There seem to be a natural inclination to favor famous athletes when brainstorming horse names. The intersection of sporting orbits is as old as the hills, and if the horse lives up to its name it can be a PR dream for racing.
In the days leading up to the Kentucky Derby, and the days after, trainer Doug O'Neill has seemed completely at ease for a guy going through his second serious go-round on the Triple Crown trail, this time with a horse who has yet to lose.
Nyquist, the Kentucky Derby winner, spent Monday morning at Pimlico getting acquainted with the paddock and the starting gate. His trainer, Doug O'Neill, past performances in hand, will spend the next few days getting acquainted with the new competition that awaits Nyquist in Saturday's $1.5 million Preakness Stakes.
Dale Romans has an incredible knack for making news. He is hoping the next headline he generates comes after Cherry Wine upsets the Nyquist in the Preakness on Saturday.
Kentucky Oaks runner-up Land Over Sea and Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist will be solid favorites in their respective legs of the Black-Eyed Susan/Preakness daily double this weekend at Pimlico. On Sunday morning, trainer Doug O'Neill let them both open up a bit in their training as they prepare to come back on two weeks' rest for the first time in their careers.
If Nyquist runs his typical race, and certainly if he duplicates his Kentucky Derby, no one is going to beat him in the Preakness.
The equine herpesvirus quarantine at Parx Racing could end as soon as Tuesday, and if it does, the field for the 141st Preakness next Saturday will grow by one runner.
Nyquist, the undefeated Kentucky Derby winner, had a very easy morning at Pimlico on Saturday, jogging two miles the wrong way around the track while being led by a pony.
At Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., Preakness hopeful Cherry Wine breezed five furlongs in 1:01.60 on a windy and unseasonably chilly Saturday morning.
Three horses with designs on stopping Nyquist's bid for the Triple Crown in next Saturday's Preakness Stakes at Pimlico put in their final serious workouts for the race Friday morning at three different locations.
