OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Trainer Ben Colebrook gave jockey Jose Lezcano a leg up on Raise Cain in the Aqueduct paddock, made a quick pitstop in the film theater and then jumped into an Uber headed to John F. Kennedy Airport before the horses went to post for Saturday’s Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham Stakes. After all, whatever was to happen in the race was now out of his control and he needed to be at Turfway Park Saturday night to saddle Scoobie Quando in the John Battaglia Memorial Stakes. Despite breaking from post 11 in a 14-horse field, Raise Cain was able to save ground for a good portion of the trip under Lezcano, then, despite having to steady at the quarter pole, regained his stride and rallied four-wide in the stretch to win the Gotham by 7 1/2 lengths at muddy Aqueduct. Slip Mahoney, last down the backstretch, rallied nine-wide in the stretch under Trevor McCarthy to get second by 1 1/2 lengths over General Banker, who nosed out Eyeing Clover for third. Clear the Air was fifth, followed by Mr. Swagger, Lugan Knight, Carmel Road, Radio Red, Transect, Recruiter, Uncorrelated and Clubhouse. Howgreatisnate stumbled badly at the start, unseating jockey J.D. Acosta. Howgreatisnate ultimately came up to lead this field, forcing several riders to go about their job cautiously. J.D. Acosta, who got kicked in the helmet, was okay. Howgreatisnate also appeared to escape the stumble unharmed. :: Bet the races on DRF Bets! Sign up with code WINNING to get a $250 Deposit Match, $10 Free Bet, and FREE DRF Formulator.  The victory for Raise Cain was his second from six starts and earned him 50 qualifying points toward the May 6 Kentucky Derby. “I think you have to consider him because I don’t think distance is a problem,” Colebrook, who arrived in New York Friday, said by phone as his Uber pulled up to JFK. “He’s just so laid back. He’s just getting better and better.” Colebrook had high praise for the ride given by Lezcano, who picked up the mount only when his scheduled ride, Arctic Arrogance, was held out of the race due to a virus. Raise Cain was coming out of a fifth-place finish in the Leonatus Stakes run over Turfway Park’s synthetic surface. The race before that, however, Raise Can finished second in the Gun Runner Stakes on dirt at Fair Grounds. Lezcano said he watched the replay of that race and felt he was riding a horse with a chance in the Gotham. The Gotham had plenty of speed in it and when the horses ran away from him early, Lezcano adeptly guided his horse into the three-path down the backside. Early on, he was inside of the loose horse, who ultimately left him to join the leaders. Around the far turn, Lezcano had Raise Cain on the rail but approaching the quarter pole he had to steady behind a tiring Mr. Swagger. “I had to check a little bit and go around him, but my horse did it very easy,” Lezcano said. “He’s a very light horse. When I asked him he got right back into the race.” Turning for home, Carmel Road, who had attended the pace which included a half-mile in 45.53 seconds, had a brief lead over Eyeing Clover, both right behind the loose horse. Lezcano was able to get Raise Cain into the fourth path and he took the lead at the eighth pole. Though he was late changing leads, Raise Cain drew away from the field. Raise Cain, a son of Violence owned by Andrew and Rania Warren, completed the mile in 1:38.09 in the mud and returned $49 as the ninth choice. He earned a 90 Beyer Speed Figure. “It was a big-time race,” Colebrook said. “He always acted like he had it in him. For whatever reason, he hadn’t had the right setup and man what a ride.” Slip Mahoney, who had been on the pace in his maiden win here on Jan. 21, found himself last early under Trevor McCarthy, but he rallied widest of all in the stretch to get the place and 20 Derby qualifying points. McCarthy, riding Slip Mahoney for the first time, said his horse didn’t break well and, with the track tending to favor closers, he opted to bide his time. “I had to make a wide rally, there were just so many horses backing up in front of me, but he seemed to finish really well and that was probably the better of the track anyway out there,” McCarthy said. The New York-bred General Banker rallied from 12th to finish third for the third consecutive Derby points-scoring race on this circuit and now has 24 qualifying points. Ferraro said he told jockey Frankie Pennington to lay just off the speed. When told he was next-to-last for the first half-mile, Ferraro said “Well, there was a lot of speed in this race. … The horse just keeps improving. Hopefully, we get a muddy racetrack next time.” The next Derby points races on this circuit is the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial here on April 8. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.