Nyquist Remains Unbeaten in the FrontRunner

Owner J. Paul Reddam has a pair of Breeders’ Cup trophies to his name courtesy of Wilko (Awesome Again), who registered a 28-1 upset of the 2004 Juvenile at Lone Star Park and Red Rocks (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who orchestrated a 10-1 surprise in the 2006 Turf at Churchill Downs. In the form of Nyquist (Uncle Mo), the affable Reddam will head to Keeneland in five weeks’ time for the Juvenile with a horse who figures to be among the top few betting choices.

Saturday, Santa Anita
FRONTRUNNER S.-GI, $300,750, SA, 9-26, 2yo, 1 1/16m, 1:44.89, ft.
1–NYQUIST, 122, c, 2, by Uncle Mo
1st Dam: Seeking Gabrielle, by Forestry
2nd Dam: Seeking Regina, by Seeking the Gold
3rd Dam: Fulbright Scholar, by Cox’s Ridge
($180,000 Wlg ’13 KEENOV; $230,000 Ylg ’14
KEESEP; $400,000 2yo ’15 FTFMAR). O-Reddam
Racing LLC; B-Summerhill Farm (KY); T-Doug F.
O’Neill; J-Mario Gutierrez. $180,000. Lifetime
Record: MGISW, 4-4-0-0, $513,600. Werk Nick
Rating: A. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. [bullet ad=”dromoland-salesgrad”][bullet ad=”dromoland-nyquist-new”][bullet ad=”paramount-another-gi-winner”][bullet ad=”niall-brennan-nbs-graduate”][bullet ad=”kbif-g1″][bullet ad=”grovendale-sold-by-james-b-keogh”] 2–Swipe, 122, c, 2, Birdstone–Avalanche Lily, by
Grand Slam. ($5,000 Ylg ’14 KEESEP). O-Big Chief
Racing LLC; B-Lou Oppenheim (KY); T-J. Keith
Desormeaux. $60,000.[bullet ad=”blandford-stud-sold-for-lou-oppenheim”][bullet ad=”irt-shell”] 3–Hollywood Don, 122, c, 2, Tapit–Ocean Drive, by
Belong to Me. ($240,000 RNA Ylg ’14 KEESEP;
$400,000 RNA 2yo ’15 FTFMAR; $245,000 2yo ’15
OBSAPR). O-Rockingham Ranch; B-SyBon Racing
Stable LLC (KY); T-Peter Miller. $36,000.[bullet ad=”nick-de-meric-consigned-by-de-meric-sales”] Margins: 3/4, 5 3/4, HF. Odds: 0.50, 8.10, 7.90.
Also Ran: Rare Candy, Blameitonthelaw, Mt Veeder, Go Long, On Fire.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

Offered twice at Keeneland, Nyquist fetched $180,000 as a weanling at the 2013 November sale and $230,000 at last year’s September sale before being knocked down to Reddam for $400,000 at this year’s Fasig-Tipton Florida sale after breezing an eighth of a mile in :10 2/5. And it didn’t take a terribly long time for the colt to make an impression, as he turned in an ultra-game debut performance June 5, battling back after surrendering the lead to score by a head going five furlongs. The bay took the next logical step in the Aug. 8 GII Best Pal S. at Del Mar, and there was no doubt about the outcome this time around, as he attended the pace three wide before racing away to best Swipe by better than five lengths. Those two renewed acquaintances once again in the GI Del Mar Futurity Sept. 7 and the outcome was not quite as decisive, but equally convincing, as Nyquist bounded home 3 3/4 lengths to the good of Swipe, with TDN Rising Star Blameitonthelaw (Blame) further back in third.

Nyquist broke alertly enough, but found himself the meat of a sandwich early as Go Long (Congrats) pushed through to lead at the fence and Mt Veeder (Ghostzapper) raced to his outside. The heavy chalk raced a bit greenly and ducked out into the first turn, causing Mt Veeder to take some evasive action, but settled in from second through an opening couple of furlongs in :23.04. Blameitonthelaw traveled comfortably along the inside from fourth, just ahead of Swipe, who was keen beneath Kent Desormeaux as they reached the midpoint of the backstretch. Nyquist was asked to come after Go Long leaving the three-eighths marker and he went for home, but Mt Veeder wasn’t done quite yet, and that kept Swipe on hold for an extra fraction of a second. Nyquist came just wide enough off the turn to allow Desormeaux the chance to send Swipe through that tight spot, and although the two rivals brushed 100 yards from the wire, Nyquist stayed on for the narrow success. A stewards’ inquiry into the stretch run yielded no change.

“That stretch run was probably a treadmill test for the cardiologist,” trainer Doug O’Neill commented. “I guess I’m OK, but that was truly so exciting, but when you’re 3-5 [actually 1-2] or whatever his odds were, you’re thinking you’re going to win by five [lengths] geared down, the jockey looking under his arm, all that stuff. This one, Mario really had to ride a smart race after the way it started and through the stretch. He did a great job.”

The winner’s dam is a half-sister to Seeking the Sky (Storm Cat), herself the dam of GI Met Mile hero Sahara Sky (Pleasant Tap). Seeking Gabrielle, who RNAd for $80,000 carrying Nyquist in utero at the 2012 Keeneland November sale, is represented by a yearling filly by Blame, who was purchased by Bridlewood Farm for $330,000 to top the ninth session of the Keeneland September sale. Barren to Curlin this year, she was bred to Flatter in 2015.