An inexperienced Gotham field boasts betting intrigue

Viewed through the prism of a Kentucky Derby prep, Saturday’s Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham Stakes comes up lacking. Viewed through the prism of a gambling exercise, the Gotham comes up rather intriguing.

Eight of the 10 entrants come into the race off wins, many in restricted races. None of the 10 have an open-company stakes win on their résumé, and only one has even competed in such a race.

New York-breds Sand Devil and Sacrosanct have combined to win all seven of their races and are likely to take the most wagering dollars. But Sacrosanct may not be the best horse his trainer, Brad Cox, sends out in the one-mile race for 3-year-olds.

Flood Zone won a 6 1/2-furlong maiden race against Florida-breds at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 4. The colt showed good speed to gain a stalking position and did his best running late, clearing off to win by 5 1/4 lengths. He was purchased privately by Wathnan Racing following that race and turned over to Cox, who has worked him three times at Payson Park.

:: KENTUCKY DERBY 2025: Point standings, prep schedule, news, and more

“He’s kind enough in his works and in his gallops. He’s not overly aggressive,” said Cox, whose horses have finished second in the last two runnings of the Gotham. “Based on pedigree, he can handle more ground. The jock that rode him in his previous two starts” – Reylu Gutierrez – “expressed interest in staying on him and the ownership group was content with that. I haven’t seen anything we don’t like about him.”

Sacrosanct went 4 for 4 as a 2-year-old, with three restricted stakes victories. His victory in the $500,000 Great White Way division of New York Stallion Series was only by a head over National Identity, but that horse came back to give probable Gotham favorite Sand Devil all he wanted in the Damon Runyon Stakes three weeks ago.

“I’d say a gutsy performance,” Cox said of the Great White Way. “He fought off a challenger and laid close to a pretty hot pace.”

Cox was pointing Sacrosanct to the Withers Stakes last month, but the horse missed a key workout due to a foot injury.

“We decided we couldn’t do it off missing a work,” Cox said. “We looked at the Saudi Derby as an option, but it was an awful long way to go. We figured we could wait and run in a race with Derby points, and here we are.”

The Gotham offers its top five finishers qualifying points (50-25-15-10-5) toward the May 3 Kentucky Derby.

Sand Devil, trained by Linda Rice, was a handy winner of his first two starts before fending off National Identity to win the seven-furlong Damon Runyon for statebreds by a neck three weeks ago.

“It’s the first time he had to fight for anything,” Rice said. “He probably gained some fitness and experience.”

Sand Devil is coming back in three weeks and Rice, dissatisfied with the Belmont training track, opted not to work the son of Violence between races.

Calling Card returns to Aqueduct, where he won a one-mile maiden race by 17 1/4 lengths on Nov. 17. However, the horses he beat that day are a combined 0 for 14.

Meanwhile, Calling Card went 0 for 2 against open company, finishing third behind Sandman in a first-level allowance at Oaklawn in December and eighth, beaten five lengths by Disco Time, in the Grade 3 Lecomte at Fair Grounds on Jan. 18. Trainer Mike Maker is equipping Calling Card with blinkers for the first time on Saturday.

“Just to get him into the race a little bit more,” Maker explained.

Trainer Chad Brown sends out a son of Uncle Mo in Garamond, a debut winner going 6 1/2 furlongs at Tampa Bay Downs on Jan. 25. After being a bit reluctant to load, Garamond ran a professional race, advancing to the lead while on the inside of horses and then running away from the competition late.

“It’s a big jump from a maiden to a race like the Gotham, but what appealed to me was the timing since his maiden win and the one-turn mile – a nice, gradual stretch-out for him,” Brown said.

Normandy Coast, trained by Eddie Kenneally, is coming off a gutsy first-level allowance win on Jan. 11 at Fair Grounds, his first start off a six-month layoff.

My Mitole wheels back two weeks after winning a starter allowance going a mile at Aqueduct. Trainer Carlos Martin likes the way the horse has been training, as well as his outside post.

McAfee, a half-brother to Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna, won a maiden race and was second in an allowance at Churchill last November. He has twice been scratched by New York veterinarians this winter, including out of the same allowance won by My Mitole two weeks ago.

The Ontario-bred Scorching has won on synthetic and turf. Trainer John Charalambous has had him in New York training over Belmont’s dirt training track since mid-January.

Pagode, a son of Constitution trained by Paulo Lobo, won a 6 1/2-furlog maiden race at Turfway Park in his lone start on Jan. 25.

The Gotham goes as race 8 on a 10-race card that includes the $200,000 Busher for 3-year-old fillies; the Grade 3, $175,000 Tom Fool for older male sprinters; and the $150,000 Stymie Stakes for older males at a mile.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.