Nysos likely to join star-studded Whitney field
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The Grade 1, $1 million Whitney Stakes on Aug. 8 may pick up another star, as Nysos is now under strong consideration for the 1 1/8-mile race at Saratoga.
Trainer Bob Baffert said Wednesday that he is leaning toward sending Nysos, winner of the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap here on June 6, back to Saratoga for the Whitney. The race is already expected to include dual Grade 1 winner Magnitude, reigning Horse of the Year Sovereignty, champion filly Nitrogen, and Grade 1 winners Baeza and White Abarrio.
“Right now, I’m leaning toward the Whitney. We’ll see how it goes,” said Baffert, who also mentioned the Pacific Classic on Aug. 22 at Del Mar as an option.
When asked why he was leaning toward the Whitney, Baffert said, “It’s the Whitney. It’s a sexy race. The horse is doing well. If he’s doing well and he’s going to run big, as long as he’s doing well, he’ll come up there. If I don’t go there, I’ll go to the Pacific Classic with him.”
Nysos has seemingly never not done well. The 5-year-old son of Nyquist has won 8 of 10 starts and was a four-length winner of the Met Mile, earning a 109 Beyer Speed Figure. Nysos came into the Met Mile off a one-length defeat to Forever Young in the $20 million Saudi Cup. Nysos’s only other defeat came in the Grade 1 Churchill Downs Stakes in 2025 when he dead-heated with Banishing, a neck behind Mindframe.
Magnitude, Baeza, Sovereignty, and White Abarrio ran first through fourth in the Grade 1 Stephen Foster at Churchill Downs on June 27. All four horses are in Saratoga, and the trainers of all four have said the Whitney is their target.
The connections of Nitrogen, the champion 3-year-old filly of 2025 who won the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps by 12 3/4 lengths on June 5, have also stated their intentions to run in the Whitney.