Za Approval Aims for Knickerbocker Repeat

Multiple grade III winner Za Approval will try to win a second straight edition of the $200,000 Knickerbocker Stakes (gr. IIIT) when he starts in the 1 1/8-mile turf race Oct. 11, at Belmont Park.

The Live Oak Plantation homebred enters Saturday's race off his first victory of the season, a 1 3/4-length score in the $100,000 Real Courage Stakes, a seven-furlong turf test Sept. 7 at Belmont. Trained by Christophe Clement, Za Approval, by Ghostzapper  , has won half of his six career starts on the Belmont turf courses, including a 1 1/4-length victory over Plainview in last year's Knickerbocker.



Plainview, by Street Cry  , also is entered in this year's Knickerbocker field of nine older horses (including Easter Gift for the main track only). The front-runner comes off a third in Cliff Hanger Stakes (gr. IIIT) at Monmouth Park Aug. 24 behind Knickerbocker entrant Winning Cause.

While Za Approval will be running out of his home barn, reigning Canadian Horse of the Year Up With the Birds will make the trip from his Woodbine base for a start. A Sam-Son Farm homebred, Up With the Birds enters off a fourth-place finish in the Arlington Million Stakes (gr. IT). Two starts ago, he cruised to victory in the Nijinsky Stakes (Can-IIT) at Woodbine, where Za Approval finished fifth.

Trained by Malcolm Pierce, Up With the Birds will be looking for the seventh stakes win of his career. The 4-year-old son of Stormy Atlantic   boasts wins in last year's Jamaica Handicap (gr. IT) and Breeders' Stakes, a Canadian classic.

Clement also entered Speaking of Which, an Irish-bred 5-year-old for Moyglare Stud who has not raced since scoring from off the pace in the Monmouth Stakes (gr. IIT) June 8.