The Gotham (Grade 3) (KYD)- $300.000 Purse
AQU- For Three Year Olds
One Mile on the Dirt
March 6, 2021

This is going to be a great weekend for the KYD Chase. Three 50-point races are scheduled for Saturday, so when the dust settles after this weekend, we can really start to look at that KYD point-board to get an idea of who seems to be safe and who is going to need some late-March or April heroics. In this article, we will take a look at the Grade 3 Gotham, a one mile race from AQU. The last two years have seen the Gotham be won by Mb Stables, doing so in 2020 with Socrates and in 2019 with Salar de Uyuni. Socrates never made it to the KYD, as Mb focused on keeping his distance at a mile, at least for that weekend. He did the same thing with Salar de Uyuni in 2019. However, Gotham winners don’t have to run in the Grade 3 Day Mile on the KYD undercard, just look at the 2018 winner. That was Pretty Ferro, who went on to win the KYD. There are twelve going to post for this race, and that includes one of my two favorite three year olds, Pocantico. Perhaps that KYD will be in the cards for a few of these again, but there’s always the Day Mile, as we’ve seen. Let’s look at the field!

#1- Invade The Storm (Saratoga Stud, ridden by P Morales)- The TC Chase can get trainers to make large purchases, and Saratoga Stud has done this before. Invade The Storm was a perfect 2-for-2 under prior trainer Fractious, with a win in the Jerome on New Years Day showing his potential. Saratoga Stud caught notice, and put down $500.000 to acquire him in mid-February. Now, this horse is set to make his debut for his trainer, and we’ll begin to see if that investment pays off. Looks to be a horse that wants to be on or near the lead early, and he is working well.

#2- Canine Rule (Alydar Stables, ridden by D Fukumoto)- Broke his maiden in late November, coming on the grass, and has made just one start since then. It was a great result, as he ran in the $100.000 Winkfield at seven furlongs. He was near the front throughout, and was able to keep a great stride all the way to the wire to get the win. No worries about this one adding the furlong, and I’ll be quite interested to see how he runs in this one.

#3- Pocantico (Smokey Stover, ridden by E Cancel)- The winner of the BC Juvenile will always be followed a little closer this time of year to see if they are continuing to hold their form. Pocantico has made only one start since becoming a BC Champion, and that came last month in the Davis Stakes at TAM, where he led early but tired just enough to slip to fourth. Cutting back to a mile is a good idea for this race, but will he get the KYD distance, or will it be the Mb approach with the Day Mile? Plenty of time to see how this goes!

#4- Debunking Szn (Mb Stables, ridden by F Geroux)- Up to this point, Mb Stables has only run Debunking Szn in LA-bred races, which is why this is not really a widely known horse. Broke his maiden in January, then won a month later in the LAPN Prince. Ran well late in that one, and the trainer hopes more of the same. So far, he is getting great results in the prep races that I have covered.

#5- Holy Water (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by J K Court)- This Man O War gelding has been consistently running well and getting a piece of the purse in the stakes that he has run in. Last month, he ran here in the Withers, and came away with the second place spoils. Also was seen here for the shorter Rego Park for NY-breds, where he was third. He’s always close, too, so more than anything else, Holy Water is looking for a good break to finally get back to the winners circle. Should be in the mix again.

#6- Plan To Wheel (Fractious, ridden by J Lezcano)- Picked up by the trainer last September from Gdp Inc for $150.000, a week after he ran seventh in the Grade 3 With Anticipation. In his second start with Fractious, he won the $75.000 Gold Rush at GG, earning him a chance to run in the Grade 3 Holy Bull. That did not go well, and with Plan To Wheel, he’s looking like one of those horses who either wins or doesn’t show up at this stage of his career.

#7- Viral Breakdown (Aer Stables, ridden by T McCarthy)- This filly is sticking on the KYD trail, which she has certainly justified. She has won four out of her seven races, three coming against her own gender, but made an impression at OP in January when she won the $150.000 Smarty Jones against the boys. A month later, she showed that was not a fluke, running fourth in the Risen Star, and picking up more KYD points. Worked very well here about ten days ago, so she could make another statement here. A five pound weight allowance also comes in handy!

#8- Poor Spaniard (La Canada Racehorses, ridden by D Cohen)- Last month, this No Returns gelding opened some eyes with a good looking second place showing in the Davis Stakes, a race in which he defeated Pocantico. He’s raced five times so far in his career, with two wins, and has always hit the board, so it was nice to see him continue to do that as he was moved first into ungraded stakes, and then into the Davis. A recent mile work is unimpressive, but there has to be a reason for it. Don’t rule this one out!

#9- Dream State (Mb Stables, ridden by F Prat)- After running the majority of his career on the grass, Dream State is heading to the main track in hopes of being the latest strong KYD contender out of this barn. He has been good on the grass, and was third in the BC Juvenile Turf. Since then, he’s been flat, so the timing seems good for a change. Mb has been getting him ready for this race since the Kittens Joy.

#10- Doctors Order (Crocker Ggs, ridden by K Kimura)- Started off 2021 looking good, running second in the Jerome with an emphatic close in the stretch. Later that month, we were waiting to see him make a move in the stretch again in the Holy Bull but it would never materialize. Perhaps now returning to the track where he made that close in the Jerome will get him to show that late run again, or maybe a new tactic will be tried.

#11- Caleb Toothpaste (Night Rider Stables, ridden by J Bravo)- Comes out of a second place finish in the San Vicente last month, where he ran near the front and stayed there until the end. That was encouraging, because his two races before that were anything but impressive. He’s been poor when running a mile or more, but I think the effort in the San Vicente, a seven furlong race, can have us look past those two races and hope for a lot better here. That said, there’s still a lot of work to do here.

#12- Smokin Luka- Scratched

#13- Ulterior Motive (Waldo, ridden by K Carmouche)- Getting into the race with the scratch of Smokin Luka, Ulterior Motive will be here as a first time gelding. He lost the ability to breed a couple weeks ago after running fourth in the Swale Stakes. That was not necessarily a bad performance, but clearly below the expectations of the trainer. Been known for being a pacesetter over his career.

Prediction: 3-5-7-8

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES