Baoma Corp.’s Nysos ($3.40) wore down stablemate Citizen Bull in the shadow of the wire to post a head victory in the 19th running of the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) for 3-year-olds and up Saturday afternoon at Del Mar.
Trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by Flavien Prat, the winner completed the mile on the fast main track in 1:34.71. It was Baffert’s second victory of these Championships and 21st overall to put him in a tie with Aidan O’Brien for the most Breeders’ Cup victories all time.
Prat also won his second race of these Championships for nine overall and two in the Dirt Mile.
Citizen Bull, also trained by Baffert and winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) here last year, was pressured by last year’s Dirt Mile winner Full Serrano (ARG) and Touch of Destiny (URU) as Nysos received a ground-saving trip from Prat through fractions of :21.74 and :44.96.
On the far turn, Citizen Bull disposed of his two closest pursuers but Prat had moved Nysos off the rail and began to close the gap. It took the length of the stretch, but Nysos finally pushed past in the final yards.
Nysos is a 4-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Nyquist out of the Bernardini mare Zetta Z. The victory was his sixth in seven starts and his first Grade 1 triumph. With Saturday’s $520,000 check, he increased his earnings to $1,118,500.