Set your sites for 5 pm ET the first Saturday in March! This is a trio of stakes that you do not want to miss. These contenders are looking for their chance to compete again, on the first Saturday in May, in the 147th KY Derby! The Gotham Stakes, The Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby and The San Felipe Stakes are the next three stops on The Road to the Kentucky Derby. Each race awards 50-20-10-5 points to the top 4 finishers respectively.
The Gotham Stakes was created in 1953. It is a Grade III dirt race for 3 year-old thoroughbreds. The race is 1 mile (8 furlongs) and carries a purse of $300,000. The name Gotham stems from New York City’s nickname. Now raced at Aqueduct in Ozone Park, in Queens, NY, the race was originally held at Jamaica Racetrack. The Gotham will post as race 9 on a card of 10 at 5:07 pm ET. Eight contenders are entered as follows by post/horse/jockey/trainer/morning-line odds:
- Atlantic Road/Jorge Vargas, Jr./Todd Pletcher/30-1
- The Reds/Pablo Morales/John Morales/30-1
- Highly Motivated/Javier Castellano/Chad Brown/8-5
- Wipe the Slate/Kendrick Carmouche/Doug O’Neill/6-1
- Crowded Trade/Eric Cancel/Chad Brown/9-2
- Capo Kane/Dylan Davis/Harold Wyner/5-1
- Freedom Fighter/Manuel Franco/Bob Baffert/5-2
- Weyburn/Trevor McCarthy/James Jerkens/20-1
Next, the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby was inaugurated in 1981. It is a 1 and 1/16th mile (8.5 furlongs) dirt race for 3 year-olds. The Grade II race has a $400,000 purse and is hosted at Tampa Bay Downs in Oldsmar, FL. Posting at 5:25 pm ET as race 11 on a card of 12 the entries are as follows:
- My Liberty/Tomas Mejia/Maria Mejia/30-1
- Super Strong/Antonio Gallardo/Saffie Joseph, Jr./8-1
- Candy Man Rocket/Junior Alvarado/William Mott/2-1
- King of Dreams/Samy Camacho/Juan Avila/20-1
- Boca Boy/Angel Arroyo/Cheryl Winebaugh/15-1
- Awesome Gerry/Hector Diaz, Jr./Saffie Joseph, Jr./15-1
- Moonlite Strike/Daniel Centeno/Saffie Joseph, Jr./20-1
- Hidden Stash/Rafael Bejarano/Victoria Oliver/4-1
- Unbridled Honor/Julien Leparoux/Todd Pletcher/20-1
- Helium/Jose Ferrer/Mark Casse/6-1
- Promise Keeper/Luis Saez/Todd Pletcher/8-1
- Sittin On Go/Robert Alvarado, Jr./Dale Romans/20-1
Finally, the San Felipe Stakes dates back to 1935. It is also raced at 1 and 1/16 miles on dirt. This Grade II race is for 3 year-olds and offers a $300,000 purse. Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, CA is home to this stakes. The San Felipe will post at 5:45 pm as race 6 on a card of 11 as listed:
- Life Is Good/Mike Smith/Bob Baffert/4-5
- Dream Shake/Joel Rosario/Peter Eurton/5-1
- Medina Spirit/John Velazquez/Bob Baffert/7-2
- None Above the Law/Flavien Prat/Peter Miller/30-1
- The Great One/Abel Cedillo/Doug O’Neill/4-1
- Governor’s Party/Mario Gutierrez/Daniel Franko/50-1
- Roman Centurian/Juan Hernandez/Simon Callaghan/8-1
In conclusion, these races are going to make quick and immediate changes to the top 20 ranking in the KY Derby leaderboard. There is already some great talent at the top but new leaders will emerge. Enjoy all the excitement this weekend. Check back with Thoroughbred U for updates and more.
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