Just a Touch could lead large field for Saturday's Gotham Stakes

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - With a berth in the Kentucky Derby virtually assured for the winner and with no clear standout, the field for Saturday’s Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct could border on the maximum 14 when entries are taken Wednesday.

As of Sunday, there were 15 3-year-olds being mentioned as possible for the Gotham, a one-turn-mile race that offers 50 Derby qualifying points to the winner, typically enough to crack the 20-horse Derby field.

Identifying the favorite will be challenging, though there appears to be plenty of buzz around Just a Touch, a son of Justify who won his career debut by 4 1/4 lengths going six furlongs at Fair Grounds on Jan. 27. He is one of four horses trained by Brad Cox who are pointing to the Gotham. The others are Bergen and Air Cav, first and third, respectively, in the Jimmy Winkfield Stakes here on Jan. 27, and Lightline, third as the even-money favorite in the Grade 3 Withers at Aqueduct on Feb. 3.

Bergen, Slider, El Grande O and Antonio of Venice are the only stakes winners among those being mentioned as possibles to run in the Gotham. El Grande O won the Bertram Bongard and Sleepy Hollow against New York-breds at 2. He has finished second in the Jerome and Withers so far this year.

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Antonio of Venice, who is not definite to run, won the Great White Way division of the New York Stallion Series before finishing second in the Rego Park. On Sunday, he worked a half-mile in 49.75 seconds at Belmont Park.

Two Southern California-based horses are expected to ship to New York on Tuesday for Saturday’s Gotham.

Slider, a son of Jimmy Creed trained by John Sadler, won sprints on both dirt and turf as a 2-year-old. He won the Speakeasy Stakes sprinting on turf last year before finishing ninth, beaten 3 1/4 lengths in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint.

Back to dirt to kick off his 3-year-old year, Slider finished third behind Muth in the Grade 2 San Vicente.

“He got away a little bad, [Joel Rosario] used him a little bit early to try and make up to get the lead,” Sadler said. “He ran a good race, just got beat. He’s versatile. He can lay second like the day he broke his maiden.

“For me, this is a quality horse,” Sadler said. “It’s just how far he wants to go.”

Sadler confirmed Slider as a Gotham starter after he worked five furlongs in 59 seconds at Santa Anita, which was the fastest of 121 works at the distance. Sadler said Slider galloped out six furlongs in 1:12.

“It was a good, smart move,” said Sadler, who said he has Jose Lezcano to ride.

Sadler’s lone winner from seven starters at Aqueduct came in the Grade 2 Bay Shore in 1992 with Three Peat. He last ran a horse here in 2014, when Kobe’s Back finished third in the Bay Shore and Kristo ran seventh in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial.

Facenda is the other Southern California-based horse pointing to the Gotham, though that horse has already shipped to Keeneland, where on Friday he had his final work, a five-furlong move in 1:00.60

Facenda, now in Doug O'Neill's barn, won his lone start at Turf Paradise, a 5 1/2-furlong dirt race on Jan. 30. O’Neill said owner William Branch and trainer Luis Mendez asked if he would prepare the son of Violence for the Gotham.

“They’ve always loved the horse, they thought he was going to go wire to wire in his debut in Phoenix, but he broke bad and they had to do something different to get it done,” O’Neill said. “They think he’s a horse with stakes potential and asked if I’d want to train him to the Gotham. Everything we’ve seen so far from him we’ve liked.”

Abel Cedillo, who worked the horse at Keeneland, will ride in the Gotham, O’Neill said.

Others considered definite for the Gotham include Capital Idea and Deterministic from the barn of Christophe Clement, Deposition, Eliminate, and Maximus Meridius.

Among the possible starters are Khanate and the maiden Give Me Liberty. If more than 14 horses, starters are based on condition eligibility. As a maiden, Give Me Liberty would be relegated to the also-eligible list.

Last year, 15 horses entered the Gotham, but with one scratch 14 ran. The race was won by Raise Cain, a 23-1 shot who ultimately finished eighth in the Kentucky Derby.

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