NYQUIST holds of Exaggerator (far left) and keeps Gun Runner at Bay in the deep Derby stretch run – CINDY PIERSON DULAY – HORSE-RACES.NET
REMARKABLE. It is one word that describes the win by NYQUIST in the 142nd Kentucky Derby as the favourite over 19 rivals at 1 1/4 miles over a track that had got a bit sodden with a sudden storm.
He posted a career best 103 Beyer Speed Figure and is headed to the Preakness in 2 weeks with dead aim on the Triple Crown.
Many picked the son of the incredible young stallion Uncle Mo – after all, he went in 7 for 7 and won the Florida Derby with ease over Majesto. But there were plenty of us who still were not convinced and, well, who bets a 2 to 1 shot in the Kentucky Derby?
When a :22.58, 45.72 and change half-mile clocking went up, it seemed as if anyone who had bet a deep, closing type was going to have a very fun stretch run.
Instead, this plain bay, somewhat non-descript fellow, owned by Windsor – Ontario born J Paul Reddam and ridden by one-time Canadian resident Mario Gutierrez, chased the hot pace, took the lead and simply powered to victory in 2:01.31, the 13th fastest in race history. He became the 21st 2-year-old champion to come back the following year and win the Kentucky Derby and the second Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (GI) winner to take the roses along with Street Sense nine years ago.
Now undefeated in eight career starts, Nyquist is the first undefeated Derby winner with eight victories since Majestic Prince in 1969.
Nyquist is a Kentucky-bred son of Uncle Mo out of the Forestry mare Seeking Gabrielle. Now a five-time Grade I winner, Nyquist boosted his earnings to $4,954,200.
The selections by yours truly, Suddenbreakingnews (5th) , Exaggerator (2nd), Mohaymen (4th) had super efforts from off the pace and perhaps all will be back to try and topple the champ in 2 weeks.
Watch it again:
SOME OF THE Q & A FROM THE POST DERBY PRESS CONFERENCE
JOHN ASHER: Doug, here you are. You emerged in California. But you’ve been all over with him, two trips across the country. Perfection. What else do you want to say?
DOUG O’NEILL: It’s unbelievable. Got to thank Paul and Zillah for this opportunity. Like Paul said, he knows the O’Neill language. I know the Elias language, his groom. And the Johnny Garcia language, his exercise rider. And those guys, they are the unsung heros. Because they do all the work, and they are there long hours. And I could tell in the last week or so, Elias he is very serious about his trade and loves his horses so much. He has been smiling more than I have ever seen him smile. I didn’t know what was going on. Now I think we all know.
When you take those bandages off in the morning, his legs were ice cold and his feet were ice cold and you look in the feed tub and there is no more feed in there, he was really responding so well to Elias and the whole team. It’s a great feeling.
JOHN ASHER: In this race you have faced so many things that your horse has never faced before. Coming in for a second time and getting it done. Just talk about the journey. Were you really concerned at any point?
DOUG O’NEILL: You are always concerned. When we did our Team Reddam meeting after winning the Breeders’ Cup race, we talked about giving him a little break and having two races as a prep for the Kentucky Derby. And we felt pretty confident about that.
I think we would all be lying if we got beat here today, we would say maybe we didn’t do enough with him. Maybe that was the only worry. Other than that, he’s just a remarkable athlete that, if you work him by himself, he will even swish his tail a little bit like what do you want? What do you want for me? You put him in company, and he’s just a Ferrari.
This guy right here. How does he handle that pressure? We are all saying thank God we’re not riding him. We would have fell off of him before we got in the gate. Mario has got ice in his veins. And he’s the guy you want at the free‑throw line at the end of the game. Got to thank Mario big time.
JOHN ASHER: Talk about the story of the naming of this colt. I did a radio interview this morning with the Detroit host. Never heard him so over the moon about a Derby horse. There was much excitement up there. Talk about the naming of this colt and what’s that meant to you.
PAUL REDDAM: Well, the horse is named after Gustav Nyquist. He plays for the Red Wings. I have been a life‑long Red Wing fan. And partners in a couple horses with Erik Johnson who plays for the Colorado Avalanche. I was telling Erik last year, “Geez, when you are a free agent, you should sign with the Wings.”
He said, “I’ll never sign with them. Are you kidding?”
So just to get at him, I named a couple of horses after Red Wings. And Nyquist was one of them. Then he was, “Can I buy a piece of Nyquist?” I was like, no. But … (Laughter.)
So in the Detroit area, it’s become quite a story. And I guess last ‑‑ I think it was last night I heard before the Tigers game they were showing clips of the horse Nyquist. And the guys from the broadcaster all are going to come to the Preakness apparently.
MARIO GUTTIEREZ credited his wife Rebecca, who is expecting the couple’s first child, as helping him through a slump in recent years – CINDY PIERSON DULAY PHOTO
IN THE END, NYQUIST CRITICS WERE THE EXAGGERATORS..
MORE NYQUIST STATS
· Bay colt by Uncle Mo, out of the Forestry mare Seeking Gabrielle. Foaled on March 10, 2013 in Kentucky.
· A win would make sire Uncle Mo the youngest Derby-winning sire at age 8, joining Gallant Fox (Omaha in 1935), Pensive (Ponder in 1949), Royal Courage (Venetian Way in 1960), Raise a Native (Majestic Prince in 1969) and Maria’s Mon (Monarchos in 2001)
· Purchased for $400,000 at the 2015 Fasig-Tipton March sale by trainer Doug O’Neill’s brother, Dennis.
21st champion 2-Year-Old to win the Kentucky Derby; last was American Pharoah (2015); he would become the 75th 2-year old champ to compete in the race; 2-year-old champion Derby record: 74-20-14-5
· Will be the 27th undefeated horse to start in the Kentucky Derby since 1912 (record: 26-7-3-4); seven exited the Kentucky Derby unbeaten: Regret (1915), Morvich (1922), Majestic Prince (1969), Seattle Slew (1977), Smarty Jones (2004), Barbaro (2006), Big Brown (2008)
Owned by Reddam Racing LLC (J. Paul Reddam)
· J. Paul Reddam was born on July 28, 1955 in Windsor, Ontario.
· Founded Dietech.com, a mortgage loan company that was the first to use television and billboard advertising for current rates.
· Sold Dietech.com to General Motors in 1999.
· Owner of CashCall, a firm specializing in small loans at high interest rates.
· Was introduced to racing by a high school friend, Carlo Fisco, who worked as a groom at Windsor Raceway.
· Claimed first Thoroughbred, Ocean Warrior, in 1988
· Owned his first Kentucky Derby starter in 2003 with Ten Most Wanted, who finished ninth and was owned in partnership with James Chisholm, Horizon Stable and Michael Jarvis
· Owned 2012 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner I’ll Have Another
· Owned 2006 Breeders’ Cup Turf winner Red Rocks and 2004 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Wilko
Ridden by Mario Gutierrez
· Born on Sept. 19, 1986 in Veracruz, Mexico
· Rode Quarter Horses in his native Veracruz and in Mexico City at age 14
· Moved to Canada in 2006 to ride at Hastings Race Course in Vancouver, where he won riding titles in 2007 and 2008
· Scored his first graded stakes victory aboard Sir Gallovic in the 2007 British Columbia Premiers Handicap at Hastings.
· His lone Derby mount, I’ll Have Another won the Kentucky Derby in 2012 and went on to win the Preakness Stakes
SHAKHIMAT GETS PRESSURE
Regrouping time for Queen’s Plate favourite
Early Queen’s Plate favourite SHAKHIMAT had a rough time in the Grade 2 American Turf on Derby day, slipping back to 9th beaten 8 lengths in the 1 1/16 mile turf race. The eager colt was surprisingly joined by Airoforce in an early pace battle and was 3 wide into the backstretch going 46.51 for half a mile. He was quite strong to the turn but then got a bit tired and that was just his 2nd start of the season following his win in the Transylvania Derby at Keeneland.
The Queen’s Plate prep races get going in earnest with the marine Stakes next weekend, followed by the 7 furlong Queenston the following weekend.
Look for Shakhimat to be in the June 12 Plate Trial as his last prep for the July 3 Plate.
TEPIN TOPPLES RIVALS AGAIN
Six straight graded stakes wins for Tepin as she took the Churchill Distaff Turf on Derby day with ease over 6 rivals. Robert Masterson’s incredible Bernstein mare is headed to England.
Winning trainer Mark Casse said, “I guess Royal Ascot here we come. I think that she got her confidence. She’s learned to relax. We have a lot of good older horses and I believe in letting them get confidence and get better. She’s probably one of our biggest accomplishments because she started out as good and she’s become great. I don’t care how good you are or how good a trainer you are, no one can predict greatness like her.”
