Winning the Triple Crown is a long, gruelling process. The journey continues when Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist heads over to Pimlico for the 2016 Preakness Stakes. It’s going to be one hell of a race with Nyquist leading the pack. He has a worthy challenger in the late-surging Exaggerator as well as some very talented new shooters.
Will Nyquist win the second jewel of the Triple Crown? Check out what the experts have to say below. For more on the Preakness Stakes, head over to our experts’ sleeper picks as well as out horse and jockey analysis.
There’s no surprise here. Joe Pantorno of Bleacher Report is picking Nyquist to win the Preakness after his victory at Churchill Downs in the Kentucky Derby. The Preakness is shorter than the Derby at 1 3/16 miles, which will play perfectly into Nyquist’s game.
Nyquist maintained a solid start at the Derby. He stayed at the front of the pack and made his move on the outside stretch to take the lead. It was only in the final furlongs that second-place Exaggerator erased Nyquist’s lead to just 1 ¼ lengths. With less miles to cover at Pimlico, Nyquist could run away with the second jewel of the Triple Crown unchallenged barring another late surge from Exaggerator.
Horse Racing Nation
Expert
Pick
Lenny Moon
Nyquist
Lenny Moon of Horse Racing Nation’s Equinometry blog takes a look at the possible scenarios heading into the Preakness. There are some scenarios in which a new shooter takes over the race against some of the more heralded colts. There’s also a chance for Exaggerator to finally break his losing streak against favored Nyquist.
Nevertheless, Moon still notes that the most likely outcome is another Nyquist victory. He’ll not only win but route the rest of the competition. Odds-on favorites do very well in the Preakness. Three of the last four Kentucky Derby winners repeated in the Preakness and seven of the last 14 won both.
To conclude, Moon notes that anything can happen in the world of ponies, but all the current information points to another Nyquist victory.
The Baltimore Sun
Expert
Pick
Childs Walker
Nyquist
Childs Walker of the Baltimore Sun notes that Nyquist could truly be a great horse. There were plenty of questions surrounding his capability of running a 1 ¼-mile race. They said he did not have top-end speed and his pedigree wasn’t suited for long races. But Nyquist proved all his doubters wrong, putting away the horses in the field with a commanding victory.
Walker notes that Nyquist showed some traits that made Affirmed great—versatility and an ability to remain calm and fit through the duress of travel and a stubborn resistance against rivals trying to pass him. It’s also worth noting that trainer Doug O’Neill did not hesitate to call Nyquist the best horse he’s trained.
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