Steve Davidowitz’s Gotham Stakes analysis

Grade 3, $500,000 Gotham Stakes, 1 1/16 miles, Aqueduct inner track, March 1

(50 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the winner, 20 for second, 10 for third, 5 for fourth.)

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.

This time, they were joined by In Trouble, who was making his first start since winning the six-furlong, Grade 2 Futurity at Belmont Park on Sept. 29. In Trouble had shipped up from the Palm Meadows training center in Florida for this race, his first try around two turns.

In Trouble broke well from his inside post and set evenly paced fractions through six furlongs in 1:12.30 while holding short leads over Uncle Sigh and Samraat.

Uncle Sigh was pressing the pace a half-length behind In Trouble while holding down the two path. Samraat was another length behind and to the outside of Uncle Sigh as the trio stayed clearly ahead of Financial Mogul and Deceived, who would pose no threat while giving way on the final turn.

Coming into the stretch, the leading trio was on nearly equal terms, and the margin separating those contenders was never more than a few feet all the way to the wire.

As he did in the Withers, Samraat took a slight lead approaching the final furlong while slightly bumping Uncle Sigh, who was caught between Samraat and In Trouble but gamely stayed in the race to the wire. In Trouble also fought back along the rail to hold his position while somewhat compromised racing inside the other two.

[ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY: Prep races, point standings, replays]

In the span of four weeks, Uncle Sigh has dueled with Samraat in two hard-fought races at 1 1/16 miles. While unable to win either, Uncle Sigh had uncomfortable trips that compromised his chances. Last time, he was pinned along the inside. This time, he was in a horse sandwich between Samraat and In Trouble. Lacking the room to be ridden properly, Uncle Sigh did well to take second away from In Trouble in the final yards, never giving up at any stage of the race.

Samraat, now undefeated in five career starts and another who trains at Palm Meadows, raced widest of the three, but the loss of ground was inconsequential. Racing in the clear, he actually had a tactical advantage but deserves credit for winning the three-way stretch battle without feeling the sting of jockey Jose Ortiz’s whip. Samraat’s final time was 1:44.44, which earned him a 96 Beyer Speed Figure, two points above his mark in the Withers.

In Trouble also deserves credit for such a good effort after an absence due to injury. He set the pace under pressure and fought hard all the way home. As a grandson of two-time Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Tiznow, In Trouble should appreciate the 1 1/8 miles of the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct on April 5. That is where the Gotham’s top trio likely will face several high-profile horses shipping in from Florida and possibly California and Arkansas.

As for the rest, Harpoon had a very wide trip for his fifth-place finish, but every horse except the top three will need significant improvement to be threats in the next round of Triple Crown preps.

Next: The Tampa Bay Derby at Tampa Bay Downs and the San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita, both Grade 2 events this Saturday.