Samraat and Uncle Sigh are two extremely game New York-breds with graded stakes talent. They demonstrated that while battling each other throughout the Grade 3 Withers Stakes on Aqueduct’s winterized inner oval at 1 1/16 miles on Feb. 1. On Saturday, at the same track and distance, they again proved their tenacity with similar, if not more impressive, performances in the Grade 3 Gotham Stakes.
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.
Champion Will Take Charge and Southwest Stakes winner Tapiture put in works Sunday at Oaklawn Park before rain moved into the area and temperatures dropped. The track was rated “fast” for workouts Sunday.
The mutuel field, the 24th or “all others” option, closed in its familiar spot as the favorite in Pool 3 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which closed Saturday following a three-day run.
Two hours before boarding a plane bound for California to attend the Barretts sales, trainer Todd Pletcher was standing in the Gulfstream Park winner’s circle with his latest graded stakes winner, Gala Award, who rallied to a half-length victory over the late-running Mr Speaker in Saturday’s $150,000 Palm Beach Stakes.
Trainer Nick Zito didn’t have a top 3-year-old in his barn this winter. So he went out and bought Spot, who returned quick dividends for his new connections when he rallied to an impressive 2 1/2-length victory over 2-5 favorite No Nay Never in Saturday’s $200,000 Swale Stakes at Gulfstream Park.
Samraat and Uncle Sigh removed any lingering doubt about their Kentucky Derby credentials, while the late-starting In Trouble proved himself worthy of joining the Triple Crown trail as that trio finished two necks apart in a thrilling renewal of the Grade 3, $500,000 Gotham Stakes Saturday at Aqueduct.
Trainer Wayne Catalano caught a flight Saturday from New Orleans to Cincinnati, and it was worth the trip. His uncoupled 3-year-olds, Solitary Ranger and Poker Player, swept the top two spots in the 32nd running of the $100,000 John Battaglia Memorial Stakes at Turfway Park.
The mutuel field, the 24th or “all others” option, closed in its familiar spot as favorite in Pool 3 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which concluded Saturday following a three-day run.
Cairo Prince continued his preparations for the $1 million Florida Derby on March 29 by working five furlongs in 59.95 in company with Long River at Palm Meadows on Saturday.
