DOMENICA 8 MAGGIO 2016 America: #Nyquist stravince il Kentucky Derby! Imbattuto in 8 uscite, ha tenuto al secondo Exaggerator. Terzo Gun Runner.. // Nyquist Unrelenting in Kentucky Derby Victory By Jeremy Balan, May 7, 2016….unbeaten, unblemished, and unrelenting.

 

DOMENICA 8 MAGGIO 2016 America: #Nyquist stravince il Kentucky Derby! Imbattuto in 8 uscite, ha tenuto al secondo Exaggerator. Terzo Gun Runner..

 
 
 
Unbeaten, unblemished, and unrelenting. Cioè, imbattuto, senza macchia ed implacabile. Così ha titolato Bloodhorse per commentare il 142^ Kentucky Derby sotto le Twin Spires di Churchill Downs. Noi diremmo: Ancora lui! Si, perchè Nyquist (Uncle Mo) è riuscito nell’impresa titanica di vincere il Kentucky Derby G1 da favorito cementando il suo status da imbattuto, collezionando la sua 8° affermazione consecutiva proprio nella corsa dai 2 minuti più eccitanti dello sport americano. Il cavallo della Reddam Racing, allenato da Doug O’Neill e montato da Mario Gutierrez, ha risolto tutto con enorme semplicità agendo vicino alla testa dove Danzing Candy da outsider ha scandito parziali di :22.58, :45.72, e 1:10.40 per i primi 1200 metri, ed andando in percussione sullo stesso piegandolo già da prima della curva finale, risolvendo un enigma che riguardava la soglia attitudinale del 2000 metri, mai affrontati sinora, ma con la velocità di base necessaria per risolvere questo tipo di corse. Hai voglia ad avere fondo. Ma se parti e stai laggiù, non arrivi mai. E difatti, mentre nelle retrovie si scatenava la bagarre infernale, lui scappava con il malloppo da $2 milioni. Battuto Exaggerator (Curlin), montato in maniera troppo attendista, finito fortissimo all’epilogo con al terzo posto Gun Runner (Candy Ride) con al quarto il grigio Mohaymen (Tapit), accorso da posizione di retroguardia. Tempo finale buonissimo di 2.01.31, il secondo più basso negli ultimi 20 anni (record ancora di Secretariat in 1m 59,40s), e secondo Derby vinto dallo stesso team che nel 2012 vinse con I’ll Have Another. Nyquist è anche il secondo campione giovanile a livello di G1, a vincere il Kentucky Derby dopo Street Sense nel 2007.
 
 
Riuscirà Nyquist a vincere anche le Preakness Stakes G1 ed eventualmente arrivare al miglio e mezzo delle Belmont Stakes G1? Solo gli astri lo sanno. Intanto è riuscito in qualcosa che in molti non erano riusciti a fare, compreso suo padre Uncle Mo (Indian Charlie) per il quale si pensava non potesse produrre cavalli da Derby. Intanto Nyquist ha sfatato anche questo mito, e quando verrà ritirato in razza lo farà presso il Darley America.
 
 
 

Nyquist Unrelenting in Kentucky Derby Victory

Nyquist Unrelenting in Kentucky Derby Victory
Photo: Rick Samuels

Nyquist leads the way to victory in the Kentucky Derby.

 

Unbeaten, unblemished, and unrelenting.

 

Whatever has been thrown at Reddam Racing’s Nyquist, he has been able to handle. And May 7 at Churchill Downs he added the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) to his already impressive résumé. Watch Video

The son of Uncle Mo   broke like a champion from post 13 and was out front in the early strides, but was able to settle into position just off the pace set by Danzing Candy, who broke poorly from the outside post and needed to be rushed up entering the first turn.

Following a blazing Santa Anita Derby (gr. I) pace, Danzing Candy set sizzling fractions once again, ticking off splits of :22.58, :45.72, and 1:10.40 through six furlongs. Nyquist relaxed in second, then in third, as Gun Runner moved up on the inside to challenge Danzing Candy heading into the final turn and took command momentarily in the bend.

The patience of jockey Mario Gutierrez paid off at the top of the stretch, as Nyquist broke away from Gun Runner and held off a strong late drive from Exaggerator to win by 1 1/4 lengths. Gun Runner held for third, another 3 3/4 lengths back. Nyquist hit the wire in 2:01.31 on a track rated fast.

“The trip was amazing,” Gutierrez said. “We had a beautiful start. And there is pressure—the horse is undefeated and it’s the Kentucky Derby. We have 19 other horses who are trying to get to the wire first, but I have confidence in Nyquist.”

Beyond the top three, the superfecta was completed by Mohaymen, followed by Suddenbreakingnews, Destin, Brody’s Cause, Mo Tom,Lani, Mor Spirit, My Man Sam, Tom’s Ready, Creator, Outwork, Danzing Candy, Trojan Nation, Oscar Nominated, Majesto, andWhitmore. Shagaf did not finish.

The win gave trainer Doug O’Neill, Gutierrez, and Reddam Racing their second Kentucky Derby victory, following I’ll Have Another in 2012.

The bay colt has done everything asked of him in his relatively short career. Sprints? He has won three graded one-turn races—the Best Pal (gr. II) and Del Mar Futurity (gr. I) as a 2-year-old in 2015 and the San Vicente (gr. II) in his 2016 debut. How about a troubled trip? A bumped start in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (gr. I) had him eighth early on, but he was able to rally for victory. And what about that pesky mile and a quarter? That was taken care of Saturday.

“He’s just a special horse,” O’Neill said. “I mean, now it’s safe to say—Lava Man is unbelievable and I’ll Have Another is unbelievable—but this is the best horse I’ve been around. This horse is so strong and does everything so easy, and he’s just never tired. It doesn’t seem like we’ve ever really gotten to the bottom of him.”

“He has been able to win by five lengths, he has been able to win by a nose—that’s how I’ve had so much confidence in him,” Gutierrez added. “I know he’ll have something to respond.”

As for Exaggerator—who raced as many as 17 3/4 lengths behind in 15th under jockey Kent Desormeaux through the first six furlongs—the closing drive came up short, but the Curlin   colt has been in that situation before. He has now finished behind Nyquist on four occasions.

“I thought we had time to catch Nyquist,” trainer Keith Desormeaux said. “He had clear running room the entire (quarter-mile) stretch. I thought for sure we would catch him. I didn’t see where Nyquist was during the race until after it was over and he was right there on the pace. What a horse. I can’t respect that horse enough.”

Gun Runner also looked like a potential winner under Florent Geroux, in command late in the turn with Nyquist looming.

“We tried to win. You know what I mean?” trainer Steve Asmussen said of the early move as Nyquist dropped to third, unhurried by Gutierrez. “We tried to win. A solid pace (and) Nyquist was the horse to beat. I thought Florent tried to win the race.”

As for the future, with the Preakness (gr. I) two weeks away, Keith Desormeaux expressed some eagerness to get another race against Nyquist, a notion the Kentucky Derby winner’s owner J. Paul Reddam met with a playful jab.

“I would have thought he was sick of us by now,” Reddam said. “His horse obviously ran great. If I were him, I’d want a rematch too.”

And for the immediate future of Nyquist, who pushed his earnings to $4,954,200 with the Derby score, up next is a walk of the shedrow May 8 and a trip to Baltimore May 9. And beyond that, O’Neill might be looking toward a higher power.

“Mom, can you light a candle at Sunday mass?” O’Neill said in response to a question about his Triple Crown chances. “We need some higher power there to keep this guy injury free. One race at a time.”

fonte : Bloodhorse.com