Aqueduct: Top three from Gotham likely to go in Wood Memorial

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The top three finishers from Saturday’s Grade 3 Gotham Stakes – Samraat, Uncle Sigh, and In Trouble – all seem to have come out of the race in good order and, barring a change of heart or a setback, are expected to return to Aqueduct for the Grade 1, $1 million Wood Memorial on April 5.

Samraat ran his record to 5 for 5 with a neck victory over Uncle Sigh, the same 1-2 finish as in the Grade 3 Withers Stakes here Feb. 1. Uncle Sigh finished a neck in front of In Trouble, who was making his first start since Sept. 29.

Samraat and Uncle Sigh each were assigned a 96 Beyer Speed Figure, while In Trouble got a 95. Samraat ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.44.

On Sunday, Samraat and In Trouble were flown to south Florida, where they have been based most of the winter and will train at the Palm Meadows training center for the Wood. Uncle Sigh will remain at Belmont Park, where he has had to train around inclement weather and inconsistent racetracks.

Rick Violette, the trainer of Samraat, said his horse was “a little tired, but he’s supposed to be” following the Gotham. Violette praised both his horse and jockey Jose Ortiz for their performances Saturday, noting that Samraat conceded seven pounds to Uncle Sigh, and the 20-year-old Ortiz didn’t get overly aggressive with his horse, utilizing just a hand ride to the wire.

“Horse and rider moved up to another level yesterday,” Violette said Sunday. “He won a race he didn’t have to win. I’ve been talking about the weight. When you’re talking [Kentucky] Derby points, you’re not supposed to give weight to other horses – it doesn’t make sense. Fortunately, we overcame it. We were parked three or four wide; he again showed how adaptable he is. He’ll do anything the rider wants. If you want to go, fine. If you want to go into neutral, great.”

Samraat earned 50 points toward qualifying for the Kentucky Derby under a system put in place by Churchill Downs to determine the field should more than 20 horses enter the race.

Violette said Samraat will get an easy week to 10 days before resuming serious training. He said he is looking forward to stretching out to 1 1/8 miles in the Wood, run over an Aqueduct main track on which Samraat won a 7 1/2-furlong allowance race by 5 1/2 lengths last November.

“Frankly, he wants to go longer, so we now might be getting into his sweet spot,” said Violette, who trains Samraat for Len Riggio’s My Meadowview Stable.

Gary Contessa, the trainer of Uncle Sigh, said his horse, for the second straight race, might have been the victim of not being in “the right place at the right time.” In the Withers, he was stuck along the rail. On Saturday, he was in tight between Samraat and In Trouble.

“If you could change position, I think I could have won the race,” Contessa said. “I truly believe I could have got past that horse with a little better position. It’s just the way it materialized.”

[ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY: Prep races, point standings, replays]

Contessa, like Violette, believes his horse will relisth the 1 1/8 miles of the Wood.

“I love the thought of him on the main track at a mile and an eighth,” Contessa said.

In Trouble, who set the pace in the Gotham under Joe Rocco Jr., was beaten a half-length in his first start since Sept. 29 and his first start around two turns. Trainer Tony Dutrow said he believes the effort will move his horse forward for the Wood.

“Obviously, at least to Joe Rocco, I did not have the horse 100 percent,” Dutrow said. “Let’s hope that’s a good thing. Our camp hopes that race puts a couple of lengths in him for the next one.”

While Violette was happy with Samraat’s victory, he was disappointed in the fourth-place finish of Financial Mogul. Violette said the horse might have been too close to a modest early pace, but he was hoping Financial Mogul would finish better. Violette said he might run the horse next on a synthetic surface and mentioned the Spriral Stakes on March 22 at Turfway Park and/or the Blue Grass on April 12 at Keeneland as possibilities.