Nysos Put His Class on Display in a Memorable Showdown at Santa Anita Park

The Bob Baffert-trained star Nysos prevailed by a head once again—this time over Nevada Beach—reaffirming his elite credentials in the Laffit Pincay Jr. Stakes

Nysos Once Again Displayed an Impressive Measure of Courage/ BENOIT PHOTO

ARCADIA, Calif. (Special to Turf Diario)— Santa Anita Park’s opening day delivered one of those races that linger in the collective memory. In a heart-stopping finish, Nysos once again showed why he ranks among the most competitive runners in training, edging stablemate Nevada Beach by a head in the Laffit Pincay Jr. Stakes (G2, $200,000), run over 1700 meters on the dirt.

Both trained by the legendary Bob Baffert, the pair locked horns the moment they straightened for home. With Flavien Prat aboard, Nysos broke from the inside gate, saved ground along the rail and tracked the leaders Vodka Vodka (Stay Thirsty) and Bartholdy (Mendelssohn) through a moderately run opening phase.

Turning for home, both Nysos and Nevada Beach—ridden by Juan Hernández—pounced on the leaders and engaged in a high-octane duel, racing virtually stride for stride all the way to the wire. There, Nysos’ trademark instinct surfaced once more: his uncanny knack for finding the finish, a quality he had already displayed a month earlier at Del Mar when he denied Citizen Bull (Into Mischief) by a head in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1).

“He broke a bit flat, but then settled and traveled really well,” Prat said afterward. “I was concerned about the slow pace, but when he found a seam he made a very strong move and Nevada Beach came right at us. It took a lot of courage.”

The clock stopped in 1:42.36 after splits of :24.00, :48.44, 1:12.26 and 1:36.43, underscoring the demanding nature of a race that offered no respite. Bartholdy finished third, 4 1/4 lengths back, with Vodka Vodka completing the superfecta.

A satisfied Baffert praised the competitiveness of both runners. “Flavien knows this horse extremely well. They weren’t going fast and we needed to find room, because you could tell he had plenty in reserve,” he said. “Nevada Beach loves this track and came to fight him right to the end. They’re very competitive horses—friends or rivals, but they always want to win.” He added: “Nysos knows where the wire is. He’s a cool, very special horse.”

For Nevada Beach, the narrow defeat carried a note of redemption after a disappointing Breeders’ Cup. “He ran a huge race,” Hernández noted. “Sometimes he can get a little lazy, but today he really wanted to run.”

Owned by Baoma Corp., with Mrs. John Magnier, Derrick Smith and Michael B. Tabor as partners, Nysos—a 4-year-old son of Nyquist purchased for $550,000 at OBS—pushed his record to eight starts: seven wins and one second, with earnings now in excess of $1.2 million.

With back-to-back nose-and-head victories at the highest level of competition, Nysos continues to underline not only his immense talent, but also a rare, ironclad will to win. In front of packed grandstands at Santa Anita, he once again delivered a lesson in courage and class—proof that whenever he steps onto the track, spectacle is guaranteed.