No Gotham winner since Secretariat has won the Derby; Iron Honor dreams of doing so

Chad Brown’s undefeated colt steps up to the mile at Aqueduct seeking vital points on the road to Churchill Downs

Iron Honor winning in his debut / ADAM COGLIANESE / NYRA

OZONE PARK, New York (Special for Turf Diario).- At this stage of the calendar, a 3-year-old with only one performance usually falls out of the classic conversation. But Iron Honor does not fit the traditional mold. His debut on December 13 was so impactful that it forced observers to look at him with different eyes.

The son of Nyquist, trained by Chad Brown, debuted over 1,200 meters and, despite his trainer fearing the distance would be too short, he won by 1 1/2 lengths in 1m11s23/100, with speed figures typical of a serious Kentucky Derby(G1) contender.

“The race came up very fast, more than I expected for that time of year. The Derby is a big goal, but we are going to give him the chance. It’s a race-by-race process,” Brown explained.

The next chapter will be this Saturday in the Gotham Stakes (G3), over a mile at Aqueduct, a race that awards 50-25-15-10-5 qualifying points. The winner virtually secures a spot in Churchill Downs, even if history is not encouraging: no Gotham winner has gone on to win the Derby since Secretariat (Bold Ruler) in 1973.

The context is not simple. The preparatory series at Aqueduct began with the Jerome (one mile), moved to the Withers (1,800 meters with two turns), and now moves back to 1,600 meters. The uncertainty of the distance affects almost the entire field, as none—except for those with victories in minor circuits—has yet shown clear dominance in two turns at a high level.

“He lacks experience, but speed-wise he fits. I don’t think he’s a sprinter. I thought he would need more distance even in his debut, but he was ready to run. Then he needed time to recover from that effort. He trained very well in Floridaand is moving forward. A lot will depend on how he runs on Saturday,” Brown added, leaving the door open to the Wood Memorial (G2) on April 4 if he responds as expected.

Bred by Mike and Pat Freeny and acquired for US$ 475,000 at Keeneland September, Iron Honor belongs to St. Elias Stable, William Lawrence, and Glassman Racing. His physique and genetics suggest that his ceiling is still far off.

The main obstacle could be Balboa, second in the Jerome and previously third in the Remsen (G2) behind Paladin(Gun Runner). The son of Not This Time, now under the preparation of Brittany Russell after starting his campaign with Bob Baffert, already has 9 points on the road to the Derby.

Iron Honor is still a brilliant unknown. He has talent, but little experience. The Gotham will not define his destiny, but it will mark whether that first impression was the anticipation of something great or simply a precocious flash in the middle of the New York winter.