Baffert sending Rockefeller for one-mile Gotham
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Rockefeller, who last fall shipped from Southern California to New York to win the Grade 3 Nashua Stakes at Belmont Park, will again ship cross-country for Saturday’s Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct, trainer Bob Baffert confirmed Monday.
The Gotham, like the Nashua, is run as a one-turn mile.
Rockefeller, a son of Medaglia d’Oro out of the Grade 1-winning mare Dance to Bristol, is 2 for 4 in his career. Both wins have come in races run around one turn. In a pair of two-turn starts, Rockefeller finished fourth behind Corniche – the eventual 2-year-old champion – in the Grade 1 American Pharoah and second to Newgrange in the Grade 3 Sham, a two-turn mile race run on New Year’s Day. Both of those races were at Santa Anita.
“There’s nowhere around here to run him, he’s run well there [in New York] before, I think the one turn for now could be his deal,” Baffert said Monday.
Rockefeller was due to ship to New York via FedEx on Tuesday. He will be ridden by Trevor McCarthy, who won last year’s Gotham with Weyburn, a 46-1 shot.
Because Baffert is currently banned from participating in this year’s Kentucky Derby, Rockefeller would not be eligible to earn any of the 85 qualifying points the Gotham offers its top four finishers (50-20-10-5) toward the Derby on May 7. While the New York Racing Association is currently seeking to ban Baffert from participating at its three tracks, there is no ruling against him at this time, thus he is able to run Rockefeller.
The Gotham could draw a field of nine or 10 when entries are taken and post positions assigned Wednesday. In addition to Rockefeller, others expected for the Gotham include Dean’s List and Golden Code from trainer Todd Pletcher, Eagle In Love, Fromanothamutha, Glider, Morello, Noneedtoworry, and Runninsonofagun. Life Is Great is possible.
Trainer Chad Brown confirmed Monday that Early Voting, the Grade 3 Withers winner, would skip the Gotham and wait for the Wood Memorial.