Ozone Park, N.Y – West Point Thoroughbreds, Woodford Racing, Edward Hudson, Jr. and Lynne Hudson’s Ohana Honor earned his elusive stakes score in Saturday’s Listed $150,000 Knickerbocker, a nine-furlong outer turf test for 3-year-olds and up, at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Trained by Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey, the 5-year-old Honor Code ridgling, making his ninth stakes attempt and his 19th overall start, enjoyed a ground-saving ride from Flavien Prat, who captured the Grade 3 Jockey Club Oaks aboard Fionn two races earlier among a three-win day.
Ohana Honor entered from a three-length fourth as the favorite under Prat in the 1 1/2-mile Grade 2 Sycamore on October 10 at Keeneland. His last win came with Prat aboard seven starts back in a 1 1/2-mile allowance last April at Keeneland, which he exited to finish second in the 11-furlong Grade 2 Man o’ War here and in a dead-heat for third in the Grade 1 Resorts World Casino Manhattan at Saratoga Race Course.
“He’s been a fun horse to have in the barn,” said Tom Bellhouse, Executive Vice President of West Point Thoroughbreds. “He’s gotten a few breaks here and there over the course of his career but Shug and his team have done an amazing job keeping him fresh – knowing when to start and when to give him a break. Today, he looked like he had it measured the whole way.”
Ohana Honor exited post 4 alertly and settled into fourth position along the inside of Signator and about five lengths off the pace set by Dear Dad through the opening quarter-mile in 22.77 seconds over the firm turf.
Dear Dad, from his rail draw, rattled off splits of 47.20 and 1:11.52 as Ohana Honor continued to save ground from fourth position. In the far turn, Ohana Honor moved off the rail to improve to third position and was quickly reeling in Dear Dad and the stalking Air Recruit.
“I was a bit worried cutting back in distance, but it was great,” said Prat. “The pace was good and he was traveling very well all the way around. He gave me a good kick when I asked him.”
Once straightened for home, Dear Dad and Air Recruit still had a slight advantage, but Prat had Ohana Honor rolling to their outside and jumped to a two-length lead by the stretch call. Naptown and Fuerteventura closed from farther back, but Ohana Honor’s jump was the winning move as he crossed the wire 2 1/4 lengths in front in a final time of 1:48.23.
The Manny Franco-piloted Naptown edged Fuerteventura by three-quarter-lengths for second, with Grade 1-winner Trikari closing from last early for fourth. Air Recruit, Dear Dad, Ohio Joe and Signator completed the order of finish. Main track-only entrant Bank Frenzy was scratched.
“Since he’s been running long, I thought, ‘might as well take him and get going early.’ He gave me a good turn-of-foot,” Prat said of his move in the turn. “The pace was solid, but I loved the way I was traveling. I was not struggling to keep up with the pace, so I thought it was good.”
Bred in Kentucky by Daniel Burke, Ohana Honor, a $430,000 purchase at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, is a half-brother to Grade 1-placed Victim of Love, graded stakes-winner Benner Island, and dual graded-placed High North out of the Grade 2-winning Awesome Again mare Spacy Tracy. His second dam, Tracy, is a half-sister to 1992 Champion 2-Year-Old Filly Eliza.
“We just bought the baby brother out of the mare, Spacy Tracy,” said Bellhouse of Hip 385 at this year’s Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred Yearling Sale. “That mare has been a real producer, so we’re excited. Hopefully, that yearling will follow in his footsteps.”
The bay yearling, by Not This Time, was purchased for $375,000 by West Point Thoroughbreds and DJ Stable.
Ohana Honor banked $82,500 in victory while improving his record to 19-4-5-3 and returning $3.98 for a $2 win bet as the post-time favorite.
Live racing resumes Sunday at the Big A with a nine-race card, featuring the Grade 3, $175,000 Pebbles in Race 3, and the $150,000 Forever Together in Race 7. First post is 12:10 p.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/.
NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Aqueduct Racetrack, and the best way to bet every race of the fall meet. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.
