Nysos capped his tremendous four-year-old season off with a dramatic victory over stablemate Nevada Beach to win the G2 Laffit Pincay Jr. Stakes at Santa Anita by a head on Sunday, Dec. 28.
The victory, which was the fourth straight Graded Stakes win for Bob Baffert trainee, provided a hat-trick of weekend Stakes wins for his sire, Nyquist, who was also represented by G3 Mr. Prospector Stakes winner, Knightsbridge and Montador, winner of the Woodchopper Stakes at Fair Grounds.
Winner of the G2 Robert B. Lewis Stakes in his only start as a three-year-old, Nysos suffered his lone defeat to date when returning with a narrow runner-up effort behind Mindframe in the GI Churchill Downs Stakes May 3. He returned to the winner's circle with a victory in the G3 Triple Bend Stakes May 31 and added a win in the G2 San Diego Handicap in July before edging stablemate Citizen Bull to win the G1 Breeders' Cup Mile at Del Mar.
Vodka Vodka, ridden by Kent Desormeaux, established the early lead in the Pincay through an opening quarter-mile in :24 and a half-mile in :48.44. Longshot Bartholdy tracked in second as Nysos sat in third along the rail under jockey Flavien Prat.
Nevada Beach and Juan Hernandez began their move on the far turn, advancing into second through three-quarters of a mile in 1:12.26. Nysos followed his stablemate's path, swinging three wide into the stretch.
Nysos seized the lead at the top of the lane and led through a mile in 1:36.43, but Nevada Beach refused to yield. The stablemates dueled through the final furlong before Nysos found enough to edge his rival at the wire by a head.
Bred in Kentucky by Susie Atkins, Nysos is out of the mare Zetta Z, an unraced daughter of Bernardini. A half-brother to the Stakes-placed filly, Attabe (Distorted Humor), Nysos hails from the immediate family of G1 Breeders’ Cup Distaff winner, Unbridled Elaine and Graded Stakes winners Etched (G2), Emotionless (G2) and Out Of Bounds (G3).
Nysos topped off a banner weekend for his sire, Nyquist, who was also represented by first-time Stakes winners Knightsbridge and Montador. Nyquist sired four G1 winners in 2025; in addition to Nysos, the stallion was represented by 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.
