ARCADIA, Calif. - Five weeks into 2024, Flavien Prat has amassed an intriguing collection of stakes wins, particularly on the last two Saturdays. On Jan. 27, he won the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park with National Treasure. The 4-year-old’s win in the $3 million race puts him among the leading runners in the older male division. The win in that lucrative race has already been overshadowed by Saturday’s Grade 3 Robert Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita. Nysos confirmed his status among the top 3-year-olds in the country with an emphatic win in the Lewis, his first start since November. The $201,000 Lewis Stakes was Nysos’s first start at a mile, a distance the colt handled with ease. He closed from fourth of seven to take a commanding lead in early stretch before winning by 7 1/2 lengths as the 1-10 favorite. An hour after the race, Prat detailed the technical manner of the win, including a few subtle lessons along the way that could be vital for Nysos in more important races through the year. :: Access morning workout reports straight from the tracks and get an edge with DRF Clocker Reports “He got himself into the race and he took some dirt,” Prat said. “He was between horses and he was in a good rhythm. I was pleased with that. “When I called on him, he responded really well.” That is an understatement.  Nysos led by three lengths at the eighth-pole and widened his advantage in a convincing style. “It felt like the pace was quite fast,” Prat said. “I thought at one point they would come back to me, but they did not come back to me. It seemed he made a nice move on his own.” Prat has been aboard Nysos for two of the colt’s wins for owners Susan and Charlie Chu’s Baoma Corp., and trainer Bob Baffert. Nysos won his debut in a maiden race at six furlongs by 10 1/2 lengths at Santa Anita on Oct. 21 when ridden by Kyle Frey. In the Grade 3 Bob Hope Stakes at seven furlongs at Del Mar on Nov. 19, Nysos closed from last of four under Prat to take the lead in early stretch and pull clear by 8 3/4 lengths. Add the margin of the Lewis and Nysos has won three starts by a combined 26 3/4 lengths. For his win in the Lewis, Nysos earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 105, the highest for a 3-year-old in this young year. “I thought when he won at Del Mar he was very impressive,” Prat said. The Lewis “was probably a bit better because of experience.” Nysos gave the 31-year-old Prat his seventh stakes win of 2024, a list that includes the highly promising 3-year-old filly Kopion, who won the Grade 3 Santa Ynez Stakes on Jan. 7; and Three Witches, the sharp winner of Saturday’s Grade 2 Santa Monica Stakes at seven furlongs for older fillies and mares. Kopion was scheduled to start in the Grade 3 Las Virgenes Stakes at a mile on Sunday, but the race was postponed by Santa Anita officials until next Saturday out of fear of excessive rain on Sunday. Baffert has not stated any late winter race goals for Nysos. A race such as the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby at 1 1/8 miles on April 6 is certain to enter discussions. The colt will not be part of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 4 after the track banned Baffert’s runners from the race this year for the third consecutive season. The ban stems from a positive found in a post-race test taken from the Baffert-trained Medina Spirit after the 2021 Kentucky Derby. Baffert announced on Jan. 22 that he was dropping litigation related to the Medina Spirit positive, but Churchill Downs did not alter its position. Nysos is eligible to start in the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico on May 18 and the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga on June 8. Prat, not surprisingly, is eager to see how Nysos develops in coming months. “It’s hard to tell” how good he is, Prat said. “Hopefully, he stays sound and keeps improving.” :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.