Balboa back in the ring for the G3 Gotham

Grade 2-placed Balboa has finished second and third in his two previous local starts, and will look to take one more step forward for the top prize in Saturday’s Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham at Aqueduct Racetrack. The one-turn mile for sophomores awards the top-five finishers with 50-25-15-10-5 Kentucky Derby qualifying points.

The Gotham will close out the 10-race card, which also features the Grade 3, $175,000 Tom Fool in Race 4, the Listed $200,000 Busher – a 50-25-15-10-5 Kentucky Oaks qualifier – in Race 2 and the Listed $150,000 Stymie in Race 8. First post is 12:40 p.m. Eastern.

The Brittany Russell-trained Balboa looks to improve off a prominent two-length second to My World in the Jerome over course and distance on January 3. There, he tracked close to the early foot of Freedom’s Echo and was roused in the turn by Manny Franco. Balboa responded and took a 1 1/2-length lead at the stretch call, but was collared near the sixteenth marker. The effort was awarded a career-best 81 Beyer Speed Figure. My World exited that race to finish 11th in the Group 3 Saudi Derby on February 14.

The bay son of Not This Time entered the Jerome from a 3 1/2-length third in the nine-furlong Remsen on December 6, which saw its winner Paladin exit to win the Grade 2 Risen Star at Fair Grounds Race Course and runner-up Renegade follow with a win in Tampa Bay Downs’ Listed Sam F. Davis. The Remsen was Balboa’s first effort around two turns since a distant fifth in the Grade 1 American Pharoah in October at Santa Anita Park.

Russell said she is pleased with the way Balboa has developed through his two races at the Big A, which raised his total Kentucky Derby points to nine.

“As disappointed as you are to lose, you still have to appreciate the effort,” Russell said of the Jerome. “The race before I thought was a good effort, too, and he got beat by good horses that day, so he’s keeping good company and hopefully he continues to progress.

“He’s a big, good-looking, classy individual,” Russell continued. “He’s a big horse, but at this stage I’d say he’s matured a bit. He’s a cool horse mentally, so that gives you confidence with these better races. You want a horse that does things right and has class; they just take things in, and that’s him.”

Balboa has made three starts for Russell – including a 5 1/4-length trouncing of the six-furlong James F. Lewis III in November in his barn debut – after making his first four outings for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert in California. Each of those three starts since shipping east have come about four weeks apart, but Balboa enters the Gotham with about eight weeks of rest.

Russell said she is hopeful the extra time will aid Balboa on Saturday.

“We’ve done the right thing by him and he’s trained well and hasn’t missed a beat,” Russell said. “He’s a nice horse and I certainly think he deserves another shot up there. Yeah, he got run down last time, but hopefully we can do better this time.”

Balboa was entered in the Miracle Wood on Saturday at Laurel Park, but scratched in favor of the Gotham to try his luck again on the Derby trail. Russell worked the colt five-eighths in 1:01.80 on Thursday at her Laurel Park base.

“Everything went well, I wanted to put a steady five-eighths into him with a nice gallop-out, and he did just what we were looking for,” Russell said.

Campaigned by SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Bashor Racing, Determined Stables, Golconda Stable, Waves Edge Capital and Catherine Donovan, Balboa was an $875,000 purchase at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. He was bred in Kentucky by Albaugh Family Stables and is out of the winning War Front mare Tap of War, a full-sister to Halladay, winner of Saratoga Race Course’s Grade 1 Fourstardave Handicap on turf in 2020.

Sheldon Russell, Brittany’s husband with over 1,800 wins in the saddle, was aboard for the Lewis and returns to the irons from post 1.

A newcomer to the division is St. Elias Stable, William Lawrence and Cathi Glassman’s Iron Honor [post 6, Manny Franco], who brings a field-best 95 Beyer earned for an impressive debut graduation on December 13 here for five-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown.

The Nyquist bay, with blinkers on under returning rider Manny Franco, tracked 2 1/2 lengths off the early pace in the six-furlong sprint, and was roused into contention entering the turn after the opening quarter-mile elapsed in 22.79 seconds over the fast footing.

Iron Honor improved position on the outside of the favored Crossingthechannel and was on his flank through the half-mile in 46.50 to set up a duel through the lane. Iron Honor stuck his head in front near the sixteenth marker and extended the margin, scoring by 1 1/2 lengths in a final time of 1:11.23. The runner-up, Crossingthechannel, exited that event to graduate locally and earn an 85 Beyer.

Brown said the blinkers helped Iron Honor show professionalism in his debut.

"I rarely do that [debut with blinkers], but he had trained inconsistent - however, the times that he had worked good were really good,” Brown explained. “When he wouldn't work good, it confused me a little bit, so we put a little blinker on him, and he put it all together and he debuted good."

Since his win, Iron Honor has put together five works at Payson Park Training Center in Florida, including a half-mile breeze in 49.20 seconds on Saturday in company to the inside of older maiden winner Playing Tricks.

"It was a very good work; he's been training steady here at Payson,” Brown said. “I'm excited to get this horse stretched out. He's bred to run longer. His debut number was one of the fastest in the country for 2-year-old colts. I think letting the horse get over that fast number first time out and come together for this will be beneficial for him. He's a good horse. I would expect him to move forward here."

A $475,000 purchase at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Iron Honor was bred in Kentucky by Mike Freeny and Pat Freeny and is out of the winning Blame mare Orencia, a half-sister to stakes-placed My Savannah Belle.

C2 Racing Stable, JRM Stables, Mathis Stables and Ken Reimer’s Hammond [post 2, Jaime Rodriguez] stretches out for the farthest test of his career for trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr.

The Charlatan chestnut gets an extra furlong from a last-out third to stablemate Solitude Dude in the seven-furlong Listed Swale on January 31 at Gulfstream Park. He tracked in sixth early under Edgard Zayas and steadily improved position while racing five-wide into the stretch, but could not reel in the runaway winner and finished 5 1/2 lengths back in third. The effort was awarded a lifetime best 84 Beyer, a marked improvement from his previous best 71 for a win in the 6 1/2-furlong Juvenile Sprint there in November.

“I thought he ran well last time against some good horses. He didn't break the best, so then he was always in a compromised spot,” Joseph, Jr. said. “He made a run and then flattened out, but he did make a very good jump in the figures. He seems to have done better since that race, we'll give him a try in the Gotham.

"This is a distance he should like,” Joseph, Jr. added. “He has tactical speed. Hopefully he breaks well and puts himself in a good spot, and from there, everything goes the right way." 

Solitude Dude, who is undefeated in three starts, is one of three Joseph, Jr. trainees entered in Saturday’s Grade 2 Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream.

Joseph, Jr. said Hammond gave a promising effort against a tough stablemate like Solitude Dude and the Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher-trained runner-up Class President.

"Solitude Dude has been a very good one-turn horse so far, and so was Todd's horse who ran second. I thought that third was a very credible effort - and the numbers said it was,” Joseph, Jr. said. “That gave us the confidence to try the Gotham."

Hammond, who has made each of his four starts at Gulfstream, graduated at second asking sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs over a muddy and sealed oval in September following a flat fifth on debut over sloppy and sealed footing. He’s shown versatility in this two wins, stalking in fourth and pouncing to victory in his graduation before a more prominent effort in the Juvenile Sprint.

Bred in Kentucky by Aaron and Marie Jones, Hammond was purchased for $170,000 at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale and is out of the stakes-placed Carpe Diem mare Sweet Kisses, who also produced stakes-winner Donut God.

Three Diamonds Farm’s Creole Chrome [post 8, Jaime Torres] steps outside restricted company for the first time and ships in from Fair Grounds Race Course where he has made each of his three starts at six furlongs for trainer Joe Sharp.

Creole Chrome was last seen heading Tiz Mary’s Comet to land an allowance score facing fellow Louisiana-breds on January 18. There, he saved ground in fourth and pounced to match strides with his rival at the quarter-pole with the pair dueling through the latter stages before Creole Chrome got his head down first at the wire in a final time of 1:10.74. The effort was awarded a career-best 87 Beyer.

The chestnut son of Volatile was a 4 3/4-length winner on debut ahead of a close third in the Louisiana Champions Day Juvenile in December when one length back of Our Honeymoon in his lone stakes attempt.

Creole Chrome was bred by Gulf Haven Farms and is out of 2009 Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks-winner Funny Moon. He was purchased for $55,000 at the 2024 Texas Thoroughbred Association Yearling Sale.

Creole Chrome is cross-entered in Saturday’s Louisiana Stallion of the Year Star Guitar at Fair Grounds, but Sharp said he expects to ship to New York instead.

"We were on the fence about staying in Louisiana and he's cross-entered there, but it seems after talking to Kirk [Wycoff, owner], we're going to go ahead and ship up there and be arriving Thursday morning," Sharp said. "He's a cool horse and I think the added distance is going to help him."

Michael McMillan’s Dirty Rich [post 9, Ramon Vazquez] will stretch out from three consecutive sprint stakes efforts for trainer Peter Miller, including a win in the 5 1/2-furlong Advent in December at Oaklawn Park.

Dirty Rich was last seen finishing a distant third to Obliteration in the six-furlong Renaissance on January 3 at the Hot Springs oval, where he was pressured on the lead early before being passed by Obliteration in the turn and holding on for the minor awards in the lane. He entered that race from his wire-to-wire victory in the Advent that garnered a lifetime best 89 Beyer.

Completing the field are the dual stakes-placed New York-bred Fourth and One [post 4, Jose Lezcano] for trainer Jeremiah Englehart, two-time Ohio-bred stakes-winner Crown the Buckeye [post 3, Ricardo Santana, Jr.] for conditioner Mike Maker and maiden-winners Exhibition Only [post 7, Ruben Silvera] for trainer Rudy Rodriguez and Right to Party [post 5, Christopher Elliott] for trainer Ken McPeek. 

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