Undefeated Nyquist Arrives at Keeneland
Undefeated Nyquist Arrives at Keeneland
Reddam Racing’s Nyquist, winner of the Xpressbet.com Florida Derby (gr. I) the previous day, arrived at Barn 24 at Keeneland April 3 and will train in Lexington in the weeks leading up to the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I).
The champion 2-year-old male of 2015 arrived at Keeneland at about 3 p.m. EDT after a flight from South Florida to Blue Grass Airport. He is expected to return to the track the morning of April 6.
Nyquist, trained by Doug O’Neill, is now seven-for-seven with four grade I wins. He will go to the Kentucky Derby off of two starts this year; the first came in the seven-furlong San Vicente Stakes Feb. 15.
“He was very impressive the way he did it and the way he handled himself,” O’Neill assistant Jack Sisterson said of the Uncle Mo colt’s Florida Derby win. “It was very humid there in Florida but he handled it well, and his performance showed it. He’s a mentally tough horse; the good ones are like that. A lot of the credit goes to (jockey) Mario (Gutierrez).”
Nyquist spent a little time at Keeneland last fall before his victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (gr. I). It’s a big reason the O’Neill team shipped him there again.
“We just want to keep him sound and happy,” Sisterson said. “Keeneland is a great place for a horse to be a horse. That’s the reason we brought him here. There’s also the synthetic training track. It gives us an option of not missing any training days.”
O’Neill returned to his California base late Saturday night and is expected at Keeneland late in the week of April 3. He said Nyquist came out of the Florida Derby in good order.
“Talking to the crew, he looks good and he ate up well,” O’Neill said of Nyquist.
PEDULLA: Nyquist Trounces Mohaymen in Florida Derby
Paul and Zillah Reddam purchased the son of Uncle Mo the colt for $400,000 13 months ago at the Fasig-Tipton Florida sale at Gulfstream, and Fasig-Tipton offered a $1 million bonus if a Florida sale graduate captured Gulfstream’s marquee event the following year.
BALAN: Nyquist Scores in San Vicente, Still Unbeaten
“We had this plan from after the Breeders’ Cup of what we wanted to do, and it’s all unfolding perfectly,” O’Neill said.
Together with the owners, as well as jockey Gutierrez, O’Neill won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes (gr. I) with I’ll Have Another in 2012. That experience prepared the California horseman for the challenges Nyquist faces during the duration of his spring campaign.
“It’s nothing but great, really,” O’Neill said. “It’s definitely different with the fact that this guy is undefeated. If it’s possible, this might be a touch greater.”
Nyquist became the first Eclipse Award-winning 2-year-old to capture the Florida Derby since Fly So Free in 1991, and the first Breeders’ Cup Juvenile victor to follow up in the Florida Derby since Unbridled’s Songin 1996. Now seven-for-seven lifetime, he has earned $2,322,600 on the track for the Reddams.
DOMENICA 3 APRILE 2016 America: #Nyquist strapazza #Mohaymen nel Florida Derby. Imbattuto in 7 uscite, è il favorito del Kentucky Derby.
Inghilterra: #Belardo rientra ed impressiona nelle Doncaster Mile Stakes. Obiettivo Lockinge Stakes.
Oggi a Lione, nel Prix du Premier Pas sui 900 metri per 2 anni, alle 15,20 ora italiana, correrà Eblouis Moi (Diamond Green) per i colori della TBA, sempre famiglia Berardelli, ed il training di Attilio Giorgi.
Saint Are: guaranteed a run in the Grand National
PICTURE: Mark Cranham (racingpost.com/photos)
Saint Are makes National cut as 87 horses remain
LAST year’s Crabbie’s Grand National second Saint Are will get the chance to go one better in this year’s race after appearing in the top 40 of the 87 confirmations made on Monday for Saturday’s contest.
Saint Are, a general 16-1 for the iconic Aintree race, will be reopposed by topweight Many Clouds, who is tasked with becoming the first horse since Red Rum in 1974 to retain his Grand National title.
Many Clouds is the general 8-1 favourite and is followed in the market by Silviniaco Conti and The Last Samuri, who are both 12-1 shots.
The Romford Pele, who is set to carry 10st 4lb, is the last horse guaranteed to get a run at this stage and connections of any horse below him on the entry list now face an anxious wait to see if they make the final field at Thursday’s final declaration stage.
Nervous wait
Cause Of Causes, who stormed to a 12-length success in the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, and Bishops Road, who won the Grand National Trial at Haydock and could be a first runner in the National for rising star Kerry Lee, are among those outside the top 40 entries.
Former winner Pineau De Re is another lurking just outside the top 40 for the Grand National as is Alvarado, who has been fourth in the race for the past two years.
The most significant name among the nine absentees is that of Irish Gold Cup winner Carlingford Lough, who finished fourth in the Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup on his most recent outing.
fonte : RacingPost
Ultra (far side) beats Cymric in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere
PICTURE: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)
Unbeaten Derby hope Ultra suffers setback
GODOLPHIN colt Ultra, who was being considered for the Investec Derby, is likely to miss the first part of the season after suffering a setback.
Trained by Andre Fabre, Ultra is unbeaten in three starts and rounded off his juvenile campaign with victory in the Group 1 Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere at Longchamp.
Although holding an entry in the Qipco 2,000 Guineas, Fabre had stated his intention to miss Newmarket and take in a prep race for Epsom.
However, racing manager John Ferguson said on Godolphin’s website: “Ultra has developed a splint and, as a result, has missed training at a crucial time.
“He’s unlikely to be ready for any major prep races, which in turn puts his Classic aspirations on hold.”
Ultra, who had been a general 16-1 chance for the Derby, was removed from ante-post betting by a number of firms.
fonte : RacingPost
