Mischevious Alex takes on solid cast in Gotham

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – As a race, Saturday’s Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct is solid. It drew a healthy 11-horse field with a legitimate favorite in Mischevious Alex and a host of intriguing, albeit less accomplished, challengers.

As a Kentucky Derby prep, the Gotham, run as a one-turn mile, will likely prove inconsequential. The winner earns 50 qualifying points, virtually guaranteeing a spot in the new 20-stall Churchill Downs starting gate on the first Saturday in May. However, each of the past 13 winners of the Gotham has been entered in the Kentucky Derby, and none has won. Three of those 13, including 2019 Gotham winner Haikal, were scratched before the race, with Samraat’s fifth in 2014 the best finish. Secretariat in 1973 was the last to win both the Gotham and Kentucky Derby.

Mischevious Alex enters the Gotham off a seven-length victory in the Grade 3 Swale at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 1. He was part of the early pace, then ran away from his seven rivals, including two – Necker Island and Untitled – who are back in the Gotham. The Swale was the second consecutive open-lengths victory by Mischevious Alex, both since trainer John Servis added blinkers. In his race before the Swale, Mischevious Alex won the Parx Juvenile by 9 3/4 lengths in November.

“I thought he needed the blinkers all along. I was giving him the chance to mature on his own and figure it out,” said Servis, who trains Mischevious Alex for Cash Is King and LC Racing. “When I put the blinkers on him, he worked really good. He ran really good in the Parx race, which ended up being a pretty good race.”

Entering the Swale, Servis said he expected Mischevious Alex “to run real good.”

“He ran lights out,” Servis said.

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Though Mischevious Alex has been on or vying for the lead in his last two wins, Servis said, “He’ll do whatever you want.”

Mischevious Alex, the 123-pound highweight, will break from post 6 under Kendrick Carmouche.

Untitled got bounced around in the Swale, otherwise he most likely would have been part of the early pace. Instead, he was a bit headstrong in behind horses and finished fourth. Provided that Untitled breaks well Saturday from post 10 under Junior Alvarado, trainer Mark Casse expects “he’ll be up in the mix.”

“The good thing about that is Junior can pick where he wants to be,” Casse said.

Though this will be Untitled’s third race in five weeks, Casse believes the son of Khozan “has thrived” since his runner-up finish to Gouverneur Morris in a Feb. 14 allowance at Tampa Bay Downs.

Attachment Rate, a son of Hard Spun, is coming off a 6 1/2-length victory going a one-turn mile in the slop at Gulfstream on Feb. 15. Before that he ran a solid second to Market Analysis over a fast track. Attachment Rate was floated extremely wide turning into the stretch in that maiden race.

“They were both nice races,” trainer Dale Romans said. “If he shows up, he’ll be difficult to beat.”

Luis Saez rides Attachment Rate from post 4.

Necker Island got off slowly and raced wide in the Swale, finishing fifth. The Stan Hough trainee ended his 2-year-old season with consecutive wins going seven furlongs at Churchill Downs.

After a disastrous debut at Laurel Park, Montauk Traffic has bounced back with two wins at Aqueduct, including a 1 1/2-length score in the Jimmy Winkfield Stakes going seven furlongs. He figures to be coming late under Jose Lezcano.

“There should be some pace in there. That’ll certainly help our chances,” said trainer Linda Rice, who also sends out First Deputy, a winner of two straight New York-bred races.

Sixto, a son of Curlin, looked good winning his only start, a six-furlong maiden race here on Jan. 30. War Stopper earned a gaudy 93 Beyer Speed Figure for a four-length front-running victory going a one-turn mile here on Jan. 11 and has been pointed to this ever since by trainer Rudy Rodriguez.

Completing the field are Flap Jack, who has not run since winning the Arlington-Washington Futurity last September; Celtic Striker, an allowance winner at Parx on Feb. 8; and Informative, a maiden winner here on Feb. 8.

The Gotham goes as the last on a 10-race card that begins at 1:30 p.m. and includes the Grade 3, $200,000 Tom Fool for sprinters, the $250,000 Busher Invitational for 3-year-old fillies, and the $125,000 Stymie Stakes for older males going a mile.

The Busher and Gotham are part of an all-stakes cross-country pick-5 wager that includes the Florida Oaks and Tampa Bay Derby from Tampa Bay Downs and the Honeybee from Oaklawn. The Gotham will be shown live during a 90-minute broadcast on Fox Sports 2 beginning at 5:30 p.m. Eastern.