Nyquist (horse)

Nyquist is a bay colt by Uncle Mo out of the Forestry mare Seeking Gabrielle, bred by Paul Reddam in Kentucky. He was sold as a yearling for $180,000 at the Keeneland September sale, then raced under Reddam's Reddam Racing. Trained by Doug O'Neill, Nyquist debuted in June 2015 at Santa Anita, winning a maiden special weight by 3 lengths. He then took the Grade 1 FrontRunner Stakes and the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Keeneland, finishing the season undefeated in four starts. His Juvenile victory, by 1½ lengths over Swipe, earned him the Eclipse Award as champion 2-year-old male.¹

Nyquist opened his 3-year-old season with wins in the San Vicente and San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita, then shipped to Kentucky for the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes, which he won by 3 lengths. In the Kentucky Derby on May 7, 2016, he sat just off the pace and rallied to hold off Exaggerator by 1¼ lengths, becoming the first unbeaten Derby winner since Smarty Jones in 2004. Two weeks later, in the Preakness Stakes, he again defeated Exaggerator, this time by 3½ lengths, setting up a Triple Crown attempt. However, in the Belmont Stakes he faded to third behind Creator, ending his bid for the Triple Crown.

After the Belmont, Nyquist was given a summer break and returned in the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park, where he finished third to Exaggerator. He then ran in the Pennsylvania Derby, finishing second to Connect, and was retired after a fourth-place effort in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile. His final record stood at 8 wins from 11 starts, with earnings of $5,181,080. Nyquist entered stud at Darley's Jonabell Farm in Kentucky for the 2017 breeding season at a fee of $40,000. He has sired multiple graded stakes winners, including Vequist, winner of the 2020 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.²

Nyquist's name honors the Swedish physicist Harry Nyquist, known for the Nyquist–Shannon sampling theorem, a nod to the owner's interest in technology. He was the first horse since Risen Star in 1988 to win the Derby and Preakness while remaining unbeaten in both. His jockey, Mario Gutierrez, had previously won the 2012 Kentucky Derby with I'll Have Another, also trained by O'Neill. Nyquist's dam, Seeking Gabrielle, was a stakes winner, and his sire Uncle Mo was the 2010 champion 2-year-old. In 2021, Nyquist was moved to stand at Darley's stallion division in Japan, where he continues to shuttle between hemispheres.

Maiden special weight

A race for horses that have not yet won a race, with conditions that allow for a higher purse.

Grade 1

The highest level of stakes race in North America, indicating the most prestigious and competitive events.

Triple Crown

The series of three races for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds: the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes.

Stud

The breeding establishment where a stallion stands for breeding purposes.