Nyquist

Vequist (Nyquist) suffered a nose defeat when debuting going 4 1/2 furlongs at Parx, but found no equals when stepped up into the GI Spinaway S. Sunday at Saratoga, pressing a fast pace and romping clear impressively in the stretch to break her maiden in the first Grade I race of the year for juveniles. Unveiled as a tepid favorite July 29 in Bensalem for owner/breeder Swilcan Stables, the bay chased a wire to wire winner throughout and just missed when taking a final dive at her foe nearing the...

Gretzky the Great earned the first black-type win for his first-crop sire (by Uncle Mo) as he eventually wore down frontrunner Into the Sunrise to prevail in Woodbine's Soaring Free S. Sunday afternoon. Second to favored Ready to Repeat going five panels over the local lawn July 12, the bay broke through by daylight over a rained-off six furlongs Aug. 2. Away well from the outside five hole, Gretzky the Great skated along out in the clear in second as Into the Sunrise enjoyed a clear lead and Ready to...

Following the completion of the last major 2-year-old sale of the season in each of the past two years, we looked at the potential success of the freshman sires by creating a handicapping event, noting both times that the freshman sires of 2018 and 2019 were very competitive bunches, i.e., many of them were capable of rising to the top five or so of their contemporaries after a few crops had raced. This year there was a substantial wrinkle in the process. Because of the Covid-19 situation, the sales season...

You didn't know? Sure they do, every Travers weekend. All the Bluegrass stallions. They get together for a few bourbons at the country club, compare notes on the covering season. And it's not like the officers' mess, where no gentleman would bandy a lady's name. They guffaw when they discover that some notoriously ornery mare was sent to a naïve new subscriber; they drool enviously when one of the senior members reveals that he was favored with a visit from that gorgeous maiden who topped a session at the November...

6th-Saratoga, $72,000, Msw, 8-2, 2yo, f, 6f, 1:11.77, ft. LADY LILLY (f, 2, Nyquist--Miss Inclined {MSP, $184,451}, by Pulpit) raced out to take an early lead, showing the way through initial splits of :22.48 and :45.82. In the clear turning for home, the $280,000 KEESEP yearling appeared to be home free, but despite getting leg-weary in the final sixteenth, the 9-5 choice held on for a neck victory over the oncoming Mo Dean (Uncle Mo). The winner's freshman sire, Nyquist, was registering his third winner, following Gretzky the Great's maiden...

6th-Woodbine, C$108,646, Msw, 8-2, 2yo, 6f (AWT) (off turf), 1:09.84, ft. GRETZKY THE GREAT (c, 2, Nyquist--Pearl Turn {MSP, $182,560}, by Bernardini), sent off the hot 1-2 choice, jumped out to an early advantage, led through splits of :22.77 and :45.09 and turned on all boosters late, crossing the wire 4 1/2 lengths ahead of Liars Club (Broken Vow). The Ontario bred kicked off his career for Mark Casse with a second-place effort sprinting five panels over the local turf July 12 behind Ready to Repeat (More Than Ready), who...

C&H Diamond Racing LLC & Baccari Racing Stable's Dream Quist (Nyquist) improved significantly on the stretch out at Ellis Sunday to become the first winner for her freshman sire (by Uncle Mo). A debut fifth as the favorite sprinting in the Churchill slop June 28, the $265,000 Fasig-Tipton October yearling was off as the 5-2 second choice this time but was bumped from both sides leaving the gate. She moved up in between horses to sit perched in third and tugged her way up to challenge the pacesetter heading for...

Bob Verratti, who has done a little of everything in racing for the past four decades, decided to purchase a small group of pinhooking prospects at the 2018 yearling sales and, with the help of bloodstock agent Dennis O'Neill, the Pennsylvania businessman came away with a pair of home runs, albeit to opposite sides of the park. The first of the trio to go through the sales ring was a colt from the first crop of Constitution who Verratti bought back for $200,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream sale. The...

2nd-GP, $65K, Msw, 2yo, 4 1/2f, post time: 1:35p.m. ET Known for his prowess with early 2-year-olds, trainer Wesley Ward sends out the first runner by champion and GI Kentucky Derby hero Nyquist in BREAKTHROUGH. Purchased for $330,000 at FTKJUL, the dark bay is a half-brother to SW & MGISP Red Vine (Candy Ride {Arg}) and his dam is a half to MGSW Fort Prado (El Prado {Ire}). Scratched from a similar spot Friday, he enters this unveiling off a bullet three panels on the turf at Palm Meadows in...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 2nd-GP, $60K, Msw, 2yo, 4 1/2f, 1:35p.m. Known for his prowess with early 2-year-olds, trainer Wesley Ward sends out the first runner by champion and GI Kentucky Derby hero Nyquist in BREAKTHROUGH. Purchased for $330,000 at FTKJUL, the dark bay is a half-brother to SW & MGISP Red Vine (Candy Ride {Arg}) and his dam is a half to MGSW Fort Prado (El Prado {Ire}). He enters this unveiling off a bullet three panels on the turf at Palm Meadows in :36 1/5 (1/8) May...

Even if most racing is delayed, we're all hoping it will get underway sometime this spring or early summer, if for no other reason than so we can all find out the answer to our annual favorite question. We surveyed some top judges on who their leading first-crop sire is, and to give us some under-the-radar picks as well. NICK HINES Uncle Mo will have a really good look as a "sire of sires" this year with Laoban, Outwork and Nyquist all entering the breeding shed as freshman sires in...

Even if most racing is delayed, we're all hoping it will get underway sometime this spring or early summer, if for no other reason than so we can all find out the answer to our annual favorite question. We surveyed some top judges on who their leading first-crop sire is, and to give us some under-the-radar picks as well. LINDA RICE I am a big fan of Nyquist. He was a brilliant 2-year-old, winning the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and the Eclipse Award, and he carried that into his 3-year-old year,...