Aqueduct’s Gotham Stakes Day Preview

All eyes will be on the return of #6 Instagrand (even) in the $300,000 Gotham Stakes, a Kentucky Derby prep worth 50 points to the winner. The come backing star was unbeaten last year, winning both his debut and the Best Pal (G2) at Del Mar before bypassing the Breeders’ Cup and heading to the sidelines. Originally scheduled to race this weekend at Santa Anita, trainer Jerry Hollendorfer opted to head to New York instead even before the indefinite closure of the California track.

Instagrand, a $1.2 million son of Into Mischief, will have Javier Castellano in the irons. He has won his two races by over 20 lengths combined.

Rivals include #2 Knicks Go (12-1), a grade 1 winner at Keeneland last fall who was second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. He has run two poor races since then, weakening to be fifth last out in the Sam F Davis (G3) for trainer Ben Colebrook. #3 Mind Control (9-2) was a grade 1 winner at Saratoga last summer and won a local prep, the Jerome Stakes, here on New Year’s Day. #4 Much Better (10-1) ships in for Bob Baffert; the son of Pioneerof the Nile is coming off a sharp win in a Santa Anita allowance on February 9 and retains Mike Smith in the irons. #5 Haikal (6-1) and #7 Not That Brady (5-1) will also draw support.

Supporting acts on the card include the $200,000 Tom Fool Handicap (G3), the $150,000 Stymie Stakes, and the $250,000 Busher Stakes.

The Busher drew a field of 12 sophomore fillies with Kentucky Oaks aspirations, with #10 Please Flatter Me (3-1) the likely favorite. The unbeaten daughter of Munnings hasn’t run since December 29, but always romps by open lengths. Royally-bred Pletcher-trainee #11 Always Shopping (4-1) broke her maiden in the Busanda Stakes here February 3.

The Tom Fool, which goes as Race 8 and starts an all-stakes Pick 4, features the classy #4 Syndergaard (3-1), who has been first or second in all three starts here and is coming off second place efforts by a neck and a nose in stakes company. The Stymie has 2017 defending champion #2 Sunny Ridge (8-5) against last year’s Wood Memorial winner #8 Vino Rosso (7-2) for Pletcher.