Nysos, the program favorite in Grade 1 Pacific Classic on Saturday at Del Mar, has been scratched with a foot issue, trainer Bob Baffert said late Saturday morning.
The defection of Nysos postpones a widely anticipated showdown. The 1 1/4-mile Pacific Classic would have been the first meeting between Nysos and Grade 1 winners Journalism and Fierceness.
It was not immediately clear how the setback will influence the autumn campaign of Nysos.
“He’s got something going on with a hind foot,” Baffert said. “It looks minor, but he’s got something brewing there.”
Nysos has won five of six starts, including the Grade 2 San Diego Handicap last month at Del Mar. The 4-year-old colt, owned by the Baoma Corp. of Charles and Susan Chu, was scheduled to be ridden Saturday by Flavien Prat.
With the defection of Nysos, 3-year-old Journalism inherits the role of Pacific Classic favorite. Journalism, Grade 1 winner of the Santa Anita Derby, Preakness Stakes and Haskell last time out, will be facing older horses for the first time.
Fierceness moves to the likely second choice in the Pacific Classic. The shipper from the East Coast is trying to rebound from a disappointing fifth in the Grade 1 Whitney at Saratoga. Fierceness has won three Grades 1s – 2023 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, and the 2024 Florida Derby and Travers.
Others who remain in the Pacific Classic field are Midnight Mammoth, Ultimate Gamble, Indispensable, Lure Him In, and Tarantino.
The Pacific Classic is race 10 Saturday. Scheduled post time is 6:11 PT.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.