Sacrosanct, Sand Devil try open rivals in Gotham; Volleyballprincess faces eight in Busher

Unbeaten New York-bred stakes winners Sacrosanct and Sand Devil will test their mettle against open competition and compete for Kentucky Derby qualifying points in Saturday’s $300,000 Gotham (G3) at Aqueduct. Ten three-year-olds are set for the one-turn mile race, which offers 105 points (50-25-15-10-5 scale to top five finishers) as part of the Road to the Kentucky Derby Challenge series.

A sharp debut winner at Saratoga, Sacrosanct followed with convincing tallies in the Bertram Bongard and Sleepy Hollow. He exits a head score in the seven-furlong New York Stallion Series at Aqueduct in mid-December, and Manny Franco retains the assignment on the Brad Cox-trained Honest Mischief colt.

Sand Devil brings a 3-for-3 record to his first graded appearance, earning a pair of 95 Brisnet Speed ratings for a four-length maiden win in early December and a 12 1/2-length entry-level allowance score four weeks later. The chestnut son of Violence registered a 97 figure for a head tally in the seven-furlong Damon Runyan on Feb. 8, and Jose Lezcano guides the promising colt for Linda Rice.

Garamond, a first-out winner at Tampa Bay Downs in late January, will ship in and make his stakes debut for Chad Brown. By Uncle Mo, the bay colt was prominent from the start in the six-furlong race and drew off to a near two-length decision as the odds-on favorite, and Javier Castellano will pick up the mount.

Woodbine stakes winner Scorching will open his three-year-old season, and Calling Card will try to improve upon an eighth in the Lecomte (G3) at Fair Grounds. Normandy Coast, who returned from a lengthy layoff with a game allowance win at Fair Grounds, will make his first stakes attempt for Eddie Kenneally, and My Mitole rates as intriguing in his stakes debut off a convincing entry-level allowance victory at Aqueduct.

Last-out maiden winners Flood Zone and Pagode are also entered.

One race earlier, Ruthless upsetter Volleyballprincess will look to make it two straight in the $200,000 Busher. The North Carolina-bred daughter of Mo Town, based at Parx with Louis Linder Jr., rolled to a 10-length, wire-to-wire decision at 10-1 in the seven-furlong Ruthless on Feb. 1, regular rider Elisio Ruiz has the call,

The one-mile event offers qualifying points (50-25-15-10-5) as part of the Road to the Kentucky Oaks Challenge series.

Grade 3 runner-up Liam in the Dust, unraced since a third in the Demoiselle (G2), will open her three-year-old season for Rodolphe Brisset. Drexel Hill invades off a third in the Jan. 18 Untapable S. at Fair Grounds, and Amarth will try to improve upon a sixth in the same race.

Other contenders in the nine-horse field include Sharp Smile and Ramify, third and fourth in the Jan. 25 Busanda at Aqueduct; Nilo’s Rose, who will bring a two-race win streak to her stakes debut; and last-out maiden romper She’s Fascinating.