Iron Honor confirmed his projection in the Gotham Stakes and is already looking toward the Wood Memorial
- Turf Diario
- Mar 2
- 3 min read
The son of Nyquist maintained his undefeated status with class and added important points on the road to the Kentucky Derby
SOUTH OZONE PARK, New York (Special for Turf Diario).- The undefeated Iron Honor ratified everything good he had hinted at in his debut and, responding to his status as a heavy favorite (4-5), took the Gotham Stakes (G3, US$ 300,000 purse), contested over a mile this Saturday at Aqueduct.
Trained by five-time Eclipse Award winner Chad Brown, the son of Nyquist added his second victory in as many presentations and took the maximum 50 points at stake (50-25-15-10-5) toward the Kentucky Derby (G1).
He had come off an impressive debut on December 13, also at Aqueduct, where he won over 1,200 meters with a Beyer of 95, the best record in the field. However, Brown always maintained that speed was not exactly his forte: “I was surprised he won debuting at 1,200. I wanted to give him a race and I thought he needed 1,300 or 1,400 to be comfortable. Only the good ones win at a distance that is not ideal,” he explained.
With Manny Franco again in the reins, Iron Honor started firmly from gate 6, settled between rivals in the first meters, and took a leading role immediately, marking the first quarter in 23s9/100 over a good track. Crown the Buckeye (Yaupon) pressured him from the inside, and both maintained an intense rhythm (46s30/100 for the half-mile; 1m11s45/100 for the 1,200).
In the final stretch, the pupil of Mike Maker managed to move in front, but Iron Honor showed mettle. Francoappealed to the left-handed whip and the colt responded with determination, wearing down his rival to prevail by 1 length in 1m37s94/100, the best time of the three mile-long tests on the day.
“He fought with everything. The other horse is good, but I knew mine had what was necessary,” Franco noted. Brown, for his part, highlighted the fortitude of his colt: “He ran the whole time between horses, hemmed in, receiving pressure from both sides. That is not easy. He showed character and I think he is going to get a lot out of this experience.”
Finishing third, 6 1/2 lengths back, was Right to Party (Constitution), with Exhibition Only (Complexity) and Balboa (Not This Time) completing the distribution of points.
The Gotham Stakes also marked the last edition of the historic classic on the Aqueduct dirt before its move to the renovated Belmont Park starting in 2027. Only one legend won this classic and then the Derby: Secretariat (Bold Ruler) in 1973.
Iron Honor, bred by Mike and Pat Freeny and acquired for US$ 475,000 at Keeneland September, will now aim for the Wood Memorial (G2-1,800 m) on April 4, again in New York. “I don't want to move him too much. He is comfortable here and if he comes out of the race well, we will go to the Wood,” Brown advanced.
Undefeated, with room for progress and evident stamina, Iron Honor is beginning to transform into a strong name in the generation. And still, as his rider recalled, “he is learning.”
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