Nysos, with Flavien Prat aboard, romped in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes Feb. 3 at Santa Anita Park to improve his career record to a perfect 3-for-3. (BENOIT photo)
Nysos took the next step on his journey to the top of the 3-year-old ranks with an impressive score in the Feb. 3 Robert B. Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita Park. The undefeated Bob Baffert-trained colt is making a habit of winning by huge margins, adding 7 ½ lengths in the Lewis to his two 2023 efforts: a 10 ½-length maiden win and 8 ¾-length Bob Hope Stakes win.
While Nysos, owned by the Baoma Corporation of Charles and Susan Chu, was making his first attempt at two turns, his victory surprised no one. Bettors sent him off at 1-10 odds against six rivals after Stronghold and Coach Prime were scratched.
Still, Nysos had to show up, and did he ever, proving to everyone that he has an abundance of talent.
Scatify, trained by John Sadler and breaking from the outside post, zoomed to the front in the one-mile Lewis, along with Baffert’s other entry, Wine Me Up. Scatify completed the first quarter-mile in :22.81, a half-length ahead of Wine Me Up.
Jockey Flavien Prat was in no hurry aboard Nysos, who raced easily in fourth.
“I wasn’t really worried,” Baffert said. “(Nysos) has got a great mind. I was watching what was going on up front because Wine Me Up was training really well for this. I had a feeling that Sadler’s horse was going to show a lot of speed.”
Scatify continued to set the fractions, racing a length ahead of Wine Me Up while setting the half-mile fraction of :46.67.
“The pace was pretty hot, so it was good,” Prat said. “I gave him a chance and he took the dirt very well.”
Baffert explained that Nysos has demonstrated in his morning training that “he’s got several gears.” The colt has shown versatility as well. He won his first race by leading throughout, while he raced in third early in the Bob Hope.
When Prat asked Nysos to go in the second turn, the response was electric. Nysos quickly caught Wine Me Up and Scatify deep in the second turn, and from there the only question was the margin of victory. Nysos floated to the wire, with Prat able to wrap up on him, and stopped the timer in 1:36.65. The Lewis this year had been shortened to a mile, having previously been run at 1 1/16 miles.
Wine Me Up finished three-quarters of a length in front of Scatify for second. The Lewis offered Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve points on a 20-10-6-4-2 scale to eligible horses, though Baffert trainees are ineligible to earn points for the Derby or race in it. Churchill Downs has continued its suspension of Baffert, stemming from Medina Spirit’s positive for betamethasone after the colt finished first in the 2021 Kentucky Derby and was ultimately disqualified. Thus, the points earned in the Lewis were six to Scatify, four to fourth-place Mc Vay, and two to fifth-place Moonlit Sonata.
Nysos improved to 3-for-3 in his career with earnings of $216,600. Baffert has now won the Robert B. Lewis six consecutive times and a record 12th overall.
