Mohaymen, Nyquist Camps Ready for Showdown

For Kiaran McLaughlin, trainer of Mohaymen (Tapit), Saturday's GI Xpressbet.com Florida Derby is a logical local spot for his unbeaten gray, having easily swept through Gulfstream Park's Jan. 30 GII Lambholm South Holy Bull S. and Feb. 26 GII Fountain of Youth S. For Doug O'Neill, trainer of similarly undefeated Nyquist (Uncle Mo), the decision to ship his champion cross-country is driven by an ideal spot on the calendar and a lucrative purse bonus. As both talented colts complete their final preparations for the highly anticipated showdown, the common thread is that both trainers welcome the challenge as a useful stepping-stone en-route to the GI Kentucky Derby May 7.

“I think it's great that we have two of the best colts in the country running against each other Saturday,” McLaughlin said on an NTRA telecconference Tuesday afternoon. “It's a great race, and you don't see this happen very often.”

In the midst of talk that the Florida Derby essentially amounts to a match race, McLaughlin said he is pleased with how smoothly his star colt has progressed as a 3-year-old. Following a juvenile campaign that included a pair of Grade II wins in Aqueduct's Nashua S. and Remsen S., the Shadwell colorbearer picked up right where he left off at Gulfstream this winter.

“He's always done everything right,” explained McLaughlin. “We've stayed right on course with the Holy Bull, Fountain of Youth and now the Florida Derby. He's worked every week when he's supposed to work, and everything is going great.”

Although one train of thought suggests that a taxing effort in the Florida Derby could undermine the ultimate goal of winning the Kentucky Derby, McLaughlin said that he prefers to view the race as a measuring stick after a series of relatively easy victories.

“We don't mind a stern test,” admitted the trainer. “We're five weeks out, if it's a really tough race–which it probably will be for both of us. We'll have five weeks to recover, which is great. It would be nice to have a little challenge, more of a challenge than we've had, to see where we're at. So we're looking forward to Saturday.”

As for the competition, McLaughlin noted that he was impressed by the grit shown by Nyquist in a number of hard-fought wins, particularly his wide-running triumph in last October's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile.

“He's just very game and determined, and he's hard to get by,” McLaughlin acknowledged. “At the Breeders' Cup, I didn't think he could win the race from where he was into the first turn, and yet he still won and beat a nice group of horses.”

While Nyquist has demonstrated an ability to win from on or off the pace, McLaughlin concluded that he expects Mohaymen to be tracking the West Coast invader in the early stages Saturday.

“I think he has more speed than we do, so we'll probably be coming from off of [the pace],” said McLaughlin. “We [also] don't want to make it easy for him if he's out there on an uncontested lead. We might have to come to him a little bit earlier, but I'll leave that up to Junior [Alvarado].”

When asked if he agreed with McLaughlin's assessment, O'Neill was less certain about how the race would play out, leaving it in the hands of Nyquist's regular rider, Mario Gutierrez. Nyquist recently set the pace through a blistering half-mile in :44.49 and drew off powerfully to capture the seven-furlong GII San Vicente S. at Santa Anita Feb. 15.

“Post positions will have something to do with [tactics],” the Kentucky Derby-winning trainer said. “When Mario leaves the paddock on Nyquist, it's all up to him on how the race unfolds.”

Regardless of the race tactics, O'Neill said he is enthusiastic about the chance to compete against Mohaymen Saturday. In addition to the 60% winner's share of the Florida Derby's $1-million purse, the bay is eligible to earn his connections an additional $1 million as a [$400,000] graduate of the Fasig-Tipton Florida Sale in March 2015.

“It's why you get up early every morning to go to the barn, for opportunities like this,” remarked O'Neill. “We've got number two and Mohaymen is number one, so to have that match-up five weeks before the Kentucky Derby is awesome for the sport and so exciting for all the connections.”

O'Neill added that even without the bonus, the five weeks between the Florida Derby and the Kentucky Derby was a primary factor in choosing the race. As his trainee continues to thrive, the 47-year-old conditioner seems just fine with ceding favoritism to the hometown hero, Mohaymen.

“I kind of like flying under the radar,” O'Neill quipped. “They paid a lot of money [$2.2 million at Keeneland September] for Mohaymen, and rightfully so–he's turned out to be an amazing horse by the hottest stallion in the country, and Uncle Mo isn't too far behind him. It doesn't bother me at all. As long as our horse continues to do well, I have no problem with what all the experts are saying.”