Gotham Stakes 2024 Picks

By Jarrod Horak

The road to Kentucky Derby 2024 continues at Aqueduct on Saturday, March 2, and I have included Gotham Stakes 2024 picks below. The Grade 3 event for 3-year-olds has a $300,000 purse and the full field of entrants will be journeying one mile on the main track. The Gotham is the 10th race on March 2 and the top five finishers will earn Kentucky Derby points (50-25-15-10-5). 

Gotham Stakes 2024 Picks & Final Time Ratings

Deterministic broke slow and rallied smartly to win his extended sprint debut at Saratoga last summer. Christophe Clement’s $625k Liam’s Map colt is firing Payson Park bullets for this and Joel Rosario is his new pilot. 

El Grande O is a consistent New York-bred with early-pressing speed. He won a pair of state bred stakes races last year, and was clearly second best behind Drum Roll Please in the Jerome at this course and distance on Jan. 6. He stretched out to 1 1/8 miles in the Withers (G3) on Feb. 3, and he battled on the pace and missed by a nose in the mud that day. He cuts back to his winning distance in his third start after a layoff, and he should impact the pace.

Bergen sat in midpack from post 12 and rallied for the win as the favorite in his dirt sprint bow at Keeneland last fall. He rallied for the place in a one-turn mile at Churchill second time out, and stalked and scored by 5 1/4 lengths as the favorite in the local Jimmy Winkfield at six panels in the mud on Jan. 27. Brad Cox’s versatile $375k Liam’s Map colt improved his speed ratings last time. 

Just a Touch chased the pace and kicked away in a facile 4 1/4 victory in the slop at Fair Grounds on Jan. 27. The $300k Justify colt was the 1-2 favorite in that relatively fast dirt sprint. Brad Cox shows a profit with his graded stakes starters and he is one of the fastest horses in this race based on his sharp debut. Justify sent out two Breeders’ Cup winners last year including Just F Y I (G1 Frizette winner at this course/distance), and dam Touching Beauty won the Comely (G3) at this course and distance. 

Lightline graduated by the length of the stretch in his flat mile debut at Horseshoe Indy, and completed the exacta in his next two dirt routes. He was an even third as my top choice in the Withers (G3) on Feb. 3. He cuts back in distance and might have a better kick in this shorter race. 

Slider set the pace and missed the place by a head in the San Vicente (G2) on Jan. 6. John Sadler’s $240k Jimmy Creed colt drilled a Santa Anita bullet for this on Feb. 25.  

The Gotham field also includes Khanate, Maximus Meridius, Facenda, Deposition, Air Cav, Eliminate, and Capital Idea. 

Gotham Stakes 2024 Picks

The Gotham Stakes is my 25th video on the road to Kentucky Derby 2024, and my top choices have seven wins, four runner-up finishes, and five show finishes. I will cover each points race on the Kentucky Derby trail. Check out my Gotham Stakes 2024 picks video below.