Nysos took the next step on his journey to the top of the 3-year-old ranks with an impressive score in the Feb. 3 Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita Park. The Bob Baffert-trained colt is making a habit of winning by huge margins, adding 7 1/2 lengths in the Lewis to his two 2023 efforts: a 10 1/2-length maiden win and 8 3/4-length Bob Hope Stakes (G3) win.
While Nysos, owned by the Baoma Corporation of Charles and Susan Chu, was making his first attempt at two turns, his victory surprised no one. Bettors sent him off at 1-10 against six rivals after Stronghold and Coach Prime were scratched.
Still, Nysos had to show up, and did he ever, proving to everyone that he has an abundance of talent.
Scatify , trained by John Sadler and breaking from the outside post, zoomed to the front in the one-mile Lewis, along with Baffert’s other entry, Wine Me Up . Scatify completed the first quarter-mile in :22.81, a half-length ahead of Wine Me Up.
Jockey Flavien Prat was in no hurry aboard Nysos, who raced easily in fourth.
“I wasn’t really worried,” Baffert said. “(Nysos) has got a great mind. I was watching what was going on up front because Wine Me Up was training really well for this. I had a feeling that Sadler’s horse was going to show a lot of speed.”
Scatify continued to set the fractions, racing a length ahead of Wine Me Up while setting the half-mile fraction of :46.67.
“The pace was pretty hot, so it was good,” Prat said. “I gave him a chance and he took the dirt very well.”
Baffert explained that Nysos has demonstrated in his morning training that “he’s got several gears.” The colt has shown versatility as well. He won his first race by leading throughout, while he raced in third early in the Bob Hope.
When Prat asked Nysos to go in the second turn, the response was electric. Nysos quickly caught Wine Me Up and Scatify deep in the second turn, and from there the only question was the margin of victory. Nysos floated to the wire, with Prat able to wrap up on him, and stopped the timer in 1:36.65. The Lewis this year had been shortened to a mile, having previously been run at 1 1/16 miles.
Wine Me Up finished three-quarters of a length in front of Scatify for second. That was the second consecutive time Baffert runners have finished one-two in the race, following Newgate ‘s 2023 edition, when Baffert saddled all four starters in the race. Baffert has now won the Lewis six consecutive times and a record 12th overall.
The Lewis offered Kentucky Derby (G1) points on a 20-10-6-4-2 scale to eligible horses, though Baffert trainees are ineligible to earn points for the Derby or race in it. Churchill Downs Inc. has continued its suspension of Baffert, stemming from Medina Spirit‘s positive for betamethasone after the colt finished first in the 2021 Kentucky Derby and was ultimately disqualified. Thus, the points earned in the Lewis were six to Scatify, four to fourth-place Mc Vay , and two to fifth-place Moonlit Sonata .
Lewis Scratches
As for the two scratched horses, Baffert-trained Coach Prime and Phil D’Amato-trained Stronghold each worked the morning of the race. Coach Prime went four furlongs in :48, the second-fastest of 174 at the distance, while Stronghold worked the same distance in :48 2/5.
D’Amato, who won the Megahertz Stakes (G3T) with Bellabel one race before the Lewis, said that he will point Stronghold for the Feb. 18 Sunland Park Derby (G3) at Sunland Park.
“That was our original plan,” D’Amato said. “We just entered here to take a look, if Nysos didn’t run or something like that. He’ll breeze again next weekend and we’ll send him over there.”
Baffert said that Coach Prime “is still developing,” and he wanted to spread out his runners. The trainer didn’t have a specific race in mind for Coach Prime’s next race.
“There’s no rush,” Baffert said.
Sales and Pedigree
The Chus purchased Nysos for $550,000 at the 2023 Ocala Breeders’ Sales Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training. Susie Atkins bred Nysos from her unraced homebred Bernardini mare Zetta Z. Nysos also sold as a weanling for $130,000 at the 2021 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale and as a yearling for $150,000 at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale. Zetta Z’s other runners include stakes-placed Attabe .
Nysos is by 2015 champion 2-year-old male Nyquist , who has also been represented in 2024 by Stolen Treasure , second in the California Chrome Cal Cup Derby. The stallion’s earlier stakes winners include 2023 grade 1 winners Slow Down Andy and Randomized . Nyquist is standing the 2024 season for $85,000 at Darley near Lexington.
Leave feedback about this