2022 Eclipse Awards: Nest

Oddly enough, two of the more memorable performances by Nest in 2022 came in successive races in which she finished second. A tough trip cost her in the Kentucky Oaks, and the Belmont Stakes runner-up finish against boys reinvigorated her.

Before, after, and including second-place finishes in the Oaks and Belmont, Nest compiled an exceptional campaign. She won five races, including three Grade 1s, to emerge as a finalist for the Eclipse Award as outstanding 3-year-old filly of 2022.

Nest began the year with the right tools. Sired by Curlin, her 2021 juvenile campaign included a victory in the Grade 2 Demoiselle at Aqueduct; her pedigree hinted better ahead. Her full brother Idol had won the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap as a 4-year-old.

Todd Pletcher trains Nest for owners Eclipse Thoroughbreds, Mike Repole, and Michael House. She was bred by Ashview Farm and Colts Neck Stables.

:: Full list of 2022 Eclipse Awards finalists, including profile stories

Purchased for $350,000 at the 2019 Keeneland September sale, Nest began her 3-year-old season in February, odds-on in the Suncoast Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs. She won by six lengths over a modest field.

Two months later in the Grade 1 Ashland on a wet-fast track at Keeneland, Nest romped by 8 1/4 lengths to emerge as likely favorite for the Kentucky Oaks.

Racing luck was not in her favor at Churchill Downs. Nest and regular rider Irad Ortiz Jr. got stalled behind rivals at the quarter pole and had to wait for room at a critical stage. By the time Nest got clear, Secret Oath had gotten the jump. Nest finished second by two lengths. Tough trip.

Pletcher, who won the 2007 Belmont Stakes with the filly Rags to Riches, was eager to give the filly Nest a shot in the Belmont. She stumbled at the break and finished second behind stablemate Mo Donegal. Although the mile and a half Belmont is a demanding race, Nest thrived.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had a horse bounce out of the Belmont as well as she did,” Pletcher said afterward. “Sometimes [the Belmont] can be a taxing race. In her case, it seemed to propel her forward.”

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Nest subsequently rattled off blowout wins in the Grade 1 Coaching Club America Oaks, Grade 1 Alabama, and Grade 2 Beldame in her first start against older.

Prior to her season finale in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, Pletcher talked about Nest as if describing a turf horse. “What’s really impressive is the turn of foot she can deliver on the dirt, which you don’t always see,” he said. “She’s got a turn of foot. She can accelerate. At the top of the stretch, she just kind of blows everyone away.”

Nest ended her campaign finishing fourth as the favorite in the BC Distaff at Keeneland, the first time in her career she finished out of the top three.

In 2022 at age 3, Nest won five races and $1,768,050 from eight starts. She will return to the races as a 4-year-old in spring 2023, with a career record of seven wins from 11 starts, and career earnings of $1,973,050.

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