Horse Racing Picks: Gotham Stakes Prediction, Preview, and Odds (Mar 2)

• Gotham Stakes takes place on the Road to the Kentucky Derby this weekend
• Horses aged three will compete over a mile for Derby qualifying points

Aqueduct hosts competitive action on the Road to the Kentucky Derby this weekend, with the Gotham Stakes being the key race on the schedule. This Grade Three will see the field compete over a mile. Only one previous Derby winner has lined up in the Gotham, as Secretariat landed victory in a track-record time in 1973.

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Schedule and How To Watch

• When: Saturday, March 2, 2024 at 5:36 PM ET
• Where: Aqueduct Racetrack, New York
• How To Watch: FanDuel TV

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Gotham Stakes Odds

Horse	Odds
Just A Touch	+400
Bergen	+450
El Grande O	+500
Deterministic	+600
Capital Idea	+800
Slider	+800
Eliminate	+900
Lightline	+900
Air Cav	+1200
Maximus Meridus	+1400
Facenda	+2500
Khanate	+3300
Deposition	+10000

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Race Preview

The Gotham Stakes will headline the racing action at Aqueduct this weekend, with horses aged three competing over a mile. Despite being a key Derby prep, it has only been won by one winner that has followed up at Churchill Downs, the legendary Secretariat. Kieran McLaughlin and Claude McGaughey are both tied for the most wins as a trainer with three.

Just A Touch is a leading contender for Brad Cox this weekend. This son of Justify made a dominant start to his racing career over six furlongs last month, winning a maiden special weight with a speed figure of 103 at Fair Grounds. There’s every expectation that further improvement will be likely this weekend.

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⭐️ The field for the 2024 Gotham Stakes (G3)! 🗽👏 pic.twitter.com/rblR0S6ii2

— NYRA (🌳) (@TheNYRA) February 28, 2024

There will certainly be a few Derby dreams dented this weekend, with no shortage of contenders coming into the weekend after winning on their previous start. That includes another Cox runner in the form of Bergen, who was impressive when landing the Jimmy Winkfield. Eliminate and Deterministic are other previous winners that could stand fine chances over a mile.

However, it could pay to side with experienced performers this weekend, with a number of the field involved in the G3 Withers. El Grande O was one of the fastest finishers in that race for Linda Rice to claim second, while Lightline was pre-race favorite for that contest before finishing third. Both aren’t without their chances this weekend.

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Gotham Stakes Prediction

An interesting renewal of the Gotham is set for this weekend. Deterministic, Lightline, and Just A Touch are plays in our exacta box. However, the preference is for El Grande O. The three-year-old flashed home in the G3 Withers to score an impressive 93 speed rating, and back down to a mile, he could be the one to beat based on his second in the Jerome and win in the Sleepy Hollow.

Free Picks:

• Win: El Grande O
• Exacta Box: (3) Deterministic/ (7) El Grande O/ (10) Just A Touch/ (11) Lightline