Nyquist

Giving jockey Umberto Rispoli a day to remember after annexing the GI Gamely S. aboard Anisette two races earlier, Cuyathy LLC's Johannes (Nyquist) rounded out a Grade I-winning exacta for the Italian when winning the GI Shoemaker Mile S. on Santa Anita's Memorial Day card. Assuming his usual stalking, the 2-1 second choice was content to survey the speed as 11-1 chance Funtastic Again (Funtastic), with Frankie Dettori aboard, led longshot Goliad (War Front) through an opening quarter in :22.28. With the longshot taking over to post a half in...

Godolphin homebred Encino (Nyquist), winner of the GIII Stonestreet Lexington S. at Keeneland Apr. 13, has been scratched from Saturday's GI Kentucky Derby. Trainer Brad Cox said that Encino will not run in the Kentucky Derby after being off after training Tuesday morning. Also-eligible Epic Ride (Blame), a longshot third for trainer John Ennis while making his dirt debut in the GI Toyota Blue Grass S. at Keeneland Apr. 6, will draw into the field. Encino will not run in the @KentuckyDerby per trainer Brad Cox. Also-eligible Epic Ride draws...

by Jessica Martini & Stefanie Grimm OCALA, FL - The Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training rushed across the finish line with a lively session of bidding Friday and concluded its four-day run in Central Florida with a new sales record average and median and a gross just off last year's highwater mark. "It certainly felt like it picked up here at the end of the four-day stretch," said OBS Director of Sales Tod Wojciechowski. "It felt good. We were bumping up against a record [gross...

by Jessica Martini & Stefanie Grimm OCALA, FL - Without a breakout horse and numerous outs, the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training dutifully marched through its paces Thursday, with a colt by Nyquist attracting the session's highest price of $550,000 late in the day. Bloodstock agent Donato Lanni, bidding on behalf of Zedan Racing Stable, signed the ticket on the session topper for the third straight day. From a catalogue of 302 horses, just 187 went through the ring Thursday and the session, which started...

by Jessica Martini & Stefanie Grimm OCALA, FL - The action picked up noticeably during the second session of the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training and, with the auction's first seven-figure offering leading the way, figures concluded above 2023 levels Wednesday evening. "It was an excellent day," OBS Director of Sales Tod Wojciechowski said at the close of business Wednesday. "As I said yesterday, there are plenty of good horses left to be sold and obviously that was borne out today. Quality horses sell well...

According to a Wednesday press release, the 2024 Wanamaker's April Sale catalogue is now available, which includes yearlings, horses of racing age, open broodmares, and broodmares in-foal. Bidding will open at 9:00 a.m. ET on Thursday, Apr. 25, with the first listing set to close at 2:00 p.m. Subsequent listings will close in three-minute increments.   Highlights of the catalogue include: Nyquist filly, Deck of Cards, who has won her last three starts at Keeneland and Turfway Park and has earnings of over $125,000. Ligeia, a Florida-bred filly with two...

by Jessica Martini & Stefanie Grimm OCALA, FL - While it took some time to find its stride, the first session of the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training gained momentum throughout the day and concluded with figures in line with the first session of its record-setting 2023 renewal. "I thought it was a good day," said OBS Director of Sales Tod Wojciechowski. "A good horse sells well and I thought we had a lot of nice horses today. Holding true to last year, that's a...

Godolphin homebred Encino (Nyquist) took to dirt with aplomb, delivering a 3/4-length, wire-to-wire victory over favored The Wine Steward (Vino Rosso) in Saturday's GIII Stonestreet Lexington S. at Keeneland. With the win, good for 20 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, Encino is currently ranked 21st on the leaderboard with 40 points. "Ultimately (whether he starts in the Kentucky Derby) will be up to the Godolphin team--Dan Pride, Michael Banahan, Sheikh Mohammed--and if it's something they want to do, we'll prepare him," winning trainer Brad Cox said. "We'll...

Weather conditions continued to improve on the penultimate day of the 2024 Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training under-tack show and, while works failed to reach the peak set earlier in the week, the headwind that hampered Friday's show let up in time for a plethora of runners to hit the :9 4/5 mark Saturday. A total of 11 juveniles matched that mark with five of those 11 coming from sires who have their first 2-year-olds this year. Craig Wheeler sent out his homebred son of...

Saturday's GIII Stonestreet Lexington S. at Keeneland, the final stop on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, offers a path to Churchill Downs for the first Saturday in May for D. J. Stable and Robert Cotran's Hades (Awesome Slew). Currently on the outside looking in, Hades sits in 24th place on the leaderboard with 30 points. The GI Kentucky Derby is limited to 20 starters. The Lexington offers 42 points on a 20-10-6-4-2 scale. With a victory, Hades would be in the top 20. A runner-up finish would put him...

6th-Gulfstream, $72,000, Alw (NW1X)/Opt. Clm ($75,000), 3-28, 3yo, 1m, 1:36.75, ft, 9 lengths. KNIGHTSBRIDGE (c, 3, Nyquist--Tyburn Brook, by Bernardini), a jaw-dropping debut winner going seven furlongs at Churchill Downs Nov. 4, returned to the races in style at Gulfstream Park Thursday afternoon. The 1-9 favorite, drawn widest of all in post five, broke alertly and held a narrow advantage through an opening quarter in :23.40. Facing continued pressure through a half mile in :45.40, the 'TDN Rising Star' began to shake free turning for home and dropped the hammer...

6th-GP, $91K, Opt. Clm, 3yo, 1m, 3:40p.m. Godolphin's TDN Rising Star KNIGHTSBRIDGE (Nyquist), not seen since his TDN Rising Star-earning performance last fall, marks his return for trainer Bill Mott. The homebred is a half to GISW Speaker's Corner is out of Tyburn Brook (Bernardini), a daughter of dual Grade I winner Round Pound, who brought $5.75 million at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Sale in 2017. Knightbridge's unraced dam is a half-sister to GISW Long River (A.P. Indy) and SW & GSP Lake Lucerne (Dubawi {Ire}). Junior Alvarado gets the...