SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The sting of defeat in the $20 million Saudi Cup has gradually subsided for trainer Bob Baffert, who saw his best chance to win the world’s richest race fall a length short four months ago in Riyadh.
But the effort Nysos put forth in that race only served to confirm the talent and tenaciousness the 5-year-old has displayed throughout his nine-race career. Saturday, at Saratoga, Nysos seeks to grab one of North America’s most prestigious prizes when he heads a seven-horse field entered in the $1 million Metropolitan Handicap.
The Met Mile may be billed as an undercard event on a 14-race card highlighted by the $2 million Belmont Stakes, but it certainly could be a standalone event with the likes of Grade 1 winners Journalism, Antiquarian, and Saudi Crown, as well as the exceptionally gifted Grade 2 winner Knightsbridge in the field. Rated by Merit and Vibe are less accomplished, but they have combined to win eight of 10 starts.
The defeat in the Saudi Cup likely came down to trip. Nysos had to go three wide while Forever Young got through on the rail. It was the third time in six tries that trainer Bob Baffert finished second in the Saudi Cup.
“I really thought it was going to be my year to win it,” Baffert said. “He was wide and you can’t give up any ground to the winner. [Forever Young] cut the corner beautifully. He got the trip.”
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Baffert said Nysos “ran through the wire and he ran hard. Those are two really good horses. It was very disappointing.”
Nysos, a son of Nyquist, has come back and trained well. Nysos will break from the rail under Flavien Prat out of the Wilson Chute, where one-mile races on the main track start. There is a little less than an eighth of a mile to the run to the first turn.
Starts out of the chute have been known to be messy. Just ask Todd Pletcher, who felt Fierceness was hindered by outside horses coming over on him. Fierceness had the rail and finished second in the 2025 Met Mile.
“It’s a crapshoot, and you can spell it two different ways,” Pletcher said.
In Saturday’s Met Mile, Pletcher sends out Antiquarian, who last year won a messy Jockey Club Gold Cup here, one in which Mindframe – the only other horse to beat Nysos – was bumped and lost his jockey.
Antiquarian, who won a stacked edition of the Jockey Club Gold Cup here last summer, disappointed in the Breeders’ Cup Classic but made a terrific 5-year-old debut in the Grade 3 Westchester, a race he won by 5 3/4 lengths at Aqueduct on May 3.
“I thought he ran very well in the Westchester,” Pletcher said. “I think the key to the race is the Wilson Chute.”
Antiquarian breaks from post 3 under John Velazquez.
Journalism, the 2025 Preakness winner, is back at Saratoga, where last year he finished second to Sovereignty in the Belmont Stakes. Journalism is coming off a third-place finish behind White Abarrio and Sovereignty in the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap, a race in which Journalism was surprisingly pressing the pace of Sovereignty.
Journalism is cutting back to a mile for the first time since he won his maiden at Del Mar in his second career start.
“This is a race I’ve thought about for quite some time,” trainer Michael McCarthy said. “He’s been tactical in several of his races. I think there’ll be some pace for him to run into, so we’ll look to sit a nice, stalking trip.”
Journalism will break from the outside post under Jose Ortiz.
Knightsbridge won a trio of Grade 3 stakes at Gulfstream this winter, including a devastating 11 1/4-length victory in the Gulfstream Park Mile in February for which he earned a 112 Beyer Speed Figure, the highest number recorded by a horse in 2026.
Knightsbridge was sent off the 8-5 favorite in the Grade 1 Churchill Downs, but after chasing the pace, he backed up to finish sixth, 6 1/4 lengths behind T O Elvis.
“I don’t know what went wrong,” trainer Bill Mott said. “He trained well into it and didn’t run, so I’m crossing my fingers and hoping he shows up on Saturday. He’s worked well enough, we haven’t found anything wrong with him. There’s nothing that we can see that’s not in order with him.”
Knightsbridge is a half-brother to Speaker’s Corner, who finished third behind Flightline in the 2022 Met Mile.
Saudi Crown, a 6-year-old son of Always Dreaming, is a Grade 1 winner with speed who figures to get overlooked in the Met Mile betting. He is 2 for 2 this year, including a pace-pressing victory in the Grade 3 Commonwealth at Keeneland on April 4. Saudi Crown, at 3, won the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby and at 4 finished third in the 2024 Saudi Cup.
“Big ask,” trainer Brad Cox said. “He really is doing well. I liked his work this past weekend. If we’re going to take a shot in a Grade 1, we had to put a good breeze into him. He has races on his résumé that show he can be competitive. I like the form that he’s in to start this year. This is going to be deep water; he certainly acts as if he’s ready to put out a big effort and he’s going to need to.”
Irad Ortiz Jr. rides Saudi Crown from post 4.
Rated by Merit, trained by Chad Brown, has won 5 of 6 starts. His victory in the one-mile Discovery last October was the fastest race of his career, earning a 106 Beyer Speed Figure. Vibe has won 3 of 4 starts, all at one mile, none in a stakes.
The Met Mile is a Win and You’re In qualifier for the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile.
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