Champions Beholder (Henny Hughes) and Nyquist (Uncle Mo) tuned up for graded stakes engagements next weekend with works at Del Mar Sunday. Beholder worked five furlongs in :59.20. With regular exercise rider Janeen Painter aboard and jockey Gary Stevens watching from trackside, Beholder broke off at the five-eighths pole with a workmate five or six lengths ahead and cruised through official fractions of :24.20, :47 before galloping out six furlongs in 1:11.60. Beholder carries an eight-race win streak into next Saturday's GI Clement L. Hirsch S.
“It was meant to go off a little easy and finish the way we do most of the time,” trainer Richard Mandella said after the work. “It went a little quicker than we planned, but she does that often. I got her in :58 and 3. She's ready.”
About an hour before first post time at Del Mar Sunday, GI Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist worked a mile in 1:39.40 in preparation for next Sunday's GI Betfair.com Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park.
Under regular rider Mario Gutierrez, Nyquist entered the track at the seven-furlong gap and backtracked to the three-eighths pole before turning and galloping up to the starting line for a work in company with 2-year-old maiden colt stablemate Sorry Erik (Wilburn). Both colts are owned by J. Paul Reddam.
“I'm very happy with it,” trainer Doug O'Neill said after the work. “He broke off nice and relaxed, settled nicely and when Mario called on him, he finished up well. He did everything we wanted and did it the right way.”
The Haskell will be Nyquist's first race since suffering his only loss to date when third in the May 21 GI Preakness S.
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