Flood Zone landed in the winner's circle at 17-1 odds by edging clear in the final furlong to post a 3 1/4-length victory over favored Sand Devil in the $300,000 Grade 3 Gotham Stakes for 3-year-olds March 1 at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Purchased by Wathnan Racing after posting a quick 5 1/4-length victory in a Jan. 4 Florida-bred maiden race at Gulfstream Park that garnered stellar speed figures, Flood Zone justified the faith of his new connections and trainer Brad Cox and picked up enough qualifying points to run in the 2025 Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve. As part of the Road to the Kentucky Derby prep series, the Gotham win netted Flood Zone 50 qualifying points, which has always been enough to earn a spot in the run for the roses.

"We're excited about the win," said Case Clay, the American racing manager for Wathnan Racing. "He's by a Curlin mare. He's got a lot of Curlin in him and we thought the Gotham would be the natural next step."

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Of course, without a two-turn race under his belt after winning the one-turn mile Gotham, the son of Frosted out of the Curlin mare Curls for Girls will need 1 1/8-mile race March 29 or April 5 to convince his connections that he's ready for a 1 1/4-mile Triple Crown test.

"We're going to take him back to Florida, enjoy this win, and then decide where to go," Cox said. "It was a question mark as to how far he wants to go because he was a young horse with just two starts when we got him, but he looked very good throughout today. It was a good performance and I'm very proud of the horse." 

Jockey Reylu Gutierrez, who rode Flood Zone in the Gotham for Cox as well as in his first two starts for trainer Victor Barboza Jr., believes Flood Zone will be "even better at two turns."

"If they move forward and try the Kentucky Derby, that's up to (the connections). I'm just happy to be on him, but going two turns, in my opinion, he is going to be even better," Gutierrez said. "He's got good tactical speed and the gears to go the distance."

Flood Zone ($37.60 to win) showed speed throughout in the Gotham as he vied for the early lead with 7-5 favorite Sand Devil and 22-1 shot Normandy Coast through fractions of :23.86 and :47.97.

As Normandy Coast faded to last in the field of nine, the Gotham became a two-horse race between the undefeated New York-bred Sand Devil and Flood Zone. Flood Zone drew clear approaching the eighth pole and then pulled away in the stretch to cover the mile in 1:39.62.

Sand Devil, trained by Linda Rice, held second by 1 3/4 lengths over Garamond who was making his second career start for trainer Chad Brown.

Sand Devil picked up 25 Derby qualifying points and Garamond 15. Behind them My Mitole received 10 for finishing fourth and McAfee, the half-brother to 2024 Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna, picked up five for finishing fifth.