Iron Honor remains undefeated with game G3 Gotham score

St. Elias Stable, William H. Lawrence and Glassman Racing’s post-time favorite Iron Honor lived up to his 4-5 odds and remained perfect through two starts for five-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown in Saturday’s Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham, a one-turn mile for sophomores at Aqueduct Racetrack.

In victory, the son of Nyquist secured the maximum allotment of the 50-25-15-10-5 Kentucky Derby qualifying points on offer to the top-five finishers. He entered from an eye-catching debut graduation sprinting six-furlongs on December 13 here, which awarded him with a field-best 95 Beyer Speed Figure and set him up to be favored among the field of eight colts and geldings vying for their place on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.

Brown said Iron Honor, who has raced in blinkers for both his starts, tipped his hand when winning his debut at a distance that was not optimal.

"He has plenty of stamina,” said Brown, who won this event in 2016 with Shagaf. “I was really surprised he won first time out. I ran him to get a race into him, and I remember when I debuted him, I was wishing the race was 6 1/2 or seven [furlongs] to give him a little bit more of a chance to get there. When he won, he really got my attention because he did something he's not supposed to be doing - winning at three-quarters. Only good horses do that. You saw him wear down a stubborn foe today and it looked like he was interested in more distance on the gallop out, so I like seeing that.”

The 74th running of the Gotham marked the final time the historic race was held at Aqueduct Racetrack before it moves to the new and reimagined Belmont Park next year. The Gotham has produced one winner of the Kentucky Derby – Hall of Famer and Triple Crown-winner Secretariat in 1973.

Ridden to victory by Manny Franco, Iron Honor bumped with foes as he emerged from post 6 and was coaxed up between the sharp-starting Dirty Rich to his outside and Crown the Buckeye to his inside, sticking his head in front exiting the chute and marking the opening quarter-mile in 23.09 seconds over the good and harrowed footing.

"My plan was go,” said Franco, who was also aboard for the maiden win. “My horse came from a sprint, too, and he showed speed, so I knew I was going to be able to be close, really close, and that was the plan. I talked to Chad, he told me the same thing. We did what we spoke [about]."

Ricardo Santana, Jr. let Crown the Buckeye out a notch along the inside as he took a narrow advantage through the half-mile in 46.30 with Dirty Rich and Exhibition Only coming under a ride in the three and four-paths, respectively. The top pair were still in-hand early in the turn before Franco shook the reins and asked Iron Honor for more through three-quarters in 1:11.45.

Crown the Buckeye held a short lead heading into the stretch as the leading duo drew clear of the field, leaving them to throw it down in the lane. Dueling to the outside, Franco showed a left-handed crop and Iron Honor responded, edging clear past the eighth pole and keeping on willingly through the wire to score by one length in a final time of 1:37.94.

“He fought hard,” Franco said. “The other horse, I've got to give a little credit to, but I knew that my horse had enough to get it done.”

Santana, Jr. said the Mike Maker-trained Crown the Buckeye, a dual restricted stakes-winning Ohio-bred, was admirable against a tough rival.

"Second best. He ran a good race,” Santana, Jr. said. “The horse that beat me is a nice horse. He was just second best. Like I said, the horse that beat us, you will see that he is a nice horse."

Iron Honor's final time marked the fastest of three one-mile stakes on the 10-race card, which saw Paradise win the Listed Busher [Race 2] in 1:38.53 and Komorebino Omoide win the Listed Stymie [Race 8] in 1:38.27. The multiple stakes-placed 6-year-old New York-bred Donegal Surges posted the fastest mile on the card when taking an optional claimer for older horses [Race 9] in a final time of 1:37.32.

Crown the Buckeye held place by 6 1/2 lengths over Right to Party, who showed a strong turn-of-foot to land third after tracking in last-of-8 early. Exhibition Only and Balboa picked up the remaining Derby points in fourth and fifth, respectively, with Hammond, Dirty Rich and Fourth and One completing the order of finish. Creole Chrome, who won Fair Grounds Race Course’s Louisiana Stallion of the Year Star Guitar today, was scratched.

Brown said he was pleased to see Iron Honor put forth a determined effort.

"I think he's going to get a lot out of it,” Brown said. “He was in-between horses the whole way which is always hard for a horse to settle. He was taking pressure inside and outside, so I thought he showed a lot of determination to shake the outside horse away and wear down the one on the inside. I like the fact that it was far back to third - those races typically come back fast figure-wise. I think the horse that was runner-up was a very stubborn foe and on the improve.”

Iron Honor trained at Payson Park in Florida to begin the year, but spent a large portion of his juvenile year training in New York. Brown said he will keep the colt in the Empire State at Belmont Park to prepare for a stretch-out at the Big A in the nine-furlong Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino on April 4, a 100-50-25-15-10 Kentucky Derby qualifier.

“I don't want to ship the horse around too much,” Brown said. “I'll hedge that as bad a winter as we've had in New York, the law of averages will hopefully turn the right way here. I'll leave him with my New York base where he's done most of his training since he arrived into our system. He was there last summer at our Belmont barn training on that training track, so he's very familiar with the surface. He's 2-for-2 on the Aqueduct surface racing, so if he comes out of it healthy, he will train in New York and run in the Wood Memorial."

Franco said Iron Honor felt like a horse who will relish two turns.

"I feel the horse can go a mile and an eighth, still room to improve,” Franco said. “Race by race, he's still learning. This was just his second start and I'm just happy to be on him."

Bred in Kentucky by Mike Freeny and Pat Freeny, Iron Honor was a $475,000 purchase at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, and is out of the winning Blame mare Orencia, a half-sister to stakes-placed My Savannah Belle. He banked $165,000 in victory while returning $3.88 on a $2 win ticket. 

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