Gotham Stakes
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Queens, New York, United States
| Class | Grade III |
|---|---|
| Location | Aqueduct Racetrack Queens, New York, United States |
| Inaugurated | 1953 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred – Flat racing |
| Website | www |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 1 mile (8 furlongs) |
| Surface | Dirt |
| Track | left-handed |
| Qualification | Three-year-olds |
| Weight | 123 lbs. with allowances[1] |
| Purse | $300,000 (since 2017)[2] |
The Gotham Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses run in early March at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. A Grade III event with a current purse of US$300,000, it is set at a distance of 1 mile on the dirt. It is part of the Road to the Kentucky Derby.
The race is named for New York City, which has been nicknamed Gotham since an 1807 article by Washington Irving.[3] The event was inaugurated in 1953 at Jamaica Racetrack but following the facility's closure was moved to Aqueduct Racetrack for the 1960 season. In 1958, the race was restricted to horses four years of age and older.
The Gotham Stakes is the final local prep to the Wood Memorial Stakes and an official prep race for the Kentucky Derby. The only Derby winner who competed in the Gotham was American Triple Crown champion Secretariat, who tied the track record when winning the race in 1973.[4][5] Easy Goer improved on this in 1989, setting a track record of 1:32.40 – one of the fastest times ever run in North America on the dirt.[6]
Since its inception, the Gotham has been competed at various distances:
- 1 mile : 1960–1976, 1978, 1980–2002, 2004–2005, 2018–present
- 1+1⁄16 miles (8.5 furlongs) : 1953–1959, 1977, 1979, 2006–2017
- 1 mile, 70 yards : 1984, 2003
The race was run in two divisions in 1953, 1974, 1975, and 1983.