Deceived Tightens Screws for Gotham

Trainer Leah Gyarmati on Sunday tightened the screws on Treadway Racing Stable's Grade 3 Gotham contender Deceived, who breezed six furlongs in company with Sweet Reason on the Belmont Park training track. Both sophomores were clocked in 1:16.10.

Deceived is set to make his first start against open company in the $500,000 Gotham, a 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-olds. In his past three starts, the bay son of Broken Vow broke his maiden by 7 ½ lengths on December 7, finished third by 19 ½ lengths 11 days later in the Damon Runyon, and won an entry-level optional claimer by 8 ¼ lengths on January 31. All three races were at Aqueduct and were restricted to New York-breds.

Sweet Reason, who won the Grade 1 Spinaway in September at Saratoga Race Course, is unraced since finishing fourth in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies in November at Santa Anita.

"She kind of opened up a little at the end, and he came back on the inside for the gallop out, so it worked out well for them, mentally," said Gyarmati. "They both thought they won."

Gyarmati said she put a lot of thought into her decision to have Deceived breeze six furlongs six days before the Gotham.

"It's hard when you're not able to train every day to jump up and do things," said Gyarmati. "You don't want to go from jogging in the barn for four days to breezing a mile, so you kind of have got to compromise, but he's good and fit and has been running."

Gyarmati has not committed to a comeback race for Sweet Reason, but did say Aqueduct's Grade 2, $300,000 Gazelle for 3-year-old fillies on April 5 is possible.

"I'd like to make the Gazelle; I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to get there," said Gyarmati. "With the weather, I don't want to do anything stupid. I'm going to just train her until she's ready. When she's ready, I'm going to find something, and we'll go from there."