ARCADIA, Calif. – Nysos is no longer perfect, but he is formidable.
Four weeks after the first defeat of his career, a runner-up finish on a sloppy track in the Grade 1 Churchill Downs Stakes, Nysos resumes his march to prominence Saturday at Santa Anita.
Nysos faces four rivals in the Grade 3 Triple Bend, a seven-furlong sprint that also marks the return of Grade 2 winner Dr. Venkman. Others entered are 2023 Triple Bend winner Spirit of Makena, improving 3-year-old Smooth Cruisein, and likely pacesetter Vlahos.
The Triple Bend is the third leg of a pick six wager that starts with a $48,869 carryover on Saturday after the bet went unsolved Friday.
Nysos, 3 for 4 in his career, is the star of the field. “He ran well, he’d never ran on an off track,” trainer Bob Baffert said. “He looked like he was going to win, then sort of flattened out that last 50 yards. It was a good comeback for him.”
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The seven-furlong race was the first start in 15 months for Nysos. He missed by a neck and earned a 98 Beyer Speed Figure that was even better when ground loss is factored. Baffert considered a more ambitious next start for Nysos than the $100,000 Triple Bend.
“I was looking at the Met Mile, but I thought two hard races back-to-back might be a little tough on him,” Baffert said. “He came back; he’s been doing well. We’ll run him here, then we can decide what the next move is.”
Considering the shallow state of the West Coast handicap division, all options are open. If Nysos runs at Del Mar, choices include the six-furlong, Grade 1 Bing Crosby Stakes and Grade 2 San Diego Handicap at 1 1/16 miles, both on July 26.
Juan Hernandez rides Nysos, who breezed a solo five furlongs in 59.20 seconds last Friday, the fastest five-furlong work of the day. Listed at 3-5 on the morning line, Nysos faces a legit rival who is training well for his first start in nine months.
Dr. Venkman was a budding star last summer. Trained by Mark Glatt, he finished second in the Triple Bend, won the San Diego at Del Mar, then finished fourth as the favorite in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic. The 1 1/4 miles was too far, and Dr. Venkman later was sidelined. A 5-year-old with three wins from six starts, Dr. Venkman is ready to fire.
“He’s doing really well. I expect him to run very well,” Glatt said.
Dr. Venkman’s preparation has gone uninterrupted. Regular rider Antonio Fresu has breezed Dr. Venkman, and rides him Saturday. The gelding is the 2-1 second choice.
Dr. Venkman’s summer campaign will be determined after the Triple Bend, but Glatt expects to keep him at distances “probably up to a mile.” That does not necessarily preclude trying to win the San Diego a second straight year.
Glatt also nominated Judge Miller to the Triple Bend, but the target for Judge Miller is the $300,000 Hanshin Stakes, a one-mile race on June 29 at Churchill Downs.
Smooth Cruisein will be the first 3-year-old to run in the Triple Bend since 2014, when Indexical finished third. Karen Headley trains Smooth Cruisein, winner of a highly rated entry-level allowance last out, where he earned a 98 Beyer.
With an eight-pound age concession and another four pounds for having not won a stakes race, Smooth Cruisein is assigned 114 pounds, 12 fewer than his older rivals except Vlahos, who has yet to win a graded stakes. Smooth Cruisein, 2 for 4 in his career, will have Tiago Pereira aboard, who typically rides at 116 pounds. The last 3-year-old to win the Triple Bend was Zensational in 2009 at Hollywood Park.
Vlahos drew the rail and is expected to set the pace under Edwin Maldonado. Vlahos appears to be in tough, but recent Triple Bend winners include others with a similar look: American Theorem, $28 in 2022; Air Strike, $27.40 in 2019; and Denman’s Call, $35.40 in 2017.
Spirit of Makena finished a creditable third in his comeback two months ago in the Grade 3 San Carlos. It was his first start since September of 2023.
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