Future Darley stallion Nyquist remained undefeated with a dramatic victory in the G1 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 7th.
Going off as the 2-1 favorite, Nyquist broke sharply from post 13 and sat in second behind pacesetter Danzing Candy through quick early fractions. Nyquist took command in the stretch and held off a late charge from Exaggerator to win comfortably by a length and a quarter. The final time of 2:01.3 was the fastest Derby since 2003.
With the victory, Nyquist became the first unbeaten juvenile Champion to win the Derby since Seattle Slew and only the eighth unbeaten Derby winner in history. Nyquist joins fellow Darley stallion Street Sense as the only Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winners to take the Derby.
A $400,000 Fasig-Tipton Florida two-year-old purchase, Nyquist won at first asking for owner J. Paul Reddam and trainer Doug O’Neill, and followed up with a win in the G2 Best Pal in his second start. Nyquist then reeled off victories in the G1 Del Mar Futurity, G1 Front Runner, and G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile en route to being named Eclipse Champion two-year-old colt of 2015. He returned this year to post victories in the G2 San Vicente at Santa Anita and the G1 Florida Derby at Gulfstream in wire-to-wire fashion to cement himself as the Derby favorite.
Nyquist was bred in Kentucky by Summerhill Farm and is the first foal out of the winning Forestry mare Seeking Gabrielle, a half-sister to G1 producer Seeking the Sky.
Upon retirement, Nyquist will stand at Darley alongside fellow Kentucky Derby winners Street Sense and Animal Kingdom.
