This Saturday may as well be called "Super Saturday" for horse racing, as any colt, filly or mare trying to get into the Breeders' Cup that hasn't qualified yet has one more chance to get into the Fall Classic.
Two-year olds will run 1 1/16 miles in their biggest test of their careers at Santa Anita this weekend in their last prep for the Breeders' Cup at the Frontrunner Stakes.
ODDS ANALYSIS
1: Go Long 20/1
2: On Fire 12/1
3: Blameitonthelaw 5/1
4: Nyquist 6/5
5: Hollywood Don 4/1
6: Rare Candy 15/1
7: Swipe 5/1
8: Mt Veeder 6/1
Immediately, Nyquist is going to stand out in this field, knowing that he is already the favorite to win the Kentucky Derby next year after romping to a win in each of his last two races. The fact that he isn't an odds on favorite is a testament to just how strong this field really is going to end up being. There are a lot of contenders here for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile along with Nyquist, including Blameitonthelaw, Hollywood Don and Swipe, all of which are no worse than 5 to 1.
FAVORITE TO FOLLOW
It's all about Nyquist on Saturday at the Frontrunner Stakes. He's undefeated in three tries, and outside of his maiden offering, he hasn't been tested either. He romped to a win at the Del Mar Futurity four weeks ago by 3 3/4 lengths, and had Mario Gutierrez ridden him out hard, he would have won by seven or eight and posted a second straight 100+ Beyer Speed Rating.
Speed is Nyquist's game. He's going to get out to the head of the field and probably attempt to not look back. That said, he hasn't run up against a high-level speed ball the likes of which he is going to see this Saturday, so that could cause him some problems if he has to start from off of the pace instead of being the one who sets it.
UNDERDOG TO WATCH
Blameitonthelaw is at least interesting, if nothing else. He was third best at the Del Mar Futurity against Nyquist, and he was really never all that close, finishing eight lengths off of the pace. That said, Blameitonthelaw was a 3 to 1 favorite that day, and it was the first time he was wearing blinkers. Typically, horses improve in their second race with blinkers on, and this might not be an exception to the rule.
It's tough to say that a horse who ran a 97 Beyer Speed Rating in his first ever race without the blinkers on is just all of a sudden incapable after running one more race with the blinkers, and clearly, Blameitonthelaw is a candidate for a much improved run.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
You really hate to say that a two-year old who has three races under his belt is the next American Pharoah, but it's tough to argue with what we have seen out of Nyquist thus far. We very well could all look back at this race and laugh at the fact that he wasn't an odds on favorite, and for as long as he is better than even money, we are going to take our chances that he can go wire-to-wire, even against a speedy field with a lot of potential.
Play Nyquist to win the Frontrunner Stakes
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