Nyquist Heads Field of 21 At Kentucky Derby

Nyquist is named for someone who plays in the cold, but it seems that racing has been relatively lukewarm to Nyquist.

Despite a perfect record of seven wins in seven starts, he heads into the 142nd Kentucky Derby on Saturday at Churchill Downs as the acknowledged favorite but with plenty of others lining up to try to beat him, notably the owners and trainers of 21 other horses entered in the race and the many bettors who are likely to find appeal in many of the 19 who will run against Nyquist.

Nyquist, named for the hockey player Gustav Nyquist, has been favored in four of his seven starts, so to say he lacks respect would be hyperbole. Yet he was not favored in his two biggest victories -- the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and Florida Derby. And there has been a widespread perception that the Derby's 1-1/4 miles might be beyond his range.

Nyquist is the 3-1 favorite on the morning line set by Mike Battaglia of Churchill Downs, and he's the 7-2 favorite on the line set by Mike Watchmaker, Daily Racing Form's national handicapper. Both have Exaggerator the distant second choice at 8-1. Of the 25 DRF selectors, eight picked Nyquist -- which would make him about 2-1 if those 25 all bet equally into a closed pool. The other 17 cast their lot elsewhere.

On speed figures, Nyquist does not stand out. His career-best Beyer Speed Figure is a 101, earned sprinting in the San Vicente Stakes. His best two-turn figure, a 94 earned in the Florida Derby, is no better than many others in here -- of his 19 rivals, nine have run at least that fast in a two-turn race. But all he does is win. Nyquist is the only undefeated horse in this field, and he is the first undefeated Derby contender who also was the champion of his division at age 2 since Seattle Slew in 1977.

"Everyone has to be careful to call this a wide-open race," cautioned trainer Todd Pletcher, who sends out Destin and Outwork. "In fairness to Nyquist, he's undefeated, taken his show on the road, and won at multiple distances. He deserves more respect and credit than he's getting. Based on what I've seen, he's still a little underrated."