Nysos

With Churchill Downs having ruled that any horse that remained in the Baffert barn as of Jan. 29 would be ineligible to run in the GI Kentucky Derby, Monday was decision day for Baffert's owners. In 2022 and 2023, several moved their horses into the barn of former Baffert assistant Tim Yakteen prior to the Derby, but that may not turn out to be the case this year. At least four owners who have Derby candidates with Baffert have said their horses will remain under the care of their Hall...

We're inside the 120-day mark for the 150th GI Kentucky Derby, and the pecking order is hazily taking shape. There's a speculative, forward-thinking element (read: lots of guesswork) built into the equation, with the goal of projecting how these still-developing horses will blossom over the next four months. Get tied on and enjoy the ride. 1) NYSOS (c, Nyquist--Zetta Z, by Bernardini) 'TDN Rising Star' O-Baoma Corp; B-Susie Atkins (KY); T-Bob Baffert. Sales history: $130,000 Wlg '21 KEENOV; $150,000 Ylg '22 FTKOCT; $550,000 2yo '23 OBSAPR. Lifetime Record: GSW, 2-2-0-0,...

Shaping up to be nothing more than a public workout, TDN Rising Star Nysos (Nyquist) appeared to scare off much of his competition in the GIII Bob Hope S. Holding true to form, the Baoma Corp. runner roared home a much-the-best winner in Sunday's feature at Del Mar. Getting blinkers off while trying to remain undefeated, the colt wasn't particularly hurried exiting Post 5, settling kindly at the back of the short four-horse field as Tejon Pass (Justify) and Mission Beach (Curlin) cut out a :22.34 opening quarter while Stronghold...

Nysos (Nyquist), a jaw-dropping 10 1/2-length debut winner at Santa Anita Oct. 21 and a no-brainer 'TDN Rising Star,' takes on four rivals in Sunday's GIII Bob Hope S. at Del Mar. Purchased by Baoma Corp for $550,000 at the OBS April Sale, Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert takes the blinkers off for this seven-furlong test. He is the 4-5 morning-line favorite. Baffert will also saddle Wine Me Up (Vino Rosso), who followed a second-place finish in the GI American Pharoah S. Oct. 7 with a well-beaten eighth in...

The mighty Godolphin stable leads all Breeders' Cup owners with 16 wins, a testament to both the quality of the horses owned by Godolphin and its commitment to the Breeders' Cup. Godolphin won four Breeders' Cup races last year and is sending a strong contingent of U.S. and foreign-based horses to Santa Anita for this year's event. To find out more about the Godolphin runners for this year's Breeders' Cup and why the event is so important to the stable, the TDN Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland called on...

Nysos (c, 2, Nyquist--Zetta Z, by Bernardini), a $550,000 OBS April breezer (:9 4/5*), made that pricetag look like a bargain with a jaw-dropping 'TDN Rising Star' performance on debut in the Santa Anita nightcap Saturday evening. One of three entered for Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, the 6-1 chance had a pair of bullets on the worktab, including a four-furlong move in :47 1/5 (1/16) Oct. 12. He was hustled away from his inside draw by Kyle Frey and slugged it out from the outside with his rail-drawn stablemate...

9th-SA, $61K, Msw, 2yo, 6f, 8:11 p.m. ET. The rail-drawn URBAN LEGEND (Into Mischief) is one of three Bob Baffert trainees to debut in the Santa Anita finale. Out of MSW Singing Kitty (Ministers Wild Cat), the bay colt went for $300,000 at Keeneland September before bringing $1.3 million at the OBS April Sale. He is campaigned by Morplay Racing LLC, Rosedown Racing Stables, LLC and Kerri Radcliffe. The Hall of Fame conditioner will also saddle Nysos (Nyquist), who was purchased by Baoma Corp. for $550,000 at OBS April, and...