Nyquist proved a lot in winning the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, starting with settling all arguments about which horse is the best 3-year-old in the country.
He also proved that he could run a classic distance, winning fairly easily at 1¼ miles. And he finally got a decent speed figure, scoring a 103 on Beyer Speed Figure, the rating system used by the Daily Racing Form. It is the highest figure of the year for a 3-year-old running more than a mile, and it compares favorably with American Pharoah’s 105 in the 2015 Derby.
Nyquist also made his trainer, Doug O’Neill, look great and affirmed his unorthodox preparations. O’Neill scheduled only two starts for Nyquist before the Derby, and one of them was at 7 furlongs. He also shipped the horse across the country to Florida from his Southern California base to win the Florida Derby, mostly because Gulfstream Park was offering a $1 million bonus to Florida-bred horses who win.
O’Neill never overextended his horse during preparations, but instead just asked for steady, solid workouts. There was nothing exceptional about it. With only three races in 2016, Nyquist has a pretty good chance to remain fresh for the Preakness and, possibly, the Belmont Stakes.
Nyquist has also increased the value of his sire, Uncle Mo, who could vault to the top of the list of American stallions after this victory. It also ensures that every Uncle Mo 2-year-old will be overbet at Saratoga this summer.
Jockey Mario Gutierrez did an outstanding job, getting Nyquist out of the gate cleanly, then finding a perfect stalking spot and patiently waiting for the correct moment to pounce on the two horses in front of him, Danzing Candy and Gun Runner.
Outwork, my selection and another son of Uncle Mo, had the same chance as Nyquist did but fell short. He failed to last the distance, unlike Nyquist, who had plenty left to hold off the rally of Exaggerator.
Nyquist and Exaggerator will meet again in the Preakness May 21. Nyquist will be heavily favored, with Exaggerator the second choice. Based on what we saw Saturday, it’s going to be difficult to bet against Nyquist.
The Preakness field is limited to 14 horses; most likely, the starting gate will be filled. According to multiple reports yesterday, no other Derby finishers have committed to the second leg of the Triple Crown, but Gun Runner, Creator, Suddenbreakingnews, and Brody Cause are possible.
Two horses who failed to make the Derby field on points, Cherry Wine and Adventist, are also possible.
There will be some new contenders, two of them from trainer Bob Baffert: Cupid and Collected. Cupid won the Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn in Arkansas, but failed as the favorite in the Arkansas Derby. After the race he was diagnosed with an entrapped epiglottis. He underwent surgery to have it corrected, and horses that have the procedure can improve dramatically.
Collected, who won the Lexington Stakes at Keeneland in April, could also be dangerous.
Awesome Speed, listed as probable for the Preakness, won the Federico Tesio Stakes at Pimlico last month.
The most intriguing newcomer might be Stradivari, who is trained by Todd Pletcher and has won two of three starts, including a spectacular 14½-length victory in an allowance race at Keeneland in which he was credited with a Beyer Speed Figure of 100. He would be facing much tougher competition at Pimlico.
Then there’s Uncle Lino, another son of Uncle Mo, who has chased the best in California all spring and just won the California Chrome Stakes at Los Alamitos.
It will be the son of Uncle Mo, Nyquist, who will be the focus of the Preakness, however.
Joe Sullivan can be reached at jtsullivan@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeSullivan.
