Get to know Preakness favorite, Triple Crown contender Nyquist
After running away with the Kentucky Derby, Nyquist will have the opportunity to go two-for-two in his Triple Crown pursuit at Saturday’s Preakness Stakes.
He enters the race as the betting favorite and will run from Gate 3. Before you find out if he can continue his quest to match American Pharoah's run to the Triple Crown last year, here are five things to know about Nyquist.
- Nyquist derives his name from Detroit Red Wings player Gustav Nyquist. His owner is a big Red Wings fan and has also owned horses named after Nicklas Lidstrom and Pavel Datsyuk, among others.
- Nyquist has never lost a race, winning all of his starts at age 2.
- Nyquist’s main rival is Exaggerator, who finished second at the Derby and has favorable odds for the Preakness. Exaggerator has lost to Nyquist four times, but he’s still considered the top challenger.
- Nyquist’s trainer is Doug O’Neill, who trained I’ll Have Another, the winner of the 2012 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. The horse was scratched from the Belmont Stakes due to injury.
- Nyquist was sired by a horse named Uncle Mo, who was set to compete in the Kentucky Derby in 2011 before a gastrointestinal infection prior to the race ended his chance.
For more, check out Tim Layden's story on why Nyquist is the favorite heading into the race.
