Coolmore secures Nysos: he will be a stallion at Ashford starting in 2027

The son of Nyquist, recently second in the Saudi Cup (G1), will continue in competition during the season

Nysos's ultimate goal for 2026 is the Breeders' Cup Classic / BENOIT PHOTO

MIDWAY, Kentucky (Special for Turf Diario).- Coolmore moved strongly in the international market and secured a stake in Nysos, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) and recent runner-up to the champion Forever Young (Real Steel) in the Saudi Cup (G1). The announcement confirmed that, once his campaign on the tracks is over, the son of Nyquist will begin his career as a stallion in 2027 at Ashford Stud, the United States arm of the Irish giant.

The operation consolidates the commercial profile of a horse that had already proven to be something more than a precocious promise. In October 2023, Nysos exploded at Santa Anita with a 10 1/2-length victory that automatically turned him into one of the most watched colts. He then chained together two graded wins before going through a prolonged competitive hiatus between February 2024 and May 2025.

His return was in grand style: in the Churchill Downs Stakes (G1), on the day of the Kentucky Derby (G1), he starred in an electrifying finish that ended in a dead heat for second place behind Mindframe (Constitution). That would be his only defeat of the year. From there, he strung together four consecutive victories that culminated with the conquest of the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Del Mar and the Laffit Pincay, Jr. Stakes (G2) in December, at Santa Anita Park.

More recently, as mentioned, he was second to the Japanese phenomenon Forever Young in the Saudi Cup, a high-level performance that reinforced his global valuation. After the race, his trainer Bob Baffert made the roadmap clear: rest him in California and point toward the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1).

“I hope he is the best horse I’ve brought here,” Baffert stated after the performance in Riyadh, a declaration that speaks of both confidence and ambition.

Coolmore's bet is not limited to the stallion. The consortium also acquired his dam, Zetta Z (Bernardini), for US$ 2 million —in foal to Cyberknife— at the 2024 Fasig-Tipton February Mixed Sale, thus securing integral control of a maternal line with enormous projection.

With physique, campaign, and genetic backing, Nysos is shaping up to be a strategic piece on the North Americanreproductive board. First, however, there remains a sporting chapter to be written. And if he responds as he has until now, his arrival at Ashford will come with the status of a consolidated star.