Johannes returned to his winning ways with a vengeance on September 27 when he charged from off the pace to sweep past Cabo Spirit in deep stretch to win the G2 City of Hope Mile by just over a length at Santa Anita.
The victory earned the five-year-old son of Nyquist a fees-paid, automatic berth in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Mile, to be held at Del Mar on Nov. 1. This was the second straight year Johannes won the City of Hope Mile, and he is now a six-time Graded Stakes winner.
Johannes raced in fifth early, tracking the early pace of Zio Jo (Nyquist) while racing in the two-path. Always a bit keen, Johannes ran up on the heels of Cabo Spirit at the five-sixteenths pole and had to check but was able to quickly get himself back into stride without losing too much ground.
Tipped three-wide at the top of the stretch, Johannes was let loose by jockey Umberto Rispoli and came charging down the center of the course. He reeled Cabo Spirit, who had taken the lead at the top of the lane, and went on to win by just over a length.
Johannes was bred in Kentucky and is out of the mare Cuyathy, a Stakes-placed daughter of Congrats. In addition to Johannes, Cuyathy is the dam of multiple Stakes winner, Sea Dancer (by Mastery) and Sea Runner, a Stakes-placed filly by Gun Runner. She has a two-year-old filly by Knicks Go named Soaring Angel that is a winner in two starts thus far, and she produced a colt by Maxfield in 2025.
Nyquist is the sire of three G1 winners so far this season – Argos (G1 Summer Stakes), Cavalieri (G1 Beholder Mile) and Velocity (G1 Del Mar Oaks). He is also the sire of additional 2025 Graded Stakes winners Nysos (G2), Verity (G2), Crimson Advocate (G2), Tenma (G2), Gosger (G3) and Randomized (G3).
