Photo:

Jason Moran / Eclipse Sportswire

Saturday’s Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham Stakes drew a field of 10 3-year-olds who will run the one-turn mile. The Gotham is the fifth of six stops on the New York road to Kentucky Derby 2025, and 50-25-15-10-5 qualifying points are available to the top five finishers.

All but one of the Gotham field will make their first appearance on the Kentucky Derby trail. Featured in the race are a pair of undefeated, stakes-winning New York-breds who are making their first start against open company.

Here is the full-field analysis for the Gotham with morning-line odds by the Horse Racing Nation staff. The Gotham is scheduled as race 8 of 10 with post time set for 4:18 p.m. EST.

1. Scorching, 10-1. Mo Town – John Charalambous / Eric Cancel – 3: 2-1-0 – $210,877. Scorching is an Ontario-bred who had three starts at Woodbine last year. He debuted in July at 35-1 and finished second. He broke his maiden in a stakes race that was run on the synthetic surface and was restricted to horses who were foaled in Canada. In October he was moved up to first through disqualification in a stakes for Canadian foals, but this time he stretched out to 1 1/16 miles and raced on the turf. Since Woodbine closed for the winter, he resumed his training at Belmont in January. Win contender.  

2. Normandy Coast, 12-1. Omaha Beach – Eddie Kenneally / Ben Curtis – 3: 2-0-0 – $83,600. Normandy Coast broke his maiden with a front-end effort in his second try, which was at Ellis Park in July as the favorite in a field of nine going seven furlongs. In January, he won a six-furlong allowance with a stalking trip at Fair Grounds, where he has been training. Live long shot.

3. Calling Card, 15-1. Complexity – Michael Maker / Kendrick Carmouche – 5: 1-1-1 – $75,350. Calling Card is a New York-bred who made his first three starts against state-breds. He began with two on turf and then won at Aqueduct by 17 lengths going a mile. At Oaklawn, Calling Card was third in an allowance and then was eighth in the Lecomte (G3) on the Derby trail. Toss.

4. Sacrosanct, 7-2. Honest Mischief – Brad Cox / Manny Franco – 4: 4-0-0 – $503,250. Sacrocsanct is undefeated in four New York-bred races by a combined 17 lengths each time as the favorite. He broke his maiden at Saratoga and then moved out to seven furlongs in a stakes race at Aqueduct to win by 12-lengths after setting all of the fractions. Sacrosanct added another stakes, this time going a mile in October. In his final race as a 2-year-old, seven challengers showed up at the Big A and he won a prolonged duel by a head after cutting back to seven furlongs. This will be his first start of the year and first against open company. Win contender.

5. Sand Devil, 3-1. Violence – Linda Rice / Jose Lezcano – 3: 3-0-0 – $151,800. Sand Devil is an undefeated New York-bred with three victories at Aqueduct since December. He won a maiden and an allowance by a combined margin of more than 16 lengths after sitting just behind the leader. Sand Devil became a stakes winner in February after holding on gamely to win a battle down the stretch. Win contender.

6. Pagode, 20-1. Constitution – Paulo Lobo / Luan Machado – 1: 1-0-0 – $46,953. Pagode was a debut winner at Turfway Park on the synthetic track when he rallied from behind down the stretch to get up and win by a nose after racing on the wrong lead. He beat a field of 11 with odds of 6-1. Toss.

7. Flood Zone, 8-1. Frosted – Brad Cox / Reylu Gutierrez – 2: 1-1-0 – $38,800. Flood Zone ran against fellow Florida-breds at Gulfstream Park and broke his maiden in his second race. He won after pressing the pace and drew off to win by more than five-lengths after finishing second in his first start. Then Flood Zone moved to the barn of Brad Cox and now will face open company for the first time, stretch out in distance and try this graded stakes on the Derby trail. Toss.

8. McAfee, 4-1. Cloud Computing – Rick Dutrow / Lane Luzzi – 2: 1-1-0 – $68,880. McAfee comes from the breeder of Thorpedo Anna and is a half-brother to the 2024 horse of the year. He sold for $40,000 at the Keeneland September yearling sale in 2023. He broke his maiden at Churchill Downs at first asking in a race that was restricted to horses who sold at auction for less than $50,000. McAfee moved up to finish second by a head in a starter allowance in a small field of six going a one-turn mile. He has been training at Belmont Park since those races in November and will make his first start of this year. Use underneath.

9. Garamond, 5-1. Uncle Mo – Chad Brown / Javier Castellano – 1: 1-0-0 – $18,800. Garamond is a Juddmonte home-bred son of Uncle Mo who was a debut winner for Chad Brown at Tampa Bay Downs against a field of nine by almost two lengths as the 4-5 favorite. He ships to New York from Chad Brown’s winter base at Payson Park to try the Derby trail. Win contender.

10. My Mitole, 15-1. Mitole – Carlos Martin / Luis Rivera Jr. – 4: 2-1-0 – $90,350. My Mitole broke his maiden in his third try at Aqueduct in November in an optional claimer that was restricted by a $50,000 auction sale price. He then faced winners in a starter allowance, was victorious again while going a mile against a field of five and comes back in two weeks. Live long shot.

Summary: Only one horse in this field of 10 ran in a graded stakes or on the Kentucky Derby trail. There are three stakes winners in the field, and their victories were in state-bred restricted races. Most of the field is eligible for first-level allowance conditions.

The pace projector says the Gotham will have fast early fractions, and that gives the advantage to horses who will be running late. The Juddmonte home-bred Garamond has the look of a horse who might be ready to take a big step forward for Chad Brown. Garamond finds the right spot for a horse with only one race to take on the Derby trail challenge, and he is my top pick.