Next for Nysos? Whitney, Pacific Classic are possibles

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - The list of horses who have won the Metropolitan Handicap and the Breeders’ Cup Classic is short, but impressive. Ghostzapper, the 2004 BC Classic winner, won the Met Mile the following year in a career in which he won nine of 11 races. Flightline won both races in 2022 as part of an undefeated (6 for 6) career.

It takes a special horse to be a Grade 1 winner at both a mile and at 1 1/4 miles. Trainer Bob Baffert believes Nysos fits that bill and will point him to the BC Classic at Keeneland on Oct. 31. The Met Mile was a “Win and You’re In” race for the BC Dirt Mile, a race Nysos won last year.

Nysos won Saturday’s $1 million Met Mile by four lengths Saturday at Saratoga. The manner in which he did so, jumping out to the lead under Flavien Prat, then dropping back to fourth and coming again was quite impressive. He ran a mile in 1:34.85 and beat the multiple stakes winner Knightsbridge handily.

“We’ve always known he’s a brilliant racehorse, he showed that yesterday,” Baffert said Sunday by phone from Kentucky. “I loved the way Prat was able to shut him down and then just wait and come around, that’s a weapon right there to be able to do that. He’s not one dimensional.”

Nysos will return to his base at Churchill Downs while Baffert decides where next to run him. The most logical options are the Grade 1 Whitney at Saratoga on Aug. 8 or the Grade 1 Pacific Classic at Del Mar on Aug. 22.

Nysos, a son of Nyquist, has won 8 of 10 races. He’s twice won at 1 1/16 miles - the Grade 3 Robert Lewis as a 2-year-old and the Grade 2 Laffit Pincay Jr. last December. He was beaten one length by Forever Young in the $20 million Saudi Cup in February.

Prat, who has ridden Nysos in all but two of his starts, called him “the whole package. He’s got speed when you need it, he can switch off and he’s very intelligent.”

Crude Velocity to Haskell

Baffert won the Met Mile one race after Crude Velocity was beaten 5 3/4 lengths by Englishman in the Grade 1 Woody Stephens. That was Crude Velocity’s first loss in four career starts, which included a victory over Englishman in the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile.

Baffert plans to stretch Crude Velocity out to 1 1/8 miles in the Grade 1, $1 million Haskell on July 18 at Monmouth Park. He is likely to face Preakness winner Napoleon Solo and Matt Winn Stakes winner Further Ado, among others, in that spot.

Baffert said he was considering running Crude Velocity in Sunday’s Grade 3 Matt Winn Stakes at Churchill Downs at 1 1/16 miles, but went for the Grade 1 instead.

“Who would have thought that Englishman was going to put on a performance like that?” Baffert said. “[Crude Velocity] ran well. It was just too much. You’ll never see Crude Velocity in the gate with Englishman again unless they’re going two turns.”

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