Before Sunday’s Grade III Bob Hope Stakes at Del Mar, trainer Bob Baffert was wondering how his 1-5 favorite Nysos would fare in the seven-furlong race for 2-year-olds.
The son of Nyquist won his debut by 10 1/2 lengths at Santa Anita on Oct. 21.
But although the Hope field had been reduced to four starters when Baffert withdrew Wine Me Up early Sunday morning, it was still a big step up in class for Nysos.
“It will be intesting to see how Nysos handles this race,” said Baffert. “The second outing is always the most difficult. If they win their first outing, then they’re running against better horses, tougher competition.”
Well, Nysos is still looking for competition.
With Flavien Prat aboard, Nysos breezed to an 8 ¾-length victory over second-favorite Stronghold in the $100,000 Hope. Nysos paid $2.40 and $2.10. There was no show betting.
“With this being his second time out you never know how they are going to react to it all,” said Prat. “But Nysos was a real pro. He broke well and relaxed well and showed rein on the lane. He kind of took a breather (early on) but I didn’t want to get myself you know head and head with everybody else.”
Nysos stalked Stronghold down the backstretch, took the lead near the end of the turn and powered away in the stretch.
“He’s a real quiet colt,” said Baffert. “He was real quiet in the paddock, but Prat said that 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.”
Nysos was also the only favorite to win Sunday … and only the fourth favorite to win over the past two days.
Going into Saturday, favorites had won 58.8 percent (20 of 34) of the races over the first four days of the fall meeting. And odds-on favorites like Nysos had gone 9-for-9.
But longshots scored five wins Sunday. Favorites scored on four wins in 18 races over the past two days – dropping the favorite winning percentage to 46 percent for the season. And odds-on favorites won only two of seven races over the past two days.
Other Sunday winners:
First race — Sydney Street (Hector Berrios, $23.80); Second race: Signofthecross (Kyle Frey, $8.00); Third race: Beef Winslow (Diego Herrera, $7.00); Fourth race: Matanzas (Ramon Vazquez, $15.80); Fifth race: Feisty Mitole (Juan Hernandez, $21.20); Sixth race: Cocktail Cutie (Mario Gutierrez, $8.80); Seventh race: Brother Reid (Tiago Periera, $24.00), and Ninth race: Lord Tripping (Tyler Baze, $49.80).
Racing resumes Thursday with the Grade III Red Carpet Stakes on the eight-race Thanksgiving Day card kicking off Del Mar’s annual, two-weekend Turf Festival. Thursday’s first post is 11 a.m.
The $100,000 Red Carpet will be a 1 3/8-mile grass marathon for eight older fillies and mares. Trainer Phil D’Amato will have three entrants in the Red Carpet — Irish-breds Musical Rhapsody and With Love plus Oakhurst. “We bought Musical Rhapsody with this race in mind,” said D’Amato.
Leonard Powell has entered Neige Blanche, the now 6-year-old winner of the 2021 Red Carpet. The Turf Festival continues Friday with the Grade II Hollywood Turf Cup.
On Friday, eight horses are scheduled to go in the $200,000, Grade II Hollywood Turf Cup, a 1 ½-mile test for older horses. The field includes Grade I Hollywood Derby winner Speaking Scout, Astronaut (the winner of the 2021 Del Mar Handicap), recent Grade II winner Balladeer and Order and Law (the winner of the Grade III Cougar II Stakes at Del Mar last summer) plus Francesco Clemente, who is being shipped in for the race by trainer Chad Brown.
Saturday will feature the running of the Grade II Seabiscuit Handicap at 1 1/16 miles. The nominations include defending Seabiscuit champion Hong Kong Harry.
Notable
• Two leading jockeys have been hit with three-day suspensions. Irad Ortiz Sr. will miss Nov. 24-26 after losing an appeal of his suspension for a Breeders’ Cup infraction. Umberto Rispoli will miss Nov. 26 and Dec. 1-2 for altering course in the third race at Del Mar Nov. 18 resulting in a disqualification. Both would be eligible to ride in stakes races during their suspensions.
