Last year’s Triple Crown success of American Pharoah could cause increased interest in Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist’s chance of doing the same.
Nyquist will enter the Preakness, the second leg of the Triple Crown, undefeated. Kentucky Thoroughbred Association Director Chauncey Morris says trainers can be “hyper competitive” and learn from each other, “If they have a good horse, every trainer is going to look at the career trajectory of American Pharoah and see exactly how Mr. Baffert did it and try to recreate that with their own special horse.”
Morris is referring to trainer Bob Baffert. In this year’s Derby, second place finisher Exaggerator was closing fast on Nyquist at the finish line.
Still, Morris says holding off challengers is significant. “That’s really one of the biggest hindrances or constraints, if you will, on the Triple Crown is. Are they able to cover that distance better than all the other horses combined.”
Historially, Morris says there were seven Triple Crown winners from 1930 to 1948. There were none for the next quarter century, but then three taking the Derby, Preakness, and Belmont in the mid 1970’s.?
