The Gotham Stakes used to herald the spring at Aqueduct when it was run at a flat mile on the main track. Now, with racing not returning to the main until April 4, today’s Grade 3, $200,000 Gotham is a late-winter race, run around two turns at a mile-and-a-sixteenth over the inner dirt track (IDT).
Whereas the Gotham used to be a springboard to the Big A’s final Kentucky Derby prep, the Wood Memorial on April 8, the only 3-year-old in today’s field of nine who’s regarded as a potential Derby candidate is Summer Doldrums. Trained by Rick Violette, the son of Street Cry wasn’t on the radar until his last race, when he won the Feb. 10 Whirlaway, also at a mile-and-a-sixteenth on the IDT, by 51/4 lengths with odds-on favorite Lawrence the Roman off the board. With a final time of 1:42.1, Summer Doldrums earned an outrageous Beyer Speed Figure of 106, which makes him the heavy choice in the Gotham.
“I hope he doesn’t bounce (regress) too far,” Violette said, noting young horses often take a step back after a career-best effort.
If Summer Doldrums does bounce like a Spaldeen, then Cowtown Cat, third last out as the favorite in the Feb. 3 Swale at Gulfstream Park, can pick up the pieces.
The most significant Triple Crown preview being run today is the Grade 2, $600,000 Louisiana Derby at a mile-and-a-sixteenth at the Fair Grounds, with three of its eight entrants – Circular Quay (pronounced “key”), Liquidity and Zanjero – in the Post’s “Derby Dozen.”