Gotham will answer the question Howgreatisnate?
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Howgreatisnate, undefeated in four starts as a 2-year-old, will make his 3-year-old debut in the Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct on March 4.
Howgreatisnate, based at Parx with trainer Andrew Simoff, won his debut at Delaware Park by 3 3/4 lengths last Aug. 31. Though the race is listed as a maiden $40,000 claimer, Howgreatisnate was able to run without being offered for the claiming price because he was Delaware-certified, meaning he resided in the state of Delaware for 90 days before he was a 2-year-old.
Simoff said he shipped Howgreatisnate to Delaware right after he bought him for $67,000 at the 2021 Keeneland September yearling sale.
Being Delaware-certified made Howgreatisnate eligible for the $100,000 First Dash Stakes, which he won at Delaware Park on Sept. 29. Howgreatisnate won once more at Delaware before taking the Future Stars Stakes at Parx on Dec. 5. His Beyer Figures have been solid, with a range of 78 to 82 in his four starts.
“He hasn’t faced real stiff competition, but he’s done it easy pretty much every time,” said Simoff, who trains Howgreatisnatefor John Guarnere’s Imaginary Stables. “He’s kind of an unknown. He can’t pick what horses he runs against.”
Initially Guarnere wanted Simoff to send Howgreatisnate to Florida for the winter. Instead, Simoff moved him to the Fair Hill training center in Maryland, where the horse has worked four times with one more breeze scheduled for this weekend.
“We figure give him a little break and hopefully, if everything works out, we’ll get a nice spring campaign out of him,” Simoff said.
Howgreatisnate was not made eligible to the Triple Crown when the first deadline closed on Jan. 28 for a fee of $600. Simoff said that was his fault. There is a second deadline, March 27, at which time a $6,000 nomination fee would be due. A win in the one-mile Gotham would earn Howgreatisnate 50 qualifying points to the Kentucky Derby, a total that would virtually guarantee him getting into the race.
“Like I told my owner, if we have to pay the extra [money], that’ll be a great problem to have,” Simoff said. “I told him if we have to pay the extra [$5,400] I’ll pay it.”
Entries don’t close for the Gotham until March 1, but the prospective field includes Arctic Arrogance, Carmel Road, Clubhouse, Eyeing Clover, General Banker, Howgreatisnate, Lugan Knight, Recruiter, Slip Mahoney, and Uncorrelated.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.