Clash of Titans in Florida Derby

Nyquist winning the San Vicente Stakes in his first race of the year. (Photos by Eclipse Sportswire)
By Tom Pedulla
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – It remains to be seen whether Mohaymen or Nyquist will blink when the two undefeated colts clash in the $1-million Grade 1 Xpressbet.com Florida Derby on Saturday at Gulfstream Park. Their connections certainly have not.
“It would be nice to have a little challenge, more of a challenge than we’ve had,” trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said of Mohaymen. The son of Tapit was established as an even-money favorite for jockey Junior Alvarado after he received post 9 in a field of 10 when positions were drawn Wednesday morning at Gulfstream’s Sport of Kings Theater.
Said Doug O’Neill, who oversees Grade 1 Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner and 2-year-old champion Nyquist: “You’ve got to stay optimistic when you have a real nice horse like Nyquist. Great things could happen.”
The Uncle Mo colt drew post 4 for regular rider Mario Gutierrez. He was listed as the second choice at 6-5.
Five weeks before they chase the penultimate prize in the Kentucky Derby, the stakes are huge for both star 3-year-olds as they tower over the rest of their Florida Derby competition in one of the most anticipated prep races in recent history.
Mohaymen, a $2.2-million yearling purchase for Shadwell Stable at Keeneland’s September 2014 sale, stamped himself as the best of his class on the East Coast by extending his early record to 5-for-5 with convincing victories in two previous Grade 2 preps at Gulfstream Park, the Lambholm South Holy Bull and Xpressbet.com Fountain of Youth.
This will be his first Grade 1 test, one that would go a long way toward establishing his breeding value. McLaughlin had that very much on his mind when he called the 1 1/8-mile Florida Derby “an important race for us.”
MOHAYMEN AFTER WINNING THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH

The financial incentive is even more tangible for J. Paul Reddam, who purchased Nyquist for $400,000 as a 2-year-old in training at Fasig-Tipton’s Florida sale. Fasig-Tipton is offering a $1-million bonus to any graduate of that sale who goes on to win the Florida Derby.
O’Neill has insisted all along that the five-week interval preceding the May 7 Kentucky Derby is the most compelling reason to ship his 6-for-6 champion to Gulfstream. He cannot help but think of the bonus as well. “It definitely is intriguing,” he said.
In an effort to keep Nyquist as fresh as possible for the Triple Crown races, he will travel from Gulfstream Park to Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., to prepare for the Kentucky Derby rather than journey back to the West Coast.
Keeneland represents the site of Nyquist’s greatest triumph. Although he was bumped hard at the start and endured a wide trip, he was rugged enough and fast enough to win the Juvenile by one-half length. The Florida Derby will mark only his second start outside of California. This will be his first attempt at getting a mile-and-an-eighth.
McLaughlin draws confidence from knowing that Mohaymen has succeeded at the distance. The handy gray-roan colt sat mid-pack before launching an overpowering move to take the Grade 2 Remsen by 1 1/2 lengths last Nov. 28 at Aqueduct Racetrack.
“We definitely get the mile-and-an-eighth,” McLaughlin said. “That’s a question for him.”
O’Neill expects his horse to answer that question as he has every other - affirmatively.
“He’s proven at a mile-and-a-sixteenth,” O’Neill said, noting the Juvenile distance. “There is nothing in my mind to say that he can’t go farther.”