Try Not To Overanalyze the Gotham
The Derby Trail heads north to the The Big Apple for its only
legitimate prep race of the weekend, on Saturday (March 2nd) for the $400,000 Grade 3 Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct race track. The Gotham Stakes is contested at 1 1/16 miles on the inner dirt
track. It features a field of 12 runners, 7 of whom have previously run in a
graded stakes while 3 take a big jump after scoring their maiden victory last
out. In 59 previous runnings of the Gotham, only Secretariat (1973) has managed
to win both the Gotham and Kentucky Derby.
Though the G3 Withers Stakes winner Revolutionary will skip this dance and point to the G1 Wood Memorial, four (4) other Withers starters will answer the bell in the Gotham… #2 – Champion Boy (30-1; 5th in Withers), #3 – Escapefromreality (6-1; 2nd), #5 – Amerigo Vespucci (20-1; 4th) and #6 – Siete de Oro (15-1; 3rd).
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HOW I SEE IT: With
the likelihood of a FAST track (only 20% chance of precipitation) and the Big A
dirt surface playing “fair” (i.e. not speed favoring like a certain track
located in south Florida), it appears the best horse, with a clean trip will
win. So is Overanalyze the best
horse? Not necessarily on Saturday, but a quick, early pace would certainly
help his cause, which he just might get. #1A - Now and
Then, #4 -
Ore Pass (12-1), #6 – Siete de Oro, #7 – Vyjack
and #10 West Hills Giant (20-1)
will see to that. When the real racing begins at the head of the stretch,
expect #3 – Escapefromreality
(6-1) and #8 – Elnaawi (8-1) to make
their presence known while the favorite, Overanalyze
finds his best stride in the final furlong. But will it be enough
to get to the Winners Circle? Well do you think Johnny Velazquez took the
mount, leaving warm, sunny Florida for chilly New York just because he could
also see a Broadway show?
The Gotham PLAY: #11 - $10 WIN, $20
PLACE; $2 Ex Box 3-8-11
The BEST BET of the Day (8 1-0-0) Sweet Julianna (5-2 PT; 5-2 M/L) dueled between rivals to the quarter pole, kept on to mid-stretch but weakened in the final furlong, finishing 4th.
The LONGSHOT PICK (8 0-0-2) Libertytown Lass (19-1 PT; 10-1 M/L) racing without blinkers was outrun early, but mustered a nice rally in deep stretch to get SHOW money, returning a handsome $7.20 to SHOW.
For Saturday races the weather forecast calls for a clear skies, meaning the track will be FAST at Laurel Park on Saturday Mar. 2nd. Selections for all races posted were handicapped based on making multi-race wagers such as DOUBLE’s, Pick-3’s and Pick-4’s using all three (3) listed for each race in each leg.
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1st race – $25,000 Maiden Claiming for 3 y.o.– 5½ furlongs
#1 – Raven’s Dance (9-2)
#6 – Star Destiny ---- SCRATCHED ----
#2 – Press One (15-1)
#5 – Calvary Raid (12-1)
2nd race – $7,500 Claiming N2L for 4 y.o. & up – 6 furlongs
#6 – Lacrosse Moon (5-1)
#3 – My Seby (2-1)
#1 – Esson (7-2)
3rd race – $38,000 Maidens for 3 y.o. fillies – 1 1/16 miles
#3 – Golden Joop (5-2)
#1 – Everything Matters (7-2)
#4 – Moon Legacy (4-1)
4th race – $25,000 Maiden Claiming for F&M 3 y.o. & up – 1 1/16 miles
#1 – Legally Included (5-1) *** BEST BET ***
#5 – Hypatia’s Sky (9-5)
#6 – Chanterelle (7-2)
5th race – $5,000 Claiming N2Y for 4 y.o. & up – 1 1/16 miles
#7 – My Piano Man (3-1)
#2 – Dixie Emperor (8-1)
#10 – Tea Tott (20-1)
6th race – $40,000 Maiden Claimng.for 3 y.o. – One mile
#6 – Bolt Action (5-1)
#2 – A Street (20-1)
#1 – Indian Companion (3-1)
7th race – $5,000 Claiming for 4 y.o.& up N1Y or N4L – 1 1/16 miles
#6 – Changing Funds (6-1)
#8 – Hanson Heights (2-1)
#7 – Pics Good Boy (15-1)
8th race – $150,000 Ceasar’s Wish Stakes for 3 y.o.fillies – One mile
#1– Walkwithapurpose (1-1)
#6 – Sense of Reality (5-1)
#5 – Seven Stars (4-1)
9th race – $5,000 Claiming N3L for F&M 4 y.o. & up – 5½ furlongs
#6 – Our Favorite (15-1) $$$ LONGSHOT $$$
#7 – Bubbie Hon (4-1)
#1 – Smoky Opal (7-5)
GOOD LUCK!