The Week in Review: Nysos Passes a Huge Test on His Way to What Could be a Stacked Breeders’ Cup

[Wandering Eyes]

Even though Nysos (Nyquist) was 1-10 on the board, Saturday's GII San Diego Handicap was a race he didn't have to win. He sprinted in his last two starts and had never been the distance of a mile-and-a-sixteenth. He also has a couple of large gaps in his form, suggesting that trainer Bob Baffert was having a hard time keeping him together.

None of that mattered in the San Diego. Flavin Prat, who flew in from Saratoga for the ride, rode a patient race and saved ground into the second turn. Briefly, it looked like Nysos was going to stay boxed in, but Prat found a lane and Nysos shot through it on his way to a 2 3/4-length score over stablemate Mirahmadi (Into Mischief).

“He was ready,” Baffert said. “[Flavien] Prat just sat patiently behind there and he had enough horse to cut the corner. Once he got that little seam, I knew it was over. I'm glad to win the San Diego. I haven't had the best of luck in this race. I've had some great horses get beat here. But a lot of pressure. I felt what Bill Mott was feeling today [in the Jim Dandy at Saratoga]. It's just a relief that this horse won and hopefully the Pacific Classic is next for him.”

The Aug. 30 GI Pacific Classic will present another challenge as Nysos will have to stretch out to a mile-and-a-quarter, the distance of the GI Breeders' Cup Classic. But, among the older horses, there's no one in California that can beat him, and his biggest challenge could come from the 3-year-old Journalism (Curlin), if he goes in the Pacific Classic.

But while Nysos is certainly the real deal, he could be 5-1 or so in what may turn out to be one of the best Breeders' Cup Classics ever.

If the race were run tomorrow, Sovereignty (Into Mischief), who won Saturday's GII Jim Dandy S. at Saratoga would likely be the favorite. His rival Journalism would be a major contender as well. As for the contenders in the older division, you have Mindframe (Constitution), Fierceness (City of Light), White Abarrio (Race Day) and last year's Classic winner Sierra Leone (Gun Runner). That's murderers' row stuff.

Why The Rich Get Richer

Bob Baffert might have set some sort of record with the horse he sent out for Saturday's card at Del Mar. He ran five horses and they cost a combined $9,225,000. Hejazi (Bernardini) topped the list at $3,550,000. He ran second in the GI Bing Crosby S. Then there was the 'international good thing' and 'TDN Rising Star' Brant (Gun Runner), the $3-million record buy at OBS March. He was an impressive winner of what looked like a loaded 2-year-old maiden race.

Brant | Benoit

People are prone to complain about Baffert and how he dominates racing, especially on the West Coast. But you can't blame him, or blame the owners who spend so much money on the horses they give him. The owners want the trainer who gives them the best shot of winning the GI Kentucky Derby and that is, without question, Baffert. The only way to slow Baffert down is for someone else in California to step up and prove they, too, can win Triple Crown races. Michael McCarthy, who won the GI Preakness Stakes this year with Journalism, may be just that person. He'll never have the ammunition that Baffert has, but this year he has at least proven that Baffert is not unbeatable.

Sovereignty and the Triple Crown

Though it's obviously just speculation, it seems like there's a very good chance that Sovereignty would have won the Triple Crown had he started in the Preakness. The Preakness was won by Journalism and Sovereignty proved in the Derby and GI Belmont S. that he is the better horse.

So racing may have missed out on something special this year, a Triple Crown winner. But don't blame trainer Bill Mott and the Godolphin team. This is the risk you take when you try to shoehorn the three races into a five-week period. Had the Preakness instead been run on Saturday, June 7, you probably would have gotten him to go in the middle leg of the Triple Crown. Don't be surprised if three of the next four or so Derby winners do not run in the Preaknewss. That shouldn't be the case. There's no reason why a healthy horse can't run back in two weeks, but as long as the modern trainers believe horses need at least four or five weeks off in between races, they're going to continue to skip the middle jewel of the Triple Crown, leaving the Preakness as an even weaker link than it is now.

It's time for the obstinance to end. The Triple Crown needs to be fixed.

Sovereignty | Sarah Andrew

Santana Quietly Having Great Meet

At Saratoga this year, it's been impossible to overshadow the Ortiz Brothers. Irad Ortiz, Jr., going into Sunday's card, leads the standings with 26 wins, while brother Jose has 20. There's only one other jockey in double figures and it's not Flavien Prat. Ricardo Santana Jr. is next with 10 and has a positive ROI. Usually, Santana's Saratoga winners come courtesy of Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen. But Asmussen has given him just two mounts at the meet, one of which one.

Arrieta Gets Days

According to a story first reported in the Blood-Horse, jockey Francisco Arrieta has been suspended 15 days by the Colonial Downs stewards. Arrieta rode the horse that shut off jockey Tyler Conner, triggering a spill that caused Conner to sustain a broken nose and a fractured C1 vertebra.

The suspension will be served Aug 2-16. In the ruling, the stewards described Arrieta's actions as “extremely careless.”

Good for the stewards for doing something and not giving Arrieta a free pass, but 15 days doesn't sound like enough, especially when you call his riding extremely careless. There are too many riders out there who don't make safety a priority and there needs to be more of a deterrent so that they will become safer riders. This guy should have gotten 60 days.

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