NEW YORK (AP) -The trip East was a perfect solution to get I Want Revenge back on a winning track.
With only one win to show from six starts on California's synthetic surfaces, I Want Revenge ate up the dirt at Aqueduct and romped to victory in Saturday's Gotham Stakes.
I Want Revenge pulled away from Mr. Fantasy in the stretch for an 8 1/2-length win over Imperial Council, who closed with a rush for second. The 3-year-old colt trained by Jeff Mullins will remain in New York and train up to the Wood Memorial on April 4, followed by the Kentucky Derby on May 2.
``He struggled on the synthetic, and we always thought he'd run better on the dirt,'' delighted owner David Lanzman said in the winner's circle. ``He's staying here for the Wood, and we'll be back! New York has always been good to us.''
With Joe Talamo aboard, I Want Revenge stayed with pacesetter Mr. Fantasy until the top of the stretch. That's when I Want Revenge took off, with Talamo smiling as they crossed the finish line.
``I had so much horse the whole way around,'' said Talamo, who also made the trip from California. ``Me and Alan Garcia (Mr. Fantasy's rider) were going pretty slow, but at the quarter pole my horse just took off.
``There is no comparison between dirt and synthetic - he really took to it.''
Good thing, too, since the Derby is run on the dirt.
``We thought the dirt would move him up,'' Mullins said. ``I don't know if it did or not. We might have just picked the right spot.''
Mr. Fantasy, who came into the race with a 2-for-2 record and went off as the 2-1 favorite, finished third, followed by Masala, Russell Road, Axel Foley, Naos, Haynesfield and Giant Ryan.
Haynesfield, who came into the Grade 3 Gotham with a four-race winning streak, never threatened.
The winning time was 1:42.65 for the 1 1-16 miles on the fast track.
I Want Revenge earned $150,000 from the $250,000 purse, boosting his earnings to $366,000.
Sent off as the 3-1 second choice, I Want Revenge paid $8.30, $4.50 and $3.40. Imperial Council returned $4.80 and $3.30. Mr. Fantasy paid $3 to show.
``They've got good races out on the West Coast,'' Mr. Fantasy's trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said. ``Why didn't I Want Revenge stay out there?''
I Want Revenge finished third to Pioneerof the Nile in the Robert Lewis Stakes last month at Santa Anita. Lanzman believed his colt was a winner but the surface proved too tough and I Want Revenge was overtaken by not one, but two horses in the stretch.
Immediately after the race, Lanzman began looking for a dirt race and came up with the Gotham.
Nice call, and now he's got a talented colt on the road to the Derby.
