The Gotham Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses run in early March at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. A Grade III event with a current purse of US$300,000, it is set at a distance of 1 mile on the dirt. It is part of the Road to the Kentucky Derby.

History[edit]

The race is named for New York City, which has been nicknamed Gotham since an 1807 article by Washington Irving.^[3] The event was inaugurated in 1953 at Jamaica Racetrack but following the facility's closure was moved to Aqueduct Racetrack for the 1960 season. In 1958, the race was restricted to horses four years of age and older.

The Gotham Stakes is the final local prep to the Wood Memorial Stakes and an official prep race for the Kentucky Derby. A number of Derby winners have competed in this race, including American Triple Crown winner Secretariat, who tied the track record when winning the race in 1973.^[4]Easy Goer improved on this in 1989, setting a track record of 1:32.40 – one of the fastest times ever run in North America on the dirt.^[5]

Since its inception, the Gotham has been competed at various distances:

1. Watch the 2020 Gotham Stakes History of the Gotham Stakes First run in 1953, the Gotham Stakes is the final prep for the Wood Memorial, the biggest race in the New York path to the Kentucky Derby.
2. March 7, 2020 Vance Hanson Kentucky Derby, Racing News 0 Mischevious Alex wins the Gotham Stakes 2020 (Coglianese Photos).

• 1 mile : 1960–1976, 1978, 1980–2002, 2004–2005, 2018–present
• ​1¹⁄₁₆ miles (8.5 furlongs) : 1953–1959, 1977, 1979, 2006–2017
• 1 mile, 70 yards : 1984, 2003

The race was run in two divisions in 1953, 1974, 1975, and 1983.

Records[edit]

The Gotham Stakes (G3) is a 1 mile race for 3-year-olds held in Queens, New York at Aqueduct Racetrack. The race in early March is part of the Championship Series on the Road to the Kentucky Derby with the top four finishers earning qualifying points (50-20-10-4) and the winner securing a spot in the starting gate for the Kentucky Derby. Gotham Stakes It takes a mighty good horse to handle the cold winter weather at Aqueduct, compete in the Gotham (G3), and later land in the Kentucky Derby winner’s circle. How good, you ask? Considering immortal Triple Crown winner Secretariat is the only Gotham participant to ever win the Kentucky Derby, maybe the feat requires a superstar.

Speed record:

• 1:32.40 – Easy Goer (1989) (Stakes and track record at 1 mile)
• 1:42.65 – I Want Revenge (2009) (at former distance of ​1¹⁄₁₆ miles)

Most wins by a jockey:

• 3 – Jorge Velásquez (1969, 1978, 1980)
• 3 – Ángel Cordero Jr. (1970, 1975, 1991)
• 3 – Jacinto Vásquez (1976, 1979, 1986)
• 3 – Richard Migliore (1985, 2003, 2005)
• 3 – Mike E. Smith (1990, 1992, 1995)

Most wins by a trainer:

• 3 – Claude R. McGaughey III (1989, 1992, 2005)
• 3 – Kiaran McLaughlin (2006, 2018, 2019)

2020 Gotham Stakes Picks

Most wins by an owner:

• 2 – Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney (1954, 1956)
• 2 – Claiborne Farm (1969, 1992)
• 2 – Locust Hill Farm (1983, 1988)

2020 Gotham Stakes Entries

Winners[edit]

2020 Gotham Stakes Replay

2020 Gotham Stakes Field

References[edit]

1. ^'Chart of the 2020 Gotham'. www.equibase.com. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
2. ^'Stakes profile'. www.equibase.com. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
3. ^Sheidlower, Noah (31 January 2020). 'Why is New York City Called Gotham? A Nickname with a Millennium of History'. Untapped New York. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
4. ^Nichols, Joe (8 April 1973). 'Secretariat Equals Mark At Aqueduct, Pays $2.20'. The New York Times. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
5. ^Crist, Steven (9 April 1989). 'HORSE RACING; Easy Goer Romps'. The New York Times. Retrieved 6 June 2020.

2020 Gotham Stakes Video