Gotham serves as first clash between undefeated New York-breds

Feb 24, 2025 Vance Hanson/Brisnet.com

Whether excellence in the New York-bred ranks will reproduce itself in open company is one of the main storylines heading into the $300,000 Gotham (G3) at Aqueduct on Saturday.

The Gotham, a one-mile Road to the Kentucky Derby series prep, has attracted a field of 10. The top five across the wire will earn Derby qualifying points of 50-25-15-10-5.

Sand Devil and Sacrosanct have been dominant players in the state-restricted ranks, yet the Gotham will mark their first meeting. The Linda Rice-trained Sand Devil is 3-for-3, including a hard-fought win in the Feb. 8 Damon Runyon S. over seven furlongs.

Sacrosanct, meanwhile, enters the Gotham off a layoff dating to mid-December. However, the Brad Cox trainee was plenty busy at two winning all four starts, three of which were in stakes.

Cox has another entry in the Gotham. Flood Zone, a son of Frosted, steps up in class of a 5 1/4-length maiden win against Florida-bred company at Gulfstream.

There are plenty of other stakes newcomers in the Gotham, too, Normandy Coast was a last-out allowance winner at Fair Grounds, improving his record to 2-for-3. My Mitole dominated allowance foes over the Gotham track and distance last month, while the Rick Dutrow-trained McAfee missed by a head in a Churchill Downs starter allowance when last seen in November.

Juddmonte homebred Garamond won at first asking for trainer Chad Brown at Tampa Bay Downs in late January, while Calling Card was a non-threatening eighth in a slow edition of the Lecomte (G3) last time. Scorching and Pagode are synthetic specialists hoping to reproduce similar form on dirt.

Nine three-year-old fillies were entered for the $250,000 Busher S., a one-mile Kentucky Oaks (G1) qualifier with points of 50-25-15-10-5 up for grabs to the top five finishers.

Volleyballprincess, who landed the seven-furlong Ruthless S. by 10 lengths in her latest start, faces multiple graded-placed Liam in the Dust and Busanda S. third Sharp Smile, among others.

Post time for the Busher is 3:47 p.m. ET, with the Gotham right after at 4:18 p.m. Both races can be watched and wagered on at TwinSpires.com.