Del Mar: Baffert's Nysos romps in Bob Hope Stakes
The 2-year-old colt Nysos followed his romping debut victory by romping again in Sunday’s Grade 3, $100,000 Bob Hope Stakes at Del Mar, getting home 8 3/4 lengths the best in the seven-furlong headliner.
The son of Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist raced outside and under wraps by rider Flavien Prat through the first half-mile then took the lead turning for home and drew out through the lane. He finished the distance in a rapid 1:21.71 – just three-hundredths off the stakes record – with Prat never asking the bay for his best.
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Nysos earned a first prize of $60,000 in the juvenile feature, increasing his bankroll to $96,600. He paid $2.40 to his backers as a stout 1-5 favorite.
The winner is trained by Bob Baffert, who supplemented him to the race at a cost of $1,000. Baffert now has won the Bob Hope seven times in its 10 editions at Del Mar.
"He's a real quiet colt," Baffert said. "He was real quiet in the paddock, but Prat said once he got behind the gate he just turned it on. I took the blinkers off of him so he would relax. Last time he went out there (on the lead), and I didn"t want to see that again. He handled it like a pro and did everything right. It's tough for a horse after a big race to come back and do it again."
Finishing second in the juvenile test was Stronghold, who had 3 1/4 lengths on Tejon Pass.
There was a carryover of $94,601 in the track’s Pick Six bet Sunday, meaning the pool on the wager probably will approach the $500,000 range when it goes up for grabs on Thanksgiving Day.