Kentucky Derby trail: Haikal sweeps by to win Gotham Stakes

As Mind Control, Much Better and Instagrand spread three across the track, dueling to the finish of Saturday’s Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham Stakes, Haikal rallied just in time to sweep past the trio and stamp his ticket to the 2019 Kentucky Derby.

Off at 4-1 in the field of eight — Instagrand was odds-on despite a layoff of about seven months — the Kiaran McLaughlin-trained son of Daaher closed to complete the one-turn mile in 1:35.53.

"Obviously," said Joe Lee, assistant to McLaughlin, "he's going the right way and he's the kind of horse that does relax early and doesn't have to be up in front to get caught in any speed duels or anything like that. He just runs his race."

Haikal entered with a recent victory in Aqueduct’s Jimmy Winkfield Stakes, with the half-brother of the late graded stakes winner Takaful having to earn his spot here.

In two other starts, also both at Aqueduct, Haikal ran second on debut but then got up in time to break his maiden by a neck on Dec. 15. He won the Winkfield by another neck, using the same closing style.

With another late-running score in the Gotham, he cashed in the top share of Kentucky Derby qualifying points paid out on a 50-20-10-5 scale. McLaughlin also won this race for a second straight year, with Haikal following Enticed.

Mind Control held on for second in the Gotham while the California shippers Instagrand (Jerry Hollendorfer) and Much Better (Bob Baffert) rounded out the board.

"You want to win every race, but I think that's a good comeback," said Larry Best, who campaigns Instagrand under the OXO Equine banner. "Those are horses that have run a distance. He's never run a distance -- a mile -- and he hasn't been out since August, so we expect him to move forward."

What's next?

"Anybody's guess," Best said. "I think he'll get a lot out of this race."

He did not commit to running in another Derby prep.

Much Better set the pace, creating a three-length lead for himself into the turn, but couldn’t hold up after going a half mile in a blazing 44.42. That, however, set up the late run of Shadwell Stables’ Haikail, who moved off the rail under jockey Rajiv Maragh to track down the leaders in the stretch.

"He showed me every indicator that he'll excel the further the distance goes, so that's not anything that I'm concerned about," Maragh said. "I'm actually looking forward to him running those long distances."