Nysos outduels Nevada Beach in stakes-record Laffit Pincay

Odds-on favorite Nysos had to dig deep to outduel sophomore stablemate Nevada Beach in Sunday’s $200,500 Laffit Pincay Jr. (G2) at Santa Anita, in a performance that was record-breaking on two counts. 

Lowering the stakes record established by the legendary Seabiscuit (1940), Nysos also gave trainer Bob Baffert a record eighth win in the feature long known as the San Antonio. Baffert had been tied with fellow Hall of Famer Richard Mandella, his previous seven winners spanning from Congaree (2003) to Country Grammer (2022).

Country Grammer used this race as his stepping stone to the 2023 Saudi Cup (G1), where he finished a valiant second. The $20 million prize in Riyadh could be on the agenda for Nysos and Nevada Beach, pending how they emerge from their Pincay slugfest.

Nysos and his fans must have felt a sense of déjà vu, for he was coming off a similarly gut-busting battle in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1). In that Nov. 1 contest at Del Mar, Nysos was all out to catch a different Baffert three-year-old, front-running Citizen Bull, and he just nipped his younger stablemate at the wire.

The Pincay unfolded differently, as both Nysos and Nevada Beach tracked the pace and moved in tandem. This time, Nysos was the besieged party on the inside, and he had to withstand ferocious pressure down the length of the stretch.

Neither was particularly favored by the race shape, putting their efforts into even more laudable perspective. Nysos, the 1-5 favorite, was off a beat slow on the rail, and that allowed longshots Vodka Vodka and Bartholdy to go forward at a steady pace. Nevada Beach, who ideally wants 1 1/8 miles, would have preferred a much stronger tempo on the cutback to 1 1/16 miles here.

Nysos was in his distance wheelhouse, but the sit-sprint dynamic didn’t allow him to use his chief weapon – his high cruising speed. Under good handling by Flavien Prat, he was tucked just behind Vodka Vodka through fractions of :24 and :48.44. All the while, Nysos was flanked by Nevada Beach. 

Bartholdy headed the weakening Vodka Vodka passing six furlongs in 1:12.26. But the real action was occurring wider out as the Baffert duo tipped out for the stretch drive. 

Although Nevada Beach wasn’t traveling as effortlessly as Nysos on the far turn, that was characteristic of him. At times a bit lazy, Nevada Beach requires some stoking, and he responded well to Juan Hernandez’s urging.

When Nysos took over at the top of the lane, Nevada Beach remained alongside to become a serious threat to the favorite. The big sophomore appeared on the verge of getting the upper hand, only to have the iron-willed Nysos battle back to prevail by a head.

The son of 2016 Kentucky Derby (G1) champion Nyquist clocked 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.36, eclipsing Seabiscuit’s stakes record of 1:42 2/5 from the pre-digital age. 

There was a 4 1/4-length gap back to Bartholdy in third, trailed by Vodka Vodka, Cornishman, and Indispensable. British Isles was scratched. 

Campaigned by Baoma Corp., now with the addition of the Coolmore partners as lessees, Nysos has bankrolled $1,238,500 from his 8-7-1-0 line. His lone loss was a near-miss, dead-heat second off a 13-month layoff in the May 3 Churchill Downs (G1). The onetime classic prospect began his career in scintillating fashion with three straight wins, including the 2023 Bob Hope (G3) and 2024 Robert B. Lewis (G3), before heading to the sidelines. 

Nysos commenced a new winning streak in the May 31 Triple Bend (G3), followed by the San Diego (G2). Another setback ruled him out for the rest of the summer, but he was able to take the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile without the benefit of a prep. 

A $550,000 OBS April purchase, Nysos was bred in Kentucky by Susie Atkins. His dam, the Bernardini mare Zetta Z, descends from 2001 Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) winner Unbridled Elaine.