BY BROCK SHERIDAN

Wathnan Racing’s Flood Zone went from maiden winner to Kentucky Derby contender in just under a minute and 40 seconds with an impressive victory in the Grade 3 Gotham at Aqueduct Saturday. Winning the one-mile contest at odds of 17-1, the Florida-bred son of Frosted picked up 50 points on the Kentucky Derby Leaderboard to almost insure himself a spot in the starting gate for the Run for the Roses at Churchill Downs on May 3.

Flood Zone is fourth in the Derby standings after Saturday’s races behind Rebel (G3)-winner Coal Battle with 70 p0ints; Citizen Bull, winner of the Robert B. Lewis (60); and Saturday’s Fountain of Youth victor Sovereignty (60).

Last year, Grand Mo the First was the last North American 3-year-old to make the Kentucky Derby field with 40 points.

Ridden by Reylu Gutierrez in the Gotham, Flood Zone burst from post seven to take a clear lead among the ten sophomores coming out of the one-mile chute. But he was shortly joined on the lead by 22-1 longshot Normandy Coast on the rail and 7-5 favorite Sand Devil, winner of the $121,000 Damon Runyon at Aqueduct in his last start, between horses.

Those three coasted through a quarter mile in :23.86 with My Mitole, Sacrosanct and Garamond racing together in the second flight just behind them. As the field headed into the far turn after an easy half-mile in :47.97, Sand Devil tried to separate from his rivals but Flood Zone stayed on his outside hip as My Mitole tried to close the gap while circling three-wide.

Flood Zone found another gear approaching the quarter-mile marker but Sand Devil came back on the inside as they turned for home heads apart. My Mitole was unable to catch up from the far outside. The two leaders battled past the sixteenth pole when Flood Zone kicked clear to score by three-and-three-quarter lengths in 1:39.62 on the fast track. Sand Devil was second with Garamond an additional length-and-three-quarters farther back in third. They were followed in order by My Mitole, McAfee, Pagode, Calling Card, Sacrosanct and Normandy Coast.

Flood Zone paid $37.60 to win and is the first Florida-bred winner of the Gotham since Zayat Stables’ El Kabeir in 2015.

 

Making only his third career start and first for trainer Brad Cox, Flood Zone entered the Gotham off a five-and-a-quarter-length victory in a maiden special weight for Florida-breds going six-and-a-furlongs at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 4. In his first start, the bay colt was second to Mati Gol in a six-furlong maiden special weight for Florida-breds at Gulfstream on Dec. 7.

Victor Barboza Jr. trained Flood Zone and Gutierrez rode him in his first two starts. But the jockey thought he had lost the mount when Flood Zone was purchased by Watham after his second race.

“I showed up at the barn one morning to ride [Flood Zone] and [trainer] Victor [Barboza Jr.] told me ‘hey, we sold him.’ And I felt my soul just… So whoever bought him, I just had to reach out and I told my agent Jose [Santos] to do his job. I did whatever I could to stay on him.

“What an amazing horse. He doesn’t even have a gate handler. All the credit to the horse. He’s so calm but aggressive at the same time. Credit to Brad Cox. He did an amazing job training the horse.

“I always felt the longer he goes, the better he goes. When he goes two turns, he’s only going to get better.

“I’m just happy to have won the Gotham. I love Batman.”

 

Flood Zone earned $165,000 to push his lifetime bankroll to $203,800. A three-time graduate of Ocala Breeders’ Sales, Flood Zone was purchased by VEB Racing Stable for $45,000 out of the Paul Sharp consignment at last year’s June Sale of 2-Year-Olds. He did not meet his reserve in his first two trips through the auction ring in the 2023 Winter Mixed Sale nor in the 2024 March Sale of 2-Year-Olds.
(Flood Zone’s March Under Tack Video / March Walking Video / June Under Tack Video)

Bred in Florida by Al Figliolia Westburystables, LLC, Flood Zone is out of the unraced Curlin mare Curls for Girls, who has three starters, all winners from seven foals. She has an unnamed 2-year-old colt by Maclean’s Music and an unnamed yearling colt by Mo Donegal. She was bred to Arabian Lion in 2024.

This story was updated Sunday morning, March 2.

Return to the March 1 issue of Wire to Wire