Deterministic wins a wet Gotham, likely spot in Ky. Derby
New York
Heavy rain and wind at Aqueduct did nothing to hamper the comeback of Deterministic on Saturday in the Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham Stakes, a race that all but guaranteed him a spot in Kentucky Derby 2024.
The Christophe Clément trainee was making the second start of his career following his maiden victory at Saratoga in August. From the start of the one-turn mile on a track that was sloppy and sealed, Deterministic was in a stalking position behind the early leaders saving ground on the inside.
Click here for Aqueduct entries and results.
Eventually he swung outside to commence a closing move that would get him into the lead at the sixteenth pole and finish two lengths ahead at the wire.
Miguel Clément, assistant trainer to his father, travelled from Florida to saddle Deterministic in this Derby prep. The son of Liam’s Map was certainly in an ambitious spot in the field of 11 in his first start in almost seven months.
“We didn’t find a first-level allowance that we loved to be quite honest with you,” Clément said. “He was coming back so quickly and so well that we didn’t want to wait too long. We picked the Gotham by default more than anything. We weren’t worried about the race selection, because he was training remarkably well.”
Maximus Meridius and El Grande O were the pacesetters, and Deterministic and jockey Joel Rosario were a couple of lengths behind. The preliminary fractions were 23.42, 46.63 and 1:10.94.
Heading into the one turn Rosario swung his mount to the outside, eventually cut back inside between horses and rallied to the win.
“It looked like when I got inside, he really started responding,” Rosario said as he described the trip. “It looked like he liked it better in there, and I just let him find his way. He felt great. He was more in the game today in his second time out and first time going long. He did everything really well, and so we’re excited for him and where he’ll take us.”
Kentucky Derby points of 50-25-15-10-5 were available to the top five finishers.
Deterministic, who was the 7-2 second choice in the race, paid $7.80 to win and picked up 50 points. The 6-5 favorite Just a Touch had a late rally for second to complete a $2 exacta that returned $35.60 and got 25 points. El Grande O finished third in the $189.50 trifecta and added 15 Derby points to his previous 15 for a total of 30.
The other pacesetter Maximus Meridius got the 10 points for fourth and Capital Idea, the other runner for the Clément barn, was fifth to get the final five points.
Asked if he was concerned about the wet conditions, Clément said, “To be honest, not really. Not only is he bred for it but when you see him train in the morning, he’s the most efficient mover we perhaps have. I believe he will run on any ground.”
Deterministic, who was a $625,000 yearling purchase by the ownership group of St. Elias Stable, Ken Langone, Steven Duncker and Vicarage Stable, won a Grade 3 race in just his second start.
“To be honest he was always very professional and talented from day one,” Clément said. “The whole stable liked him, and the whole team loved him, so it was no surprise. Fortunately, he trained on, and he basically cemented back what we always thought he would could do, and he validated that today.”
The Wood Memorial (G2) is the final stop on the Kentucky Derby trail in New York on April 6 and could be next for Deterministic.
“Let’s enjoy this for a few days and come up with a plan,” Clément said. “I thought he was very impressive today. I don’t think the distance is an issue with him whatsoever. We always thought he wanted to go long. The longer, the better. We’ll come back to the team and discuss everything, and the boss will have a big impact on what we decide. We will speak to all the owners and go from there.”