Leaderboard

View Leaderboard

Gotham (GIII)

Aqueduct • New York, NY, USA 50-25-15-10-5
March 2, 2024

Gotham Stakes History

It takes a mighty good horse to handle the cold winter weather at Aqueduct, compete in the Gotham (G3), and later land in the Kentucky Derby (G1) winner’s circle. How good, you ask? Considering immortal Triple Crown winner Secretariat is the only Gotham participant to ever win the Kentucky Derby, maybe the feat requires a superstar.

Chalk it up to the Secretariat Curse, or just plain bad luck, but despite producing an abundance of Derby starters—nearly 50 runners between 1980 and 2023—few Gotham alumni have managed to vie for victory on the first Saturday in May.

That’s not to say the Gotham isn’t a quality race. Quite to the contrary, the roster of winners includes some of racing’s all-time greats. In addition to Secretariat, who defied history to complete the Gotham/Derby double in 1973, the one-mile race has been won by champions Native Dancer (1953), Jaipur (1962), Dr. Fager (1967), Easy Goer (1989), and Lure (1992). Easy Goer’s triumph was particularly vivid as he won by 13 lengths in the blazing time of 1:32.40, establishing a stakes record.

However, this rich history hasn’t translated to success for Gotham participants on the first Saturday in May. Gotham winners Native Dancer, General Assembly (1979), Easy Goer, and Aptitude (2000) all finished second in the Kentucky Derby, but other highlights have been few and far between. During the 44-year period from 1980 through 2023, just two Gotham starters managed to hit the board at Churchill Downs.

But perhaps the Gotham is due for a renaissance. The race has offered 50 Kentucky Derby qualification points to the winner since 2013, and with this lofty prize in tow, a string of high-profile winners could be just around the corner.

By J. Keeler Johnson/TwinSpires.com

Results

Win

Place

Show

3

Deterministic50

$9.80

$4.80

$3.90

10

Just a Touch25

$3.50

$3

7

El Grande O15

$4.40

2

Maximus Meridius10

13

Capital Idea5

  • Sign up for race updates and contender stories

  • Thank You To Our Sponsors

  • Thank You To Our Sponsors

Entries

Jockey

Owner

Trainer

Current odds

Wagers

1

Khanate

Jose Antonio Gomez

Calumet Farm

Todd Pletcher

30/1

2

Maximus Meridius

Mychel J. Sancez

LC Racing LLC, Cash is King LLC and Robert E. Reid Jr.

Robert E. Reid, Jr.

20/1

3

Deterministic

Joel Rosario

St. Elias Stable, Ken Langone, C. Steven Duncker, and Vicarage Stable

Christophe Clement

9/2

4

Facenda

Abel Cedillo

William A. Branch

Doug O'Neill

50/1

5

Deposition

Dexter Haddock

Uriah St. Lewis

Uriah St. Lewis

50/1

6

Air Cav

Eric Cancel

Calumet Farm

Brad Cox

30/1

7

El Grande O

Kendrick Carmouche

Barry K. Schwartz

Linda Rice

8/1

8

Bergen

Manuel Franco

Spendthrift Farm LLC, Schwartz, Martin, Gandharvi LLC, Big Easy Racing LLC, Kanter, Rick, Bakke, James J., Titletown Racing Stables, Kueber Racing, LLC, Golconda Stable, Goodrich, Ali and Parkinson, Mar

Brad Cox

9/2

9

Eliminate

Dylan Davis

Spendthrift Farm LLC and Repole Stable

Todd Pletcher

15/1

10

Just a Touch

Florent Geroux

Qatar Racing Resolute Racing and Mark Detampel

Brad Cox

5/2

11

Lightline

Ramon A. Vazquez

Albaugh Family Stables LLC

Brad Cox

8/1

12

Slider

Jose Lezcano

Hall Racing LLC, Pearl Racing and West Point Thoroughbreds

John W. Sadler

8/1

13

Capital Idea

Trevor McCarthy

Reeves Thoroughbred Racing

Christophe Clement

12/1

Road to the Kentucky Derby

No Upcoming Races.

FOLLOW FOR UPDATES AND EXCLUSIVES