3.17.2002	Photo By: Adam Coglianese
		Michael B. Tabor's Mayakovsky (above) and jockey Edgar Prado cruised to a 3 3/4-length, wire-to-wire victory in the 50th running of the $200,000 Gotham Stakes (GIII) at Aqueduct Race Course in Jamaica, NY on Mar. 17. A dark bay son of Matty G. who is trained by Patrick Biancone, Mayakovsky covered the one-turn mile distance of the Gotham in 1:34 4/5 over a "fast" racetrack and paid $3.50, $2.60 and $2.30. Saarland finished second and Parade Of Music checked in third in the field of seven three-year-old colts and geldings.

Dreaming Of Kentucky In May
March 17, 2002
By, Jenny Kellner

JAMAICA, N.Y. - Trainer Patrick Biancone went to sleep Sunday evening dreaming about the Kentucky Derby.

So did trainer Shug McGaughey.

There were no surprises in the $200,000 Gotham Stakes (GII) on Mar. 17 at Aqueduct, but plenty of dreams as Mayakovsky, trained by Biancone, and Saarland, trained by McGaughey, finished 1-2 in their 3-year-old debuts.

"Tonight I am going to dream about the Kentucky Derby (GI)," announced Biancone, who was saddling the son of Matty G. for the first time since September. "Maybe tomorrow when I wake up, I can change my mind. Tonight, we’re allowed to dream."

Under jockey Edgar Prado, Mayakovsky took the lead soon after the break and was never headed while Saarland closed from fifth to finish 3 3/4-lengths back in the one-turn, one-mile race unsuited to his running style.

"This gives me a lot of confidence the way he finished up," said McGaughey of the son of Unbridled, for whom he was unable to find a race in Florida. "I was telling (owner) Cynthia Phipps he finished up good, and galloped out good. We knew if Mayakovsky got an easy lead he wasn’t going to be easy to catch. This is what he needed, both physically and mentally."

The favorite of the crowd of 6,618 despite making only his third start, Mayakovsky returned $3.50, $2.60 and $2.30 as he earned $120,000 for owner Michael Tabor, who was all smiles in the winner’s circle as he posed with the horse on a raw, chilly St. Patrick’s Day afternoon. Mayakovsky covered the mile in 1:34.90, well off Easy Goer’s track record of 1:32 2/5 but impressive considering the 197-day layoff.

"Good horses should be able to run like that," said Prado, who flew in to ride Mayakovsky. "I asked him a little but in the stretch and he gave me a run. He got to playing around a bit at the end -- he’s done that before. If something took a run at us, my horse would have given me more."

"I wanted to start him with one turn so we could turn him back if we wanted to," added Biancone. "The most important thing was to have him relax because sometimes a fresh horse can be too keyed. I told Edgar to ride him the way he wants."

Saarland, ridden by John Velazquez, paid $3.10 and $2.70 as the second choice while Parade Of Music returned $4.90 to show. Completing the order of finish were Heir D’Twine, Rum Splasher, Tank’s Expectation and Two Shakes.

Mayakovsky added the 50th edition of the Gotham to a short but eye-catching resume that includes a record-shattering maiden victory and a strong second in the Hopeful Stakes (GI), both at Saratoga.

In his debut, the striking, dark bay colt covered 5 1/2-furlongs in 1:03 1.5, smashing a 55-year-old track record in the process. After his second in the Hopeful, it was discovered he had a hairline fracture of his left hind leg. Subsequent surgery kept him out until December, when he was returned to Biancone’s barn in California.

Despite the time lost to recuperation, the trainer said he would have been disappointed had Mayakovsky not won the Gotham, which did not produce a Derby starter last year. In 2000, however, runner-up Aptitude finished second to Fusaichi Pegasus in the Derby.

"Now, we’re going to have to decide what we’re going to do after we see how he reacts from this race," said Biancone. "If he cools down and relaxes a lot that’s a good sign. "If we decide to go on to the Derby trail, we will send him back for the Wood Memorial (GI, April 13). It was my objective to have four weeks after his first run and three weeks to the Derby (May 4)."

The Wood, the final major Kentucky Derby prep in New York, is also on the agenda for Saarland, said McGaughey.

"He’ll be staying here," said the trainer, who won the Gotham in 1989 with Easy Goer and again in 1992 when Lure dead-heated with Devil His Due.

"I think the distance and the two turns will help him a lot," added Saarland's jockey, John Velazquez.

Jenny Kellner is one of the most respected, multi-faceted journalists in New York. She served as the New York Islanders beat writer for the New York Times and has covered Thoroughbred horse racing and professional football for several major publications in the Big Apple and beyond. She is a frequent contributor to a myriad of Thoroughbred racing trade publications and has covered numerous Kentucky Derbys and Breeders' Cups.

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