“Obviously, everyone’s ecstatic to have won the Derby”. And he crushed the Belmont to be the first horse in 25 years to win all three. A year later, everyone was still talking about Secretariat.
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Creator, victor of the Arkansas Derby, had traffic issues, as well, and Whitmore simply didn’t fire, which happens to horses a lot, which is why there are very few undefeated horses. Instead of continuing into the barn, his groom stopped, wheeled the Derby victor around to circle back along the wood-chip walkway for a curtain call, giving the few dozen members of the media and Maryland Jockey Club employees who formed the welcoming committee, an extended photo session.
Ahmed Zayat, the owner of American Pharoah, did not have a horse in the Derby and was at home in New Jersey on Saturday. “Today, Nyquist was going to go as fast as he needed to go”. “I have 100 percent confidence that Nyquist can make an even bigger impact”. American Pharoah had done what so many horses failed to do.
Now we have Nyquist. He’s won all eight of his races, including the sport’s biggest race. “Nyquist and Exaggerator. They are coming to the line together. and Nyquist has won the Kentucky Derby!” Speed burner Danzing Candy took the early lead and set a blazing pace, but Nyquist, running from the No. 13 hole, stayed close, never falling any further than third, waiting for his turn. He just kept on trucking.
Nyquist “looked well this morning”, O’Neill said in a text message on Sunday morning while en route to the airport to catch an early flight back to California, where he is based. When you see a jockey [look backward], you know then that they have a lot of horse under them.
Collected won the Lexington Stakes by four lengths and led for most of the race due to his quick speed out of the gate, according to Horse Racing Nation. The skeptics were silenced Saturday.
Winning the next two won’t be easy, of course.
Unbeaten Nyquist arrived at Pimlico on Monday and was eased into Stall 24 of the Stakes Barn with six other horses trained by O’Neill. It was 3¼-lengths back to third-place Gun Runner with Mohaymen fourth and Suddenbreakingnews fifth. As long as she is happy and healthy, the next day or two we’ll map out a plan.
As he became a rarity of horsepeople, a multiple victor of the Kentucky Derby, Reddam couldn’t help but recall his first win.
Nyquist and Exaggerator will meet again in the Preakness May 21.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for all of us in the horse racing world to take advantage of what American Pharoah and his connections did”, Nyquist’s trainer, Doug O’Neill, said in a teleconference hosted by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association. “And we train our horses hard. The horses are not machines, so it will be a great race”. O’Neill knows all about that. Given O’Neill’s history – he has served multiple suspensions for medication violations with his horses – eyebrows were raised, though a tendon injury was the official reason.
Reddam said the chemistry with O’Neill also has paid dividends.
The wheel of fortune doesn’t always spin your way.
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The owner and trainer of Nyquist said a couple weeks ago that he was hoping to duplicate what California Chrome did in 2014 and American Pharoah accomplished past year, with the latter going on to a Triple Crown victory and Breeders’ Cup Classic win before retiring to stallion duty.
