Gotham Stakes Betting Guide

The Road to the Kentucky Derby heats up as the Gotham Stakes takes place annually in March. Some of the finest three-year-olds in the training line up for this famous Grade 3, and below, we will run through the key information that gamblers should know before making a wager on the race.

Gotham Stakes Event Details

The Gotham Stakes is the final prep run for horses that head to the Wood Memorial Stakes before the Kentucky Derby and takes place at Aqueduct Racetrack in New York.

The race is a Grade 3 and is run over exactly one mile on dirt. Only three-year-old horses are able to enter, and there is a current prize fund of $300,000 available for connections.

Gotham Stakes Preview

The Gotham Stakes is a vitally important race, as horses and owners build towards the opening Triple Crown race of the season. However, since it takes place in March, entries for the race will not be made official until the last week in April. Below, you can find out more about previous winners of the Grade 3.

• Weyburn (2021)

• Mischevious Alex (2020)

• Haikal (2019)

• Enticed (2018)

• J Boys Echo (2017)

Weyburn was the most recent winner of the Gotham Stakes for trainer Jimmy Jerkens. Trevor McCarthy was on board the winner, as he recorded his first victory in this race in a time of 1:38.70. Before winning the Gotham Stakes, Weyburn hadn’t lined up for any graded races.

He went into the race at Aqueduct after winning once in three starts, with that victory coming in a maiden in December 2020 at Aqueduct. After winning the Gotham Stakes, he finished fourth in the G2 Wood Memorial and was second in the Pegasus Stakes behind Mandaloun.

Mischevious Alex was the winner of the race in 2020, and unlike Weyburn, he came into the race with some high-quality form behind him. The John Servis-trained horse had won the G3 Swale and Parx Juvenile before lining up for the Gotham Stakes.

He had won three from six starts before the Grade 3 at Aqueduct. However, he bypassed the Triple Crown and targeted the G1 Wood Stephens, where he eventually finished fourth behind No Parole.

Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin has enjoyed a number of victories in this race over recent years, which includes back-to-back wins in 2019 and 2018. McLaughlin’s most recent win came with Haikal in 2019, as he won in a time of 1:35.63, which was the quickest winning time since Survivalist in 2005.

He enjoyed an excellent three-year-old season and went into the Gotham Stakes after winning the Jimmy Winkfield and a maiden at Aqueduct. When winning the Gotham Stakes, he came out on top against Mind Control and Instagrand. However, like the two prior mentioned horses, he wasn’t able to take his form to Grade 2 standard on his next run, as he finished third in the Wood Memorial.

Gotham Stakes Event Information

The Gotham Stakes has been a popular race on the thoroughbred calendar since being introduced for the first time in 1953. The first seven renewals of the race took place at Jamaica Racetrack. However, following its closure, it was moved to Aqueduct in 1960. The age group that has been involved in the race has also altered over the years, with horses aged four and over being involved in the 1958 race.

The race has been won by a number of Triple Crown winners throughout its history, with the most famous of these being Secretariat in 1973, who went on to win the Preakness Stakes, Belmont Stakes, and Kentucky Derby later in the season. Easy Goer holds the speed record after finishing in a time of 1:32.40 in 1989, just months before winning the Belmont Stakes.

Easy Goer is the record holder over a mile, while I Want Revenge holds the record for the speed record over the former distance set at 1 1/16 miles. Five jockeys have won this race on three occasions, including Mike E. Smith and Richard Migliore. Meanwhile, two trainers have recorded three victories, and they are Kiaran McLaughlin and Claude R. McGaughey III.

Gotham Stakes Betting Information

The Gotham Stakes whets the appetite for the Kentucky Derby, and that ensures that it is a prominent betting race that captures the imagination. Many of the leading sportsbooks offer the option to make a bet, and these are some of the markets that you can make a wager on.

• Win: Bets can be made on the winner of the Gotham Stakes. Selections must cross the line first to get returns.

• Place: Bets can also be placed on a horse that will finish in the first two places.

• Trifecta: Gamblers can bet on the finishing order of the first three horses in the Gotham Stakes. Horses must come in the correct order to get winnings.