Preakness-bound Nyquist, the emphatic winner of last Saturday's Kentucky Derby, has settled in well at Pimlico Race Course and is scheduled to visit the racetrack today at 8:30 a.m.
Jack Sisterson, assistant to trainer Doug O'Neill, said the unbeaten colt owned by Reddam Racing LLC, had a quiet Tuesday morning while walking the shedrow at Barn D, which is adjacent to the Preakness Stakes Barn on the Pimlico backstretch.
Nyquist and six other O'Neill runners shipped from Kentucky to Baltimore on Monday afternoon and are stabled in the same barn O'Neill used in 2012, when Kentucky Derby winner I'll Have Another won the Preakness.
Sisterson said Land Over Sea, quite possibly the headliner in the Black-Eyed Susan on May 20, is scheduled to follow Nyquist to the racetrack at 9 a.m. today. Land Over Sea finished second in last Friday's Kentucky Oaks.
Nyquist won the Derby by 1 1/4 lengths over Exaggerator in 2 minutes, 1.31 seconds, the fastest time since Funny Cide covered the 1 1/4-mile distance in 2:01.19 in 2003. It was the fourth time Exaggerator finished behind Nyquist. They will meet again in the Preakness.
Sisterson said that O'Neill will continue with the training program that has yielded such good results: alternating days of galloping and jogging. He doesn't expect that O'Neill, who is scheduled to arrive in Baltimore on Thursday, will send the colt out for a timed breeze between the two races.
"We didn't work I'll Have Another, so I don't think we'll work Nyquist," Sisterson said. With such a short turnaround between the Derby and the Preakness, the mission, Sisterson said, is to maintain his fitness without using much energy. "I'm just keeping him happy," he said. "There's not much we can do in two weeks. I think his record speaks for itself and we're not going to change anything from what we've done with him in the past."
Laurel Park: The recently concluded winter-spring meet had increases in total and average handle, as well as export and in-state wagering on the track's live product, the Maryland Jockey Club said. Average daily handle was $2.372 million, up 34.5 percent from $1.764 million in 2015. Total handle was $151.1 million, up 9 percent from $140 million in 2015, while in-state wagering on Laurel was up 25 percent from $37.4 million to $46.7 million. Exports were up 12 percent.
Kentucky Derby TV: The audience for Nyquist's Derby victory Saturday dropped 3.1 percent from last year, when American Pharoah won the Kentucky Derby to begin his Triple Crown run. NBC announced Tuesday that the Derby averaged 15.5 million viewers with a 9.0 rating and 21 share. American Pharoah's Derby drew an average of 16 million viewers and a 9.6/23, which was a 2 percent increase over California Chrome's 2014 Derby win. Ratings represent the percentage of U.S. homes with televisions tuned to a program. Shares measure the percentage in use at the time.
Women's college lacrosse: Game times and ticket prices for the first- and second-round NCAA tournament games hosted by Towson on Friday and Sunday have been announced. Penn will face Wagner at 3 p.m. at Johnny Unitas Stadium in the first game Friday. The host Tigers will play Old Dominion at 5:30 p.m. The winners will advance to Sunday's second-round game at noon. Ticket for adults cost $10; seniors and children between the ages of 2-12 will be charged $8. Groups of 10 or more may purchase a ticket for $5. Tickets are available at TowsonTigers.com or by calling 1-855-TU-Tigers. … Salisbury will enter the Division III tournament as the No. 3 team in the nation, the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches' Association announced Monday.
Men's college lacrosse: Plymouth State freshman short-stick defensive midfielder Sam McCoy (Marriotts Ridge) was voted Little East Conference Rookie of the Year.
College baseball: Navy senior left-hander Luke Gillingham was named Patriot League Pitcher of the Year. Navy freshman right-hander Noah Song was named Rookie of the Year, and the Midshipmen's Paul Kostacopoulos was Coach of the Year. ... Salisbury junior catcher Tom LaBriola was named Capital Athletic Conference Player of the Year.
College softball: The Centennial Conference named Washington College freshman Maddie Bennett (Mount Hebron) Pitcher of the Year and Rookie of the Year. Washington's Lacey Lister was Coach of the Year.Connor Flach
Major League Lacrosse: Ohio Machine attackman Marcus Holman (Gilman) was named Offensive Player of the Week.
Olympics: Wheelchair racer Tatyana McFadden (Atholton) of Clarksville earned Best of April honors, the U.S. Olympic Committee announced. McFadden began her pursuit for a fourth straight wheelchair marathon grand slam with victories at the Boston and London marathons.