Nyquist looks solid in Sunday gallop

4:51 PM ET

BALTIMORE — Kentucky Oaks runner-up Land Over Sea and Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist will be solid favorites in their respective legs of the Black-Eyed Susan/Preakness daily double this weekend at Pimlico. On Sunday morning, trainer Doug O’Neill let them both open up a bit in their training as they prepare to come back on two weeks’ rest for the first time in their careers.

Nyquist came on the track shortly after 8:30 while accompanied by a pony. They backtracked to about the 7-1/2-furlong pole, where Nyquist stood for several minutes before breaking into a slow and easy gallop under exercise rider Jonny Garcia.

Nyquist picked up the tempo at the half-mile pole and looked smooth and strong striding out down the stretch without need of urging from Garcia. Nyquist took a long gallop-out before being picked up by assistant trainer Jack Sisterson and his pony at about the half-mile pole.

O’Neill said he timed Nyquist in 1:55 for a mile.

“I’m very happy,” O’Neill said. “We wanted to two-minute-lick him and he outdid that. Visually it was spectacular. He was reaching a long ways.”

Maryland Jockey Club clocker Tim Geraghty has been clocking horses in the state for more than 25 years. He caught Nyquist from the half-mile pole to the wire in 51.60 seconds, and galloping out to the seven-furlong pole in 1:04.60.

“For him to do that just galloping was very impressive,” said Geraghty.

Geraghty said an average half-mile work at Pimlico on Sunday would be between 49 and 50 seconds.

Nyquist won the Kentucky Derby as a lukewarm morning line favorite. Coady Photography

O’Neill said Nyquist will jog Monday and then have moves similar to what he did Sunday on Tuesday and Thursday of Preakness week.

Although Nyquist has never run on two weeks’ rest before, he did win the FrontRunner Stakes at Santa Anita last September, 19 days after taking the Del Mar Futurity.

Land Over Sea returned on three weeks’ rest to win the Fair Grounds Oaks prior to the Kentucky Oaks. Last fall, she finished second to Songbird in the Chandelier Stakes at Santa Anita on three weeks’ rest. She won a Del Mar maiden race on 17 days’ rest in July 2015.

On Sunday, Land Over Sea two-minute licked a mile beginning at the six-furlong pole on the clubhouse turn. Down the lane, Land Over Sea was reaching for ground. O’Neill timed her in 1:59, with “her going a little quicker late than early.

“She really jumps a long ways,” O’Neill said of her stride.

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