Nysos Looks To Add To Del Mar Lore In Pacific Classic

Baoma Corp.’s Nysos and jockey Flavien Prat win the Grade III $200,000 Robert B. Lewis Stakes Saturday, February 3, 2024 at Santa Anita Park, Arcadia, CA. Benoit Photo

BENOIT PHOTO

That piece of horse racing heaven known as Del Mar is famous for many reasons. There is in fact a smile on every face and a winner in every race where the surf meets the turf. Yes, this playground for the stars that opened in 1937 has been frequented by many famous people, but in reality, it’s those four-legged phenoms that dazzle the Del Mar dirt that makes the Seaside Oval legendary. Come August 30, there is one runner looking to add his name to the history of this iconic track.

First run in 1991, the Pacific Classic has become the crown jewel of the Summer meet. Sporting a hefty purse of $1 million, this mile and a quarter roll over the main track has seen it’s fair share of superstars etch their names into the legendary lore of the sport of kings. Always a proving ground, names like Candy Ride, Lava Man, Game On Dude, Beholder, California Chrome, and Flightline solidified their status with huge efforts in the Classic.

The 2025 edition offers the same opportunity to a talent named Nysos. Always highly thought of, this Bob Baffert trained son of Nyquist is lightly raced for a four-year old. Six career starts have yielded five wins and a second-place finish since first dropping jaws with a 10 ½ length score in his first afternoon trip to the track in October of 2023.

“Since day one he has always looked like a brilliant race horse”, says Baffert. “Our problem early on was keeping him healthy. He’s got a great mind and that can really be a difference maker, especially when things are not going right in a race.”

The biggest reason for his lighter number of starts has been injury. After opening his career with three consecutive wins by a combined 26 ¾ lengths, this budding superstar was placed on injured reserve following his tour de force in the Robert Lewis Stakes in February of 2024. Handling his prized colt with the care that has helped make him a hall of famer, Baffert eased his charge through the rehabilitation process.

“He had a number of different setbacks physically and we just had to be patient with him”, says Baffert, who has more grade 1 wins than anyone. “He needed time off and there are times when it just takes a while to get them back right.”

After over a year on the shelf, Baffert felt good about Nysos and threw him right into the mix in the grade 1 seven-furlong Churchill Downs Stakes on the Kentucky Derby undercard. Running strong over a rain-soaked track, this grandson of Bernardini came up just a neck short after a furious rally in the stretch. Since, Nysos has turned in two stellar efforts in winning the Triple Bend Stakes at Santa Anita on May 31 and the San Diego Handicap at Del Mar on July 26.

“Running him in the Stakes race at Churchill may have been a little too ambitious especially with the off track”, says Baffert. “He has had two good races since and the San Diego was really a nice effort. He came from off the lead stretching out to a mile and a sixteenth and proved he is not a one-dimensional horse.”

Having displayed much potential and lots of promise, Nysos now gets his opportunity to shine on Del Mar’s biggest regular stage. The mile and a quarter distance is farther than he has ever raced and the field lining up against him features some top names in the game. Preakness champ Journalism and 2024 Travers Stakes winner Fierceness are just two of a very solid crew. As was the case with some of the names previously mentioned, the Pacific Classic also gives Nysos a proving ground of epic proportion.

“This is going to be a very tough race, but it’s a grade 1 and they are not supposed to be easy”, says Baffert, who has won a record seven Pacific Classics over the years. “We know there are some other good horses coming in but we can’t worry about them, we are only concerned with our horse. The mile and a quarter is always tricky on this track, but it is a big day at Del Mar and we are happy to be a part.”

Flavien Prat is scheduled to be in the irons for Nysos and has been in the saddle on four previous occasions. The Pacific Classic is the featured event on August 30 and is part of the Breeders’ Cup win and you’re in series offering an automatic berth in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.