O’Neill has strong pair for Best Pal Stakes

DEL MAR, Calif. – Trainer Doug O’Neill and owner Paul Reddam have a bounty of top 2-year-olds this year, but the pick of the litter might be Nyquist, whose debut win June 5 at Santa Anita was the fastest of all. He will attempt to run back to that impressive victory on Saturday at Del Mar, where he heads the field in the Grade 2, $200,000 Best Pal Stakes, this track’s main prep for the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity on closing day, Sept. 7.

Nyquist got a Beyer Speed Figure of 84 when speeding five furlongs in 56.43 seconds, outrunning Annie’s Candy, who came back to defeat maidens at Los Alamitos in his next start and is among Nyquist’s five rivals in the Best Pal.

O’Neill and Reddam also send out Found Money, who is unbeaten in two starts and – being a California-bred – could have run in the Graduation Stakes on Wednesday. But O’Neill and Reddam had two others for that race in Mrazek and Ralis, and they ran one-two, underscoring the depth of their 2-year-olds.

The main rival to Nyquist, though, could be the progressive Swipe, who closed with authority to win the 5 1/2-furlong Summer Juvenile Championship at Los Alamitos and should appreciate stretching out to the 6 1/2 furlongs of the Best Pal.

The Best Pal goes as the fifth race on a 10-race card, so it will kick off the pick six.

KEY CONTENDERS

Nyquist (Last Beyer: 84)

◗ He was purchased by Reddam for $400,000 – with O’Neill’s brother, Dennis, acting as agent – at the Fasig-Tipton Florida sale in March and went right on with his training.

“He worked super for his first race,” Doug O’Neill said. “He had to lay down to get it done. We put him on ice to point for this race specifically.”

Swipe (Last 3 Beyers: 80-67-59)

◗ This will be his fourth start at his fourth different track, including a trip to New York for the Tremont on June 5, in which he finished third, one spot behind Best Pal entrant Payne’s Prairie.

◗ His victory in the Summer Juvenile Championship was flattered when Mrazek, that race’s runner-up, won the Graduation on Wednesday.

◗ Stretching out another furlong from his last race to this “you would think would help, being he’s by Birdstone,” said trainer Keith Desormeaux, who said Swipe outworked the older horse Crucero, the San Juan Capistrano winner, in a team drill last Saturday.

Annie’s Candy (Last 3 Beyers: 67-84-70)

◗ After finishing second to Nyquist on June 5, he returned to beat maidens at Los Alamitos on July 11. He has a win and two narrow defeats in three starts.

Found Money (Last 2 Beyers: 75-65)

◗ He beat stablemate Mrazek in the Santa Anita Juvenile on June 21, after which Mrazek was second to Swipe at Los Alamitos.