Encino seized control from the break and never looked back, powering to a gate-to-wire victory in the Listed Prairie Bayou Stakes on Synthetic Championships Day at Turfway Park.
The Prairie Bayou was the son of Nyquist’s seventh-career victory and third win over the synthetic surface at Turfway Park. He was ridden by Flavien Prat for trainer Brad Cox.
Prat hustled Encino out of post 8 to establish position into the clubhouse turn. He set an opening quarter-mile in a comfortable :24.33 and half-mile in :47.95. Around the far turn, Horsepower, who was tracking a length behind Encino in second, attempted to cut into his lead but could not make up enough ground and finished one-and-a-half lengths behind in second.
“He’s a very classy horse and clearly loves this racetrack,” Cox’s local assistant Trace Messina said. “It’s a quick run into the turn but Flavien did a great job to get from the outside to the rail. You could tell he was traveling very well the entire time.”
Encino was bred in Kentucky by Godolphin and is out of Glittering Jewel, a winning daughter of Bernardini. Glittering Jewel is a half-sister to Champion and Darley sire, Street Sense, and to the Stakes winner Elusive Sparkle (Elusive Quality).
Champion Nyquist is the sire of ten career G1 winners, four of which were in 2025: Nysos (G1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile), Cavalieri (G1 Beholder Mile), Velocity (G1 Del Mar Oaks) and Argos (G1 Summer Stakes).
Nyquist will stand the 2026 breeding season at Jonabell Farm for $175,000, stands and nurses.
