It doesn't matter whether the horse which won the Kentucky Derby was a 50 to 1 longshot or a 2 to 1 major favorite. Whichever pony hits the line first on the first Saturday in May will have the same question asked about him: Can he go on to win the Triple Crown?
The pressure is already starting to mount on Nyquist. He was the 2 to 1 winner of the Kentucky Derby, and he's sure to be a major favorite at both the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes should he get that far. But being favored and actually finishing the job are two different things, and Nyquist still has a long way to go to become the next American Pharoah.
Nyquist Triple Crown Odds at BookMaker.eu
Nyquist Wins Triple Crown +350
Nyquist Doesn't Win Triple Crown -530
WHY NYQUIST WILL WIN THE TRIPLE CROWN
Did you watch the race on Saturday? Nyquist was positioned perfectly by Mario Gutierrez, and he did what any champion should do when he's given a good ride by his jockey. Sure, the winning margin of 1 1/4 lengths won't be looked upon as the most impressive Kentucky Derby run ever, but style points didn't really matter as far as we saw it. There was no doubt heading into the far turn that no one was catching Nyquist without just a gigantic run.
Exaggerator put on said run, and even he was never able to really close the gap all that much to put any strain on the Derby favorite.
Nyquist was pushed hard at the outset of the race by Danzing Candy, as he was forced to run the half mile in under 46 seconds, a mark which is largely unheard of for longer races nowadays. Instead of backing down, Nyquist was able to push through it all and ran his last quarter mile at basically the same pace of his first quarter mile.
The other reason to really like Nyquist here to win the Triple Crown is purely about math. There's a really good chance he's going to be the odds-on favorite to win the Preakness Stakes, and if he wins at Pimlico, he'll surely be a massive favorite at the Belmont Stakes, even if he has to go up against a practically full field as American Pharoah did last year. The price of +350 is surely a good one.
WHY NYQUIST WON'T WIN THE TRIPLE CROWN
It's tough to find things to not like about Nyquist, but the big question we have is how he's going to fare against the big time closers like Exaggerator, Brody's Cause and Mohaymen if they decide to come to Pimlico to challenge him.
Part of the reason why those closers weren't able to get up to the front of the field is because the Derby was run at such a quick pace. Those fractions were insane from start to finish, and the end result was the fastest Kentucky Derby in the last 13 years.
The sizes of the fields at the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes will be significantly smaller as well, and there won't be so many closers stuck at the back of the pack as was the case at the Kentucky Derby.
There's also a real question as to whether Nyquist can cover the distance at the Belmont or not. That 1 1/2 miles is a long way to go for a pony that doesn't have the breeding for it. American Pharoah was always looked upon as a distance horse. Nyquist? Not so much. Most believe he'll settle into a one-mile racer if he doesn't pan out in a couple weeks at Pimlico. Covering the Belmont is a big ask for a pony who just wasn't bred to be a Triple Crown champion.
Horse racing odds at BookMaker.eu
Load your betting bankroll from your smartphone or tablet with BookMaker's new cashier feature! Depositing and withdrawing funds from your account has never been easier. BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting event. Click here, and start wagering right now!
