By Keith Taylor
Special to NKyTribune
LOUISVILLE — Nyquist has never lost a race in his career. Now, the Kentucky Derby winner is two victories away from becoming the second straight Kentucky-bred colt to win the Triple Crown after notching his eighth victory Saturday at Churchill Downs.
Nyquist has big shoes to follow in the four weeks in his quest to match American Pharaoh’s memorable feat, guided by trainer Bob Baffert last year. Baffert’s entry Mor Spirit, runner-up in the Santa Anita Derby, wasn’t a serious contender and finished 10th.
Nyquist fended off Exaggerator and Gun Runner in 2:01:31 to give trainer Doug O’Neill his second Kentucky Derby victory. O’Neill’s I’ll Have Another gave the O’Neill his first Kentucky Derby victory in 2012. Only once has there been back-to-back Triple Crown winners in history. Seattle Slew and Affirmed ran the table from 1977-78.
O’Neill admitted the task wasn’t easy considering the talented field of contenders but was confident Nyquist would succeed amid the hype.
“You just felt there was no way you could be nervous because you just felt like you were going to the gym with Kobe Bryant,” O’Neill said. “You just knew he was going to figure out a way to pull it out at the end and he did. Mario (Gutierrez) gets a lot of credit too. What a ride, what a wide.”
For the first time since 2008, the Derby winner emerged from the prestigious race perfect. Big Brown captured the Kentucky Derby eight years ago and remain spotless. How special was the run by Nyquist? Only eight horses in the history of the 142-year event have entered and exited the Run for the Roses with an unblemished record.
“He’s a special, special horse,” O’Neill said. “You can see it in his eye on a daily basis. He knows how to bring his “A” game. If he was a human athlete, we’d celebrate him as a superstar.”
Gutierrez guided Nyquist through a successful mile and a quarter ride for his second career Kentucky Derby victory. Gutierrez rode I’ll Have Another to victory behind the leadership of O’Neill and Reddam.
“We got a beautiful start from start to the end,” said Gutierrez who improved to 2-0 in the Kentucky Derby. “It’s unreal. No words can describe it.”
Like O’Neill, Reddam liked the way Nyquist performed despite being the favorite.
“His run was awesome,” Reddam said. “Obviously, we were going to take it to them. I love the way that we fired out of there and he sat behind Danzing Candy. This horse, he’s really something. We’re just lucky to be a part of that.”
Reddam said the chemistry between owner, trainer and jockey have played a role in the string of victories by Nyquist.
“The whole O’Neill team was just flawless,” owner said. “It’s the kind of horse you need to do things perfectly.”
The excitement surrounding American Pharaoh’s feat last season resulted in a near-record turnout at Churchill Downs. An announced crowd of 167,227 watched Nyquist made a successful outside move on the final turn to get the win.
“I thought I had it for a minute,” Gun Runner jockey Florent Geroux said. “He started pricking his ears back and forth at the top of the stretch.”
O’Neill credited Gutierrez for remaining a calming force down the stretch. Gutierrez has been aboard Nyquist in all eight of his successful races.
“He’s got ice in his veins,” O’Neill said. “He’s the one you want at the free-throw line at the end of the game.”
Exaggerator fell to 0-4 in races against Nyquist, including two runner-up finishes, including the Kentucky Derby.
“What a horse,” Exaggerator jockey Keith Desormeaux said. “I can’t respect that horse enough.”
Keith Taylor is a senior sports writer for KyForward, where he primarily covers University of Kentucky sports. Reach him at keith.taylor@kyforward.com or @keithtaylor21 on Twitter