2020 Gotham Stakes

4/11/2022by admin

2020 Gotham Stakes 3,6/5 7320 reviews

The Gotham Stakes marks another key race for those horses who hope to make it to the field for this year’s Kentucky Derby. This Grade 3 event for three-year-olds features 11 horses going for the winner’s share of the $300,000 purse. And we have you covered with this Gotham Stakes betting preview.

March 7, 2020 Vance Hanson Kentucky Derby, Racing News 0 Mischevious Alex wins the Gotham Stakes 2020 (Coglianese Photos).
2021 Gotham Stakes – March 6th, 2021, 5:07 ET – Aqueduct – Purse $300,000. For Three Year Olds. By subscription of $300 each which should accompany the nominations; $1,500 to pass the entry box and read more One Mile.

Eleven horses will enter the starting gate on Saturday for the 2020 Gotham Stakes. The John Servis-trained Mischevious Alex is the 3-1 favorite, and post time for the one-mile, one-turn race is 5:42 p.m. Before you make any picks, you NEED to see what Jody Demling has to say. Demling has had plenty of success so far in 2020. Related Stories » HRN BLOGS: Pugh: Grading out last week's 2020 Kentucky Derby preps » Extra furlong no problem for Gotham hero Mischevious Alex » Horak: How I'm betting Aqueduct's 2020 Gotham Stakes » Gotham Stakes 2020: Post positions, odds and more.

One of the interesting things that has happened in recent years in horse racing is the emergence of horses as Kentucky Derby contenders at a relatively late stage in the game. In the past, it had been common for most Derby winners and top contenders to have a pretty solid track record by the time they made it to the first Saturday in May. But recent years have brought about a change in that trend.

For one thing, owners seem reluctant to put their horses under too much stress early in their careers. On top of that, the fact that other trainers have been able to get their horses ready for the Derby with a small amount of experience has others trying the same tactic. Success tends to bring about imitators, after all.

Gotham Stakes 2020 – Big Expectations

That’s part of the reason why the 2020 edition of the Gotham Stakes could prove so fascinating. 50 points toward qualifying for the Kentucky Derby will go to the winner. In other words, whoever comes out on top on Saturday is very much on their way to lining up for the Derby in May with a chance to win the biggest prize in all of thoroughbred racing.

Yet most of the 11 horses in the field for Saturday’s Gotham Stakes don’t have the kind of big-race experience you would normally find in a Derby contender. None has won one of the Derby prep races that have been held so far. Nor have any really been the talk of pundits looking ahead to May and wondering who could be the horses to beat.

Many people will look at the Gotham Stakes as a possible springboard to the Derby for a winner. But bettors will be looking at the 11 horses going to gate and trying to figure out if there is any wagering value available. At first glance, it sure seems like there is.

The morning line odds have Mischievous Alex the favorite at relatively modest odds of 5 to 2. Meanwhile, the longest shot on the board sits at 15 to 1. Most of the horses in the field sit with middle-priced odds.

What that suggests is that even the oddsmakers don’t have a strong idea of how the wagering is going to play out once people starting laying down their bets for the 2020 Gotham Stakes. And bettors who are hoping to get some value on their tickets have to love that. Nothing dampens the excitement of a value bettor like a prohibitive favorite, and it’s doubtful we’re going to see on in this race on Saturday.

The pessimist might look at the Gotham Stakes and see an uninspiring field. But the optimist could see a chance at identifying a Derby contender that nobody saw coming. And they could score some big profit off that horse on Saturday’s race alone. Learn how to bet on horse racing events if you’re new to this type of betting.

In the following article, we’ll tell you everything you need to know to wager on the Gotham Stakes. We’ll run through all 11 contenders and give you key tidbits of information. And then we’ll go out on a limb and give you our own pick for the winner.

Gotham Stakes Details

Where: Aqueduct in The Bronx, NY
When: Saturday, March 7
Who: Three-Year-Old Thoroughbreds
How Long: One Mile
Surface: Dirt
Purse: $300,000

The 2020 Gotham Stakes Contenders

#1-Celtic Striker (Romero Maragh, Ray Handal) 12-1

This colt does have stakes experience, which not a lot in this field can say. It took place in the Jerome at the start of the year, where he finished fourth. He since followed that up with an allowance win at Parx in Pennsylvania.

The Gotham Stakes is relatively rare in terms of distance for Derby prep races at a mile and just one turn. Perhaps that’s why it isn’t always the best indicator of future success in the longer grinds. But, for now, the one-mile distance seems to suit Celtic Striker well.

#2-Informative (John Bisono, Uriah St. Lewis) 10-1

Here is another horse that seems well-suited for the one-mile distance. Last month Informative picked up his maiden victory at the distance at Aqueduct. He has thus proven that he can handle the surface and the distance.

Now it’s just a matter of whether or not he can handle the competition. At the very least, the St. Lewis trainee ran in a graded stakes as a 2-year-old, finishing a respectable fourth in the Remsen. That little bit of pressure seasoning could go a long way here.

#3-War Stopper (Jorge Vargas Jr., Rudy Rodriguez) 8-1

This horse didn’t seem to be much of a threat as a two-year-old. He went through three rather listless maiden special weight performances, finishing no better in fifth. But he seemed to figure it out all of a sudden when he started his three-year-old campaign.

In January at Aqueduct, War Stopper powered home to a maiden win at this very same distance of a mile. Was it a fluke or a sign of things to come? If he does perform well on Saturday, he’ll have to do it by hustling out early and daring everyone else in the field to play catch-up.

#4-Attachment Rate (Luis Saez, Dale Romans) 12-1

Once again, we’ve got a horse going for a Gotham Stakes victory coming off nothing more than a maiden victory. At the very least, it was a striking maiden win. Attachment took it to a field of maidens at Gulfstream last month to win going away.

In this previous race, he was barely knocked off by Market Analysis, who will be in a different Derby prep race on Saturday (the Tampa Bay Derby.) Thus, even though there hasn’t been a stakes race yet for Attachment Rate, the competition has been fine. He could be coming into his own at just the right time.

#5-Necker Island (Manny Franco, Stanley Hough) 8-1

He took his first swipe at graded stakes competition in the Swale in his last start. It wasn’t his best effort, as he finished a well-beaten fifth. On top of that, the horse that won that race, Mischievous Alex, starts right alongside Necker Island in the Gotham Stakes.

That said, Necker Island had ripped off two straight wins prior to that loss, including one over a pretty stout allowance field. If you’re willing to throw out the last one, you could easily see him in the mix in the Gotham Stakes. Hough is a well-regarded New York training veteran who would love to win this one.

#6-Mischievous Alex (Kendrick Carmouche, John Servis) 5-2

This is a good example of how a horse can quickly turn the narrative around. After winning his debut as a 2-year-old, Mischievous Alex hit a swale of three straight losses. A switch to the distance of 7 furlongs got him going as he captured the Parx Juvenile in November.

Mischievous Alex then came out swinging to start his three-year-old campaign with a dominant victory in the Swale at Gulfstream. The fact that he hasn’t looked his best at a mile is a bit of concern though. Still, he might be able to bully this field based on the impressive record that he has carved out thus far, especially with his recent form.

#7-Sixto (Eric Cancel, Eric Guillot) 12-1

Is this horse a lottery ticket or a legitimate threat with the chance to do much more in the near future? Saturday should start to tell the tale a little bit more. All we have to go on so far is a solid victory in January in his debut.

We’ve seen recent examples of horses who were unraced at two but still did well on the Derby trail. And the pedigree for this one is quite impressive and suggests a horse who can do some damage at longer distances. The starry-eyed horse players out there might believe in this one taking a big jump, even though it will be his first race at a mile.

#8-Montauk Traffic (Jose Lezcano, Linda Rice) 7-2

This is the first and more highly-regarded, at least according to the morning line odds, of the Rice entries in the Gotham Stakes. And it has a name that New Yorkers can surely appreciate, meaning that it will get some sentimental betting flowing its way. As the second choice behind Mischievous Alex, Montauk Traffic could certainly be a factor.

After missing in his debut, the colt has raced up back-to-back wins, the last coming in ungraded stakes company. Even though he is racing at a mile for the first time, his closing kick suggests he could fit the distance like a glove. And it also suggests that he could have the best Derby chances of anyone in this group.

#9-Flap Jack (Declan Carroll, Jack Sisterson) 15-1

In an effort to pancake this field, Flap Jack will have to overcome a substantial layoff. The good news is that his last race was his maiden victory at Arlington. But the bad news is that it came last September.

A six-month layoff isn’t ideal under any circumstance, let alone when you’re getting ready to face a bunch of hungry Derby hopefuls. It’s understandable why this colt is the longest shot on the board. Even extreme value players shouldn’t go here.

#10-Untitled (Junior Alvarado, Mark Casse) 6-1

Untitled had his first test at over a mile in his last start at Tampa Bay. On the surface, losing an allowance optional claimer might not seem like the best path for a Derby contender. But the winner of that race, Gouverneur Morris, actually is rated as a possible contender for the first Derby in May.

The lone win for this colt came at six furlongs. As such, he’s going to have to prove that a mile isn’t a little too much for him. Not to mention, as far as his Derby hopes go, that he’ll eventually have to stretch it even further to 1 ¼ miles, which seems like an awful big leap to make in two months or so.

#11-First Deputy (Dylan Davis, Linda Rice) 12-1

The light seems to have switched on at the right time for this Linda Rice hopeful. He had come up empty throughout the first five starts of his career. But he has since reeled off two straight wins, first by breaking his maiden and then by handling an allowance field.

Both of those wins were on the Aqueduct dirt, so at least there’s some familiarity there. But they were also at the distance of 6 furlongs, so there is immediate concern about the ability of First Deputy to go that extra quarter-mile with some pace. The outside post certainly won’t make it any easier.