The unbeaten colt Nyquist won the 142nd running of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday at Churchill Downs, claiming the first leg of thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown series.
Nyquist, considered the 2-1 favorite going into the race, is now the only Derby winner to win his first eight races.
Nyquist had a solid start out of the gate, but fell behind Danzing Candy in the first stretch. The 3-year-old colt claimed the lead in the final stretch and held on to it across the finish line despite a strong challenge from Exaggerator, who finished second. Nyquist won by about a length, followed by Exaggerator and then Gun Runner. Mohaymen finished fourth.
Nyquist clocked a time of 2:01.31 on the 1.25 mile track.
Nyquist's jockey, Mario Gutierrez, won the Derby on another horse four years ago. With Saturday's victory, he is now the only jockey to win his first two Derby races.
“He’s amazing,” Gutierrez said of his horse. “There’s just no words for it."
"He's such a professional. At any human sport he'd be the top-notch athlete," said Nyquist's trainer, Doug O'Neill.
"You felt like you were going to the gym with Kobe Bryant," he added. "You just knew he was going to figure out a way to pull it out at the end, and he did.”
Nyquist's owner, J. Paul Reddam, is a big Detroit Red Wings fan and named the colt after forward Gustav Nyquist. The team seemed pleased with Saturday's result.
The undefeated Nyquist heads to the second leg of the Triple Crown series, the Preakness, with American Pharoah's historic Triple Crown sweep as the feat to match. Last year, American Pharoah won the first Triple Crown in 37 years.
Now, Nyquist is the only horse with a chance at racing's highest honor.
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