Hansen Wins the Gotham Stakes It wasn't just that Hansen won the Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct on Saturday, but how he won. He was coming off a second-place finish in the Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream, where he stumbled at the start, darted feverishly to the lead, tired late and acted nothing like the kind of horse who could win the Kentucky Derby, but he did everything right at Aqueduct. Adam Coglianese/NYRA, via Associated Press Hansen, ridden by Ramon Dominguez, won the Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct by three lengths. Showing a new dimension by sitting just off the pace, Hansen relaxed early, galloped comfortably down the backstretch and took over on the far turn before drawing off to win the $400,000 race by three lengths. "The step forward that he took from his previous race was amazing," his jockey, Ramon Dominguez, said. He relaxed so nicely for me throughout the entire race. The ability has always been there, but we all knew he had to take a step forward mentally. I couldn't be happier with how he handled himself today. Hansen, a nearly white 3-year-old colt, ended his 2-year-old season by winning the Breeders" Cup Juvenile at Churchill Downs over Union Rags, an impressive winner of the Fountain of Youth Stakes last Sunday at Gulfstream Park. But not everyone was sold on Hansen, who seemed like a headstrong front-runner who might have distance limitations. When he underachieved in the Holy Bull, the knocks looked even more valid. When Hansen drew the 12 post position for the Gotham, it seemed as if he might have to deal with more adversity. One strategy would have been for Dominguez to gun him out of the gate in order not to lose ground on the first turn. Instead, he chose to take back, something Hansen had never done. The strategy could have backfired. "To see him relax and see him finish up strong, that's really what I wanted," said Hansen's co-owner and breeder, Kendall Hansen. Hansen, the owner, was wearing a T-shirt bearing the inscription "The Great White Hope" and the date of this year's Kentucky Derby. He can now feel much better about his chances on Derby Day. The same goes for Dominguez. "I know exactly he reason he didn't perform better in the Holy Bull," Dominguez said. He was just too hard on himself. I was pretty optimistic he would change. I never dreamed he could change to this degree in the matter of one race. Hansen, the 4-5 betting favorite, paid $3.60 on a $2 bet to win and covered the mile-and-a-sixteenth distance in 1 minute 43.84 seconds over a track listed as good. He is trained by Mike Maker. My Adonis, also coming out of the Holy Bull, finished second. No one else was a serious threat. Hansen will be back at Aqueduct on April 7 in the Wood Memorial, which will be his last prep for the Kentucky Derby on May 5 in Louisville. He is likely to be a solid favorite in the Wood, and a victory would put him in good shape for the Derby. His biggest problem between now and Derby Day could be the presence of his Breeders" Cup rival Union Rags. Though Hansen defeated him in the Juvenile, it was not clear who the better horse was, because Union Rags raced wide throughout. Since then, Union Rags has come back with a scintillating performance in the Fountain of Youth. He, not Hansen, is the Derby favorite for now. "I can't take anything away from Union Rags," Dominguez said. Whether he's the better horse, who knows? The future will take care of that. I'm just happy to have a horse like this to ride. I know our horse has the potential to be as good as any of them. I have Derby fever, just like everyone else.