Nyquist Gallops Strongly at Pimlico

Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) winner Nyquist galloped a strong mile May 15 at Pimlico Race Course in preparation for the May 21 Preakness Stakes (gr. I ).

"He's a special horse. When you get here in the morning and walk down the shedrow and you're able to look in his eye, you know you're right alongside greatness," trainer Doug O'Neill said. "What he did today gave you goose bumps, but he does that every day. It's only been eight days since he won the Derby, so you'd expect a little deflation in his energy level, but he was as strong as ever."

Reddam Racing's undefeated 3-year-old colt backtracked in the company of a pony ridden by assistant trainer Jack Sisterson to the top of the first turn before reversing direction and breaking off for a once-around gallop that was completed in full stride under exercise rider Jonny Garcia.

"We're very happy. The plan going into today was to have a comfortable gallop. We got him going a minute and 55 seconds for a mile, under a two-minute lick," O'Neill said. "Jonny was happy. The way he looked out there left us all smiling."

Nyquist, who bested Exaggerator by 1 1/4 lengths in the Derby, has an alternating training schedule that includes jogging one day and galloping the next. The son of Uncle Mo   is slated to jog two miles at Pimlico May 16.

"He had five races as a 2-year-old, and with babies you've got to go easy on them," O'Neill said. "He just never missed a beat. We started having that approach with him early on, and as he continued to win, we weren't going to change."

Nyquist has flourished under the alternating morning activities, with five grade I scores among his eight victories without defeat.

"He's a special horse. We just got to stay injury free, and this journey hopefully has a long road ahead," O'Neill said.