It's hardly a shock to the system to see an unbeaten New York State-bred step into a wintertime open stakes.
To see two of them in the same graded race?
Welcome to the Gotham Stakes (G3).
While a win in the $300,000 Gotham could lock up a spot in the Kentucky Derby (G1) for the winner, the field of 10 for the March 1 one-turn mile test for 3-year-olds at Aqueduct Racetrack is filled with starters whose Run for the Roses status figures to be in limbo even if they win.
Such is the case with the New York-bred duo of Sacrosanct and Sand Devil, who are a combined 7-for-7 in their careers.
The catch is that neither of them have raced around two turns and, with the Gotham at a flat mile, the chances are slim that the connections will move on to the 1 1/4-mile Kentucky Derby without a two-turn race for their colt.
"If Sacrosanct gives us a good performance and we get a good report from (jockey Manny Franco) we'll probably run him in the (two-turn, 1 1/8-mile) Wood Memorial before we look at the Kentucky Derby," said Brad Cox, who trains Sacrosanct for Lady Sheila Stable, Net Birdie, and Schwing Thoroughbreds.
Having gone 4-for-4 as a juvenile, the son of Honest Mischief will be making his 3-year-old debut in the Gotham after a leg issue eliminated the possibility of running in the Withers Stakes or Saudi Derby (G3).
"He started his career in a big way at 2, and we are hoping he will continue to move forward at 3," Cox said. "We feel he can handle the distance, and he has been training well."
Bred by Burleson Farms, McKenzie Bloodstock, and Sequel Thoroughbreds, Sacrosanct has not raced since taking the $500,000 New York Stallion Series Stakes Dec. 14 at seven furlongs. He won the one-mile Sleepy Hollow Stakes Oct. 27 for state-breds before that.
Dreams Continue for Owners of Gotham Entrant Sacrosanct
Chester Broman Sr.'s homebred Sand Devil is 3-for-3 for trainer Linda Rice. The son of Violence won his three starts by a combined margin of 16 3/4 lengths and captured the Feb. 8 Damon Runyon Stakes at seven furlongs in his last start, though by just a neck at 1-5 odds.
These two 3-year-olds and the other eight starters will be vying for a top prize of 50 Kentucky Derby qualifying points, with 25-15-10-5 points going to the rest of the first five finishers.
Cox will also send out Wathnan Racing's Flood Zone, a private purchase after he notched a 5 1/4-length Jan. 4 Florida-bred maiden win at Gulfstream Park. It was the second career start for the son of Frosted .
"We've breezed him three times, and he's training well enough," Cox said. "He's going from a state-bred maiden win to a stakes, but based on his pedigree, I think he'll stretch out."
Considerable interest will be focused on Black Type Thoroughbreds, Swinbank Stables, Judy Hicks, and Scott Rice's McAfee. Beaten a head in a Churchill Downs starter allowance in his second start for trainer Rick Dutrow Jr., he is by Cloud Computing out of the Uncle Mo mare Sataves, making him a half brother to 2024 Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna.
Thorpedo Anna Half McAfee Takes a Swing in Gotham
Trainer Chad Brown entered Juddmonte's Garamond, a homebred son of Uncle Mo who won his career debut at Tampa Bay Downs.
The high weight in the race at 123 pounds—spotting his rivals 5 pounds apiece—is the rail-drawn Scorching, a dual restricted stakes winner at Woodbine for owners Paul Braverman and Timothy Pinch and trainer John Charalambous.
Aqueduct Racetrack, Saturday, March 1, 2025, Race 8Entries: Gotham S. (G3)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Scorching (ON) Eric Cancel 123 John Charalambous 10/1 2 2Normandy Coast (KY) Ben Curtis 118 Eddie Kenneally 15/1 3 3Calling Card (NY) Kendrick Carmouche 118 Michael J. Maker 6/1 4 4Sacrosanct (NY) Manuel Franco 118 Brad H. Cox 3/1 5 5Sand Devil (NY) Jose Lezcano 118 Linda Rice 9/5 6 6Pagode (KY) Luan Machado 118 Paulo H. Lobo 30/1 7 7Flood Zone (FL) Reylu Gutierrez 118 Brad H. Cox 12/1 8 8McAfee (KY) Lane J. Luzzi 118 Richard E. Dutrow, Jr. 10/1 9 9Garamond (KY) Javier Castellano 118 Chad C. Brown 8/1 10 10My Mitole (KY) Luis R. Rivera, Jr. 118 Carlos F. Martin 15/1
