Thermal took the lead right out of the starting gate and never looked back on her way to rolling to an eight-and-a-quarter length victory in the $100,000 Memorial Day Sprint Stakes at Lone Star Park on May 25.
The Lone Star Park victory marked the first Stakes win for the five-year-old Nyquist mare, who improved her record to 4-0-4 in 14 starts for earnings of $236,140. Thermal broke her maiden race on the grass but began racing on dirt on a regular basis in October. She has won three of her last four dirt starts, among them a pair of allowance sprints at Santa Anita.
Thermal broke sharply under Luis Saez and was sent for the early lead. She took command and set a quick pace down the backstretch. Leading by three lengths heading into the far turn, Thermal began to draw off in the stretch and was kept to her task in the final sixteenth to win quite easily. Aye Candy was second, with Mystic Lake a neck further back in third.
Thermal was bred in Ontario by Anderson Farms Ont. LLC and is out of Full Tap, a winning daughter of Tapit. Thermal is a half sister to the Graded Stakes-placed filly, Café Society (Empire Maker).
Nyquist now has nine Stakes winners to his credit this year, including Graded Stakes winners Knightsbridge (G3 Mr. Prospector, G3 Fred W. Hooper), Iron Honor (G3 Gotham Stakes), and David of Athens (G3 Jebel Ali Mile).
Nyquist is standing the 2026 season at Jonabell Farm for $175,000, stands and nurses.
