Nyquist first freshman with two Grade 1 winners

Nyquist carried the banner in the record-setting first crop of Uncle Mo, emulating his sire on the racetrack with an unbeaten juvenile campaign capped by a Breeders’ Cup Juvenile victory to earn the divisional Eclipse Award. Having taken things a step further by going on to win the 2016 Kentucky Derby, Nyquist is now following in his father’s footsteps as a stallion as well. He leads his freshman class with a pair of Grade 1-winning juveniles in his first crop.

Nyquist, who stands for Darley, is the only freshman with multiple graded winners and leads the class by earnings with a bankroll of $711,305. Narrowly tracking him is another Grade 1-winning son of Uncle Mo, Outwork, at $698,844.

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Nyquist’s owner J. Paul Reddam named him in honor of professional hockey player Gustav Nyquist. Fittingly, the young stallion’s latest top performer is named for a legend of that sport. Gretzky the Great, named for Wayne Gretzky, won the Grade 1 Summer Stakes on Sunday at Woodbine. The Ontario-bred colt had previously won the Soaring Free Stakes at Woodbine.

Earlier this month, Nyquist’s daughter Vequist rolled by 9 1/2 lengths in the Grade 1 Spinaway Stakes at Saratoga to win her maiden. Another Nyquist filly, Lady Lilly, checked in third.

Outwork, who stands at WinStar Farm, is the sire of a pair of first-crop stakes winners. Outadore won the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Turf Sprint, and Samborella suffered a fatal injury in winning the Seeking the Ante Stakes at Saratoga.

Uncle Mo has another son in the top 15 freshmen by earnings in Grade 2 winner Laoban, who stands at Sequel Stallions in New York. He is the sire of a pair of Saratoga stakes fillies in Simply Ravishing, who won the P.G. Johnson Stakes, and Ava’s Grace, who was third in the Grade 2 Adirondack.