Ocean Knight looking to crash the party in Gotham

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – While the top three finishers from Saturday’s Grade 3 Withers Stakes could very well run back in next month’s Grade 3, $400,000 Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct, that race also looks like the destination for Ocean Knight, undefeated winner of the Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs on Jan. 31.

It was expected that Ocean Knight would make his next start in the Tampa Bay Derby. However, Ocean Knight’s owner, Stonestreet Stables, is also part-owner of the Grade 1 winner Carpe Diem, who is being pointed to the Tampa Bay Derby by trainer Todd Pletcher for his 3-year-old debut. Both the Tampa Bay Derby and Gotham are on March 7.

“If Todd’s pointing there, we’ll probably split them up and might go to the Gotham,” Kiaran McLaughlin, the trainer of Ocean Knight, said Monday from Florida. “We’ll keep him down here in case Todd changes his mind or something happens.”

Both the Gotham and Tampa Bay Derby offer 85 total qualifying points to the top four finishers (50-20-10-5) toward the May 2 Kentucky Derby. Ocean Knight does not have any points.

Ocean Knight, a son of Curlin, already has experience over the inner track at Aqueduct, having won his debut there going six furlongs on Dec. 13. Ocean Knight stretched out successfully and overcame post 11 and a wide trip to win the Sam F. Davis by a neck.

McLaughlin could have two horses in the Gotham, including Classy Class, the third-place finisher in Saturday’s Withers. In the Withers, Classy Class was on the lead early, then got into a protracted pace battle with race favorite El Kabeir, which helped set things up for Far From Over, who despite stumbling at the break rallied to win by 1 3/4 lengths.

McLaughlin said he felt the decision by C.C. Lopez, the rider of El Kabeir, to engage Classy Class early helped set up the race for a closer.

“If Chuckie would have waited a little longer, he might have won and we could have been second,” McLaughlin said. “There was some contact between them throughout the race and it set up well for [Far From Over].”

Classy Class, who was beaten 2 3/4 lengths by Far From Over, will point toward the Gotham but could be re-routed to an allowance race, McLaughlin said.

Meanwhile, Far From Over is expected to stay in New York and be pointed to the Gotham, trainer Todd Pletcher told the Gulfstream Park publicity department on Sunday.

On Sunday, Pletcher’s assistant Byron Hughes said Far From Over came out of the Withers without any physical issue despite his bad stumble at the break.

“He came out of the race very clean, almost surprisingly clean after stumbling as bad as he did,” Hughes said.

El Kabeir, who finished second as the 1-2 favorite in the Withers, came out of the race well, trainer John Terranova said. Terranova made no excuses for the defeat and said the horse will be trained toward the Gotham.