By Steve Sherack
Big-figure debut winner Iron Honor (c, 3, Nyquist–Orencia, by Blame) fought past the Ohio-bred Crown the Buckeye (Yaupon) in the stretch to make it two-for-two in Saturday's GIII Gotham S. at Aqueduct, good for 50 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. Right to Party (Constitution) was third.
Favored at 4-5 off the strength of a 95 Beyer Speed Figure earned sprinting first out over two next-out winners at the Big A Dec. 13, Iron Honor battled with Crown the Buckeye through fractions of :23.09 and :46.30 in the one-turn mile Gotham. Still locking horns a quarter of a mile from home, Iron Honor finally hit the front in deep stretch and edged clear late from that rival to win by a length.
“He has plenty of stamina,” winning trainer Chad Brown said. “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.”
Brown added, “I don't want to ship the horse around too much. 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.”
Winning jockey Manny Franco added, “He fought hard. The other horse, I've got to give a little credit to, but I knew that my horse had enough to get it done.”
Iron Honor is campaigned in partnership by St. Elias Stable, William H. Lawrence and Glassman Racing.
Pedigree Notes:
Iron Honor, a $230,000 KEEJAN yearling turned $475,000 KEESEP yearling, becomes the 24th graded/39th stakes winner for Nyquist, who was also represented by Saturday's ultra-impressive GIII Gulfstream Park Mile S. winner Knightsbridge. He is 34th stakes/21st graded winner for broodmare sire Blame.
Two-time winner Orencia brought $20,000 from Machmer Hall, agent for Glen Eden, in foal to Audible at the 2024 Keeneland January sale. She is also responsible for the 2-year-old colt Spears (Audible), who was purchased for $25,000 by K.O.I.D. as a FTKOCT yearling. She was bred to Golden Pal and Violence for 2026.
IRON HONOR remains unbeaten, taking the Grade 3 Gotham Stakes under @jockeyfranco for trainer Chad Brown, picking up 50 points toward the @KentuckyDerby! pic.twitter.com/uqiQ3ES3sZ
— NYRA (🗽) (@TheNYRA) February 28, 2026
Saturday, Aqueduct
GOTHAM S.-GIII, $300,000, Aqueduct, 2-28, 3yo, 1m, 1:37.94, gd.
1–IRON HONOR, 123, c, 3, by Nyquist
1st Dam: Orencia, by Blame
2nd Dam: Curry Cat, by Tale of the Cat
3rd Dam: Pratella, by Jade Hunter
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($230,000 Ylg '24 KEEJAN; $475,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP). O-St. Elias Stable, Lawrence, William H. and Glassman Racing; B-Mike Freeny & Pat Freeny (KY); T-Chad C. Brown; J-Manuel Franco. $165,000. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $211,750. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Crown the Buckeye, 123, c, 3, Yaupon–Feisty Tomboy, by Unbridled's Song. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($225,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP; $250,000 2yo '25 OBSAPR). O-Paradise Farms Corp., Staudacher, David and Hooties Racing LLC; B-Pick View LLC, Paul W. Schaffer & William D. Pickerrell (OH); T-Michael J. Maker. $60,000.
3–Right to Party, 123, c, 3, Constitution–Havin' a Party, by Emcee. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($325,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP). O-Chester Broman, Sr.; B-Tony Holmes & Timothy C. Thornton (KY); T-Kenneth G. McPeek. $36,000.
Margins: 1, 6HF, 2HF. Odds: 0.94, 9.39, 9.29.
Also Ran: Exhibition Only, Balboa, Hammond, Dirty Rich, Fourth and One. Scratched: Creole Chrome.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
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