Nyquist finishes strongly in work

ARCADIA, Calif. – It was a breakfast with champions on Friday morning at Santa Anita, with Nyquist and Beholder turning in significant works, Nyquist for his showdown with Mohaymen in the Florida Derby on April 2 and Beholder for her comeback later this spring.

The unbeaten Nyquist – last year’s champion 2-year-old male – was up first shortly after 7 a.m., taking one lap around the one-mile track with his regular exercise rider, Jonny Garcia. Trainer Doug O’Neill sat in the stands before the drill and said he wanted Nyquist to “settle, and ideally, the last eighth will be the quickest of the whole mile.”

That’s how it played out. Nyquist went off at a two-minute lick – about 15 seconds per furlong – leaving the mile marker but picked up the pace once turning up the backstretch. Santa Anita’s clockers had him going in 1:01.40 from the five-furlong pole to the wire and put that down as his official time. They had Nyquist’s final quarter-mile in 23.80 seconds. O’Neill had his final furlong in 11.60 seconds.

“Pretty nice,” O’Neill said after the work. “This guy has really has settled.”

Nyquist will do all his serious training at Santa Anita before traveling to Gulfstream Park for a showdown with the unbeaten Mohaymen in the Florida Derby. If he wins that race, he gets a $1 million bonus from sponsor Fasig-Tipton. Nyquist has won all six of his starts, including his Eclipse Award-clinching victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.