Nysos Returned in Champion Mode and Now Targets the Breeders' Cup Classic

The pupil of Bob Baffert dominated the Met Mile at Saratoga with authority, confirmed his status as a star, and made it clear that his immediate future lies in the longer-distance events

SARATOGA SPRINGS, New York (Special to Turf Diario).– After several months without competing and following that massive performance that saw him finish second to Forever Young (Real Steel) in the Saudi Cup (G1), Nysosreturned to the tracks as if he had never left. The extraordinary son of Nyquist put on a masterclass of quality in the Metropolitan Handicap (G1), known worldwide as the Met Mile, to capture the $1,000,000 purse and reaffirm that he remains one of the most talented horses in the United States.

Trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by Flavien Prat, the dark bay covered the mile in 1m34s85/100, just 13 hundredths off the track record, defeating Knightsbridge (Nyquist) by 4 lengths, while Journalism (Curlin), another of the big names from the recent generation, had to settle for third place.

The performance was even more impactful because of the way the race unfolded.

Nysos broke quickly and set the early pace, but when several rivals went after him on the backstretch, he was momentarily relegated to fourth position. From the grandstand, Baffert went through a few seconds of uncertainty.

"When Flavien let him drop back a bit, I thought: 'I hope he knows what he's doing; either he's riding a brilliant race or the horse isn't running,'" the trainer admitted with a laugh. "But when I saw him switch to the outside, I understood that those up front had used up too much energy."

And indeed, that was the case.

Upon entering the homestretch, Prat found room on the outside and Nysos responded with a devastating acceleration. In just a few strides, he went from observer to protagonist and ended up leaving his rivals without answers.

"When I took him to the outside, he gave me an extraordinary response," the French jockey summarized.

The victory also meant an automatic qualification for the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) through the Win and You're In program, although those around the horse have even more ambitious goals.

Far from thinking about defending the title secured in that event during 2025 at Del Mar, Baffert advanced that the plan is to target directly the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) over 2000 meters, the most important race of the world championships.

Appearing on the horizon as a stepping stone is the Pacific Classic (G1) at Del Mar, also over a mile and a quarter, a distance that would definitively allow measuring his possibilities against the best stayers in the country.

"We want to try the Classic," the trainer stated bluntly.

Acquired by Susan and Charlie Chu of Baoma Corporation at the 2023 Ocala sales for $550,000, Nysos continues to elevate his racing and commercial value. This winter, Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor, and Derrick Smith—partners in Coolmore who are already projecting his future as a stallion—joined the ownership group.

"There is no doubt that this is a race that makes stallions," explained Charlie O'Connor, director of sales at Ashford Stud. "It means an awful lot for him and for his future."

Coolmore itself gave another demonstration of the massive confidence they have in the horse when they disbursed $2 million for his dam, Zetta Z (Bernardini), during the Fasig-Tipton November 2024 sales.

With this new triumph, Nysos brought his record to 8 victories from 10 outings and earnings of $5,288,500, numbers that reflect the magnitude of an individual who, if injuries finally give him a truce, seems destined to fight for the highest honors of North American racing.

And if anyone still held doubts about his class, the Met Mile took care of erasing them completely.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_y5w6bW45M