“He’s a remarkable athlete…you put him in company and he’s just a Ferrari.” – Doug O’Neill, trainer of Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist
For those of us struggling to stay relevant in the Road to Kentucky contest, Week 17 was about hope. It was about hope that the Kentucky Derby could provide a 3,000 point contest horse, a horse that could erase weeks of futility in one two-minute burst of success. It had happened a few times over the not too distant past. Giacomo, Mine That Bird, and Animal Kingdom were all longshot winners that wore the roses and vaulted players up the leaderboard.
Unfortunately, Nyquist spoiled the party.
The maximum score this week was 4,798, still a pretty high number. There were four races with the top point horse bringing more than 500 points. But without that horse that can get you 3,000 points instantaneously, it’s very difficult to accumulate enough points to move significantly up the leaderboard. Anyone around or above 2,500 points this week should have a good chance. I wound up with 958 points and ran fourth with Mohaymen in the Kentucky Derby. It didn’t come together for me this year. Congratulations to everyone who cashed with a weekly or cumulative score, it was well earned and deserved!! Time now for the live racing to commence.
A few thoughts on Nyquist after his Kentucky Derby victory. He came into the race as the horse to beat and he ran extremely well in victory. A TimeformUS representative said he ran the fastest half-mile pace figure by any winner since they started making figures in 2004. The other front-runners in the race fell off badly. His Timeform speed figure matched that of O’Neill’s other Kentucky Derby winner I’ll Have Another, and was well above the average winning Derby figure for that service.
Nyquist figures to be 3/5 in the Preakness and will probably win. I’m not sure what a legitimate reason to bet against him would be outside of price. And while I understand the idea of playing against short priced favorites, there are more vulnerable favorites out there than Nyquist at the present time. It might be wise for the naysayers to simply tip their cap and watch history unfold.
The Oracle
