Vodka Vodka and Bartholdy disputed for the early lead, but after getting to the front into the first turn, the pair of them “dropped the anchor” and the entire field ran plus 12 second furlongs for splits 3, 4 and 5. That caused the field to concertina and essentially turned this Grade 2 contest into a 3 furlong split. Nysos came through the gap between Bartholdy and Nevada Beach at the top of the stretch and then had to knuckle down to get the better of his stablemate as the pair drifted back to the inside rail. He had to be brave to stick his head down where it mattered, but to be fair to Nysos, he was the fastest horse in each of the final 3 furlongs, closing with splits of 11.96, 11.86 and 11.93s. There won’t be too many Graded contests over a mile that finish with splits like that and if anything, Nysos has had trouble overcome a significant lack of pace to get the job done. He won the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile with closing splits of 12.52 and 12.87s, 1.6s slower than at Santa Anita on Sunday. 

It is said that in order to be champions, sometimes football teams have to find a way to win when they are not at their best. That phrase could easily apply to this victory for Nysos, who found himself in a difficult position behind a steady pace and still found a way to get his head in front at the line. This wasn’t a career best by any means, but the horses around him made it hard for him to show his best form. However, he ranked first when it mattered, with the best closing splits, the fastest late speed figure (37.52 mph) and the best run-out speed in the field. His class showed through and he is best judged on his Breeders’ Cup victory rather than this race, but the great horses of the sport find a way to win and that is what Nysos did on Sunday afternoon.