OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Good horses make you wait, the adage goes, and the connections of Light Man hope that holds true. Light Man, a 4-year-old gelding by Central Banker who debuted early in his 2-year-old season, makes just his third career start Thursday at Aqueduct. Light Man runs in race 8, the second of two divisions of a New York-bred first-level allowance at one mile that are co-featured on the eight-race program as Thursdays – and the four-day race week – return to the New York Racing Association calendar. This card is a make-up date following two weather-related cancellations in January. Light Man, trained by Bruce Levine, won his debut by 3 3/4 lengths at Saratoga in July 2022. His next start came 18 months later when he finished second at this condition Jan. 27. The third- and fourth-place finishers from that race have come back to win, including Donegal Surges, who registered an 89 Beyer Speed Figure on Saturday. :: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets. Levine said Light Man got sick shortly after his debut. Then he needed time off for a bone chip, then had two instances of bone bruising. Last summer, Levine said, Light Man’s hock blew up so big that Light Man nearly died. “He almost foundered, it was a nightmare,” said Levine, who trains Light Man for Rich Schulhoff. Levine credited the care Light Man received at Patty Hogan’s clinic in central New Jersey. Though Levine believes Light Man has a more “sprint-oriented pedigree,” jockey Manny Franco felt otherwise after his last race. “Manny said run this horse long,” Levine said. He appeared to handle a muddy track in his comeback race, which should bode well for Light Man as conditions could be similar Thursday. The horse to beat in this heat is Clever Forever, who turns back to a one-turn mile, the configuration at which he won two starts back with blinkers added by trainer Todd Pletcher. Dr. Kraft is only 1 for 13 but was beaten just a neck in his last two starts at this condition. His lone win came over a muddy Aqueduct track in January 2023. Amedeus Music, who runs in the other division of this condition, which goes as race 5, has caught wet tracks in three of his last five starts. In October, he finished second to Mama’s Gold in this condition. Four weeks ago, he won a $16,000 starter allowance by 4 1/4 lengths over a sloppy main track. Amedeus Music has gotten away slow from the gate in several of his starts, but makes up for it with a sustained rally. “After an eighth of a mile, he gets himself in stride,” trainer Horacio De Paz said. “He’s one of those horses that once he gets going, you stay out of his way.” Trevor McCarthy rides Amedeus Music from post 3. Union Fleet, in from Laurel for trainer Jose Magana, is coming off an open-company win Feb. 17 at Laurel. Rose’s Pepino, in from Charles Town for trainer Robert Inman, is 4 for 8 over a wet track. Refuah, who has 11 seconds and one win from 21 lifetime starts, also is in this field. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.