Undefeated stakes winners Sand Devil and Sacrosanct were among the 10 horses entered Sunday for next weekend’s Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham, Aqueduct’s next step on the road to Kentucky Derby 2025.
Saturday’s one-turn mile will be worth 50-25-15-10-5 points to the top five finishers, making it a virtual win-and-you’re-in for the May 3 run for the roses.
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Sand Devil, a Chester Broman homebred from New York, ran his record to 3-for-3 when he won by a neck Feb. 8 as the 1-5 favorite in the seven-furlong Damon Runyon at the Big A. The Violence colt trained by Linda Rice earned a 93 Beyer Speed Figure, according to Daily Racing Form. José Lezcano keeps the ride and goes from post 5.
Sacrosanct, who sports a 4-for-4 mark, will be just to the inside in post 4 with his regular rider Manny Franco. Favored in all his starts, the Honest Mischief colt trained by Brad Cox won by a head at Aqueduct on Dec. 14 in the New York Stallion Series Great White Way. Coming back from more than two months off, Sacrosanct has won three restricted stakes, two going seven furlongs and one at a mile.
Two other entrants also bring undefeated records to the Gotham, albeit from only one start each. Garamond, a Juddmonte-bred, Chad Brown-trained colt by Uncle Mo, scored going 1 3/4 lengths at Tampa Bay Downs. Pagode won first out on the Turfway Park synthetic course. Both those Jan. 25 races were 6 1/2 furlongs.
The Gotham will be the eighth of 10 races on Saturday’s card at Aqueduct with a scheduled 4:18 p.m. EST start. The first post is at 12:40 p.m.
