Champion Nyquist (Uncle Mo) is doing well after his impressive victory in the $1 million GI Xpressbet.com Florida Derby Saturday at Gulfstream Park, according to trainer Doug O'Neill.
“Talking to the crew, he looks good and he ate up well,” O'Neill said of the undefeated colt, who left Gulfstream at approximately 9:30 a.m. Sunday.
Owned by Reddam Racing LLC, Nyquist was perfect in five starts in 2015 and capped his stellar season by prevailing in the $2-million GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Keeneland. Reddam purchased the son of Uncle Mo for $400,000 13 months ago at the Fasig-Tipton Florida Sale at Gulfstream Park, and Fasig-Tipton offered a $1 million bonus if a Florida Sale graduate could capture Gulfstream's marquee event the following year.
“We had this plan from after the Breeders' Cup of what we wanted to do and it's all unfolding perfectly,” O'Neill added.
Nyquist became the first Eclipse Award-winning 2-year-old to capture the Florida Derby since Fly So Free in 1991, and the first Breeders' Cup Juvenile hero to follow up in the Florida Derby since Unbridled's Song in 1996. Now seven-for-seven lifetime, he has earned $2,322,600 on the track for the Reddams.
Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin had more mixed emotions Sunday after his star colt and multiple Grade II winner Mohaymen (Tapit) suffered his first career loss when finishing fourth behind Nyquist. Though disappointed in the Shadwell Stable runner's result, McLaughlin was pleased with how the horse emerged from the race, both mentally and physically.
“He came out of the race in good shape,” McLaughlin said as he overlooked Mohaymen's stall outside his barn office at Palm Meadows. “He's never been beaten and we thought he was invincible going in so, yeah, we're a little down about the result. But, we're moving forward. We're happy that he's happy this morning and we can move forward to the Kentucky Derby.”
Breaking from post nine of 10 as the 4-5 favorite, Mohaymen found himself wide throughout the 1 1/8-mile race while Nyquist led from start to finish from post four, dismissing Mohaymen's brief challenge at the top of the stretch to defeat Majesto (Tiznow) by 3 1/4 lengths.
Mohaymen wound up beaten 8 1/4 lengths over a main track that had taken rain intermittently during the 14-race program. McLaughlin said that Junior Alvarado, aboard the $2.2-million Keeneland September joint topper for all six starts, would retain the mount for the Derby
“We feel like it was a perfect storm of unfortunate things that happened with the track,” McLaughlin said. “Raining earlier and then later. Basically it was very wet and we were very wide. We ran 54 feet further than the winner, but congratulations to Nyquist and their team. They had to run over the same racetrack under the same conditions and they did it better than us. Congratulations to them, because it was a big showdown. We'll regroup and point for the Kentucky Derby and hope for the best.”
McLaughlin said Mohaymen will leave South Florida next week for Louisville, Ky. and do his training at Churchill Downs, where the Derby will be run May 7.
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