April 02--REPORTING FROM HALLANDALE, Fla. -- The question about which horse is going to be the favorite for the Kentucky Derby was answered Saturday at Gulfstream Park in the Florida Derby.
Nyquist, undefeated in seven races, turned back the previously undefeated Mohaymen in an unprecedented Derby prep in which the best horses from the West and the East faced each other before the first Saturday in May.
Mohaymen faded down the stretch to finish fourth. Majesto was the runner-up and Fellowship finished third.
Nyquist won $600,000 for the victory plus a $1 million bonus because he was also sold at Gulfstream Park and was eligible for the bonus by returning for the track's signature race.
Many thought it was a gamble for trainer Doug O'Neill to send his colt to the East Coast rather than stay at Santa Anita. But clearly, O'Neill and owner Paul Reddam knew better. One incentive for running in Florida was the $1-million bonus Nyquist's connections pocketed for winning the race. Horse auctioneer Fasig-Tipton offered the bonus to any horse that was sold at last year's Gulfstream sales and went on to win the Florida Derby.
Dennis O'Neill, Doug's brother, spent $400,000 to purchase the horse for Reddam. Before Saturday, Nyquist had run outside California only once, winning the Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Keeneland, Ky.
Both Nyquist's and Mohayman's trainers had set this course for their colts before knowing that this would be a matchup of the two best 3-year-old colts.
"When we made the plan we had no idea about where Mohaymen would go," Doug O'Neill said weeks before the race. "We knew he was a nice horse but the longer it got into the process, we realized that's where he was going and where we were talking about going. Then it just became a thing, well, we're eventually going to meet him anyways."
Kiaran McLaughlin also felt it best to stick with the plan.
"I like the [schedule of running] five weeks out from the Kentucky Derby," McLaughlin said earlier in the week. "We were here training and we're going to have to face 18 or 19 others plus him [Nyquist] on May 7, so hopefully it's not a big deal."
The plan before the race was to ship Nyquist to Kentucky rather than sending him back to Santa Anita. He would train at Keeneland before going to Churchill Downs in Louisville.
The Kentucky Derby lineup should crystalize even more after next Saturday's three prep races that include the Santa Anita Derby. Danzing Candy, winner of the San Felipe Stakes, will be heavily tested if he gets the lead like he did in his last race. Also in question is how strongly Mor Spirit can finish with the added distance. The Santa Anita Derby is 1 1/8 miles, same as the Florida Derby.
The other two major preps next weekend are the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct in New York and the Bluegrass Stakes at Keeneland. The final major prep will be the Arkansas Derby on April 16 at Oaklawn Park.
Follow John Cherwa on Twitter: @jcherwa
