It's East vs. West in Florida Derby showdown

One of the colts, the Doug O’Neill-trained Nyquist, is named for Detroit Red Wings winger Gustav Nyquist. Seems the horse’s owner, J. Paul Reddam, and his wife, Zillah, are huge hockey fans. They love their Red Wings.

The other, the Kiaran McLaughlin-trained Mohaymen, means “guardian” or “protector” in Arabic. He certainly protected his perfect record in February when toying with the field in the Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

On Saturday, the two standout 3-year-olds will stage a West vs. East battle of the ages when they take on eight others in the $1 million Florida Derby. Yes, the two leading contenders in most experts’ Kentucky Derby rankings will duel before the Run for the Roses at Churchill Downs on May 7.

This is an historic showdown. It’s a huge heavyweight title fight at Madison Square Garden. This is an event that calls for ring aouncer Michael Buffer to intercede:

“Ladies and gentlemen, in Gate No. 4, the reigning 2-year-old male champion, wier of three Grade I stakes, champion of last fall’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, a perfect 6-0 record and King of the West ... Nyyyy-quissst!”

(Insert polite cheers).

“In Gate 9, a spotless 5-0, son of the highly-regarded sire Tapit, majestic wier of the Fountain of Youth Stakes here at Gulfstream Park, top-rated colt on most observers’ Kentucky Derby lists, the Beast of the East ... Moooooo-hayyyyy-men!”

(Insert rabid cheers, since this race is being run on the East Coast).

“Ladies and gentlemen ... lettt’ssss get ready to rummmmm-bbbbbble!!”

Perhaps not since 1973, when the immortal Secretariat met Sham in the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct Racetrack in New York, have such two high-profile 3-year-olds from opposite coasts collided in a major Kentucky Derby prep.

Take away the $1 million bonus for Nyquist should he win Saturday, a reward for being a graduate of the Fasig-Tipton 2-year-old sales, and there’s a decent chance this showdown wouldn’t even be happening. The O’Neill camp might have stayed home and run in the $1 million Santa Anita Derby on April 9.

Reddam and O’Neill will tell you the five-week window between the Florida Derby and first Saturday in May is just to their liking, that the bonus is only that, an added bonus. But whatever the reason, horse racing fans are the big wiers with a race like this.

While the matchup resembles a highly-anticipated heavyweight bout, there’s been no trash talking from either side. While brash predictions are commonplace during pre-fight weigh-ins, the trainers of these two colts have nothing but compliments for the other. They know they’re likely to meet again in five weeks. One might win the battle Saturday, but the war will be decided May 7.

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McLaughlin on Nyquist: “He’s just very game and determined, and he’s hard to get by. Like I said at the Breeders’ Cup, I didn’t think he could win the race from where he was into the first tu, and yet he still won and beat out a nice group of horses. He’s in good hands with Doug O’Neill. (O’Neill’s) won the Derby before and (Nyquist’s) undefeated. You don’t have to say much more than that. He’s six for six and he knows where the finish line is.”

Your tu, Doug. What impresses you most about Mohaymen?

“His determination, his will to win. He just gets it done, and there’s a couple of really long stretch runs where he just ... there was no one going to get by him. His pedigree is second to none, and then Kiaran McLaughlin and his whole crew are grade one. So I think he’s got a lot of strength behind him. He has a lot in his coer to be scared of, for sure.”

If you’re searching for the more battle-tested of the two, you might want to check out Nyquist’s resume. His Breeders’ Cup victory at Keeneland, coming in a full field of 14, was impressive enough. Then consider the less-than-ideal trip he got, and it’s possibly the most eye-catching victory any in this 3-year-old crop has enjoyed.

“I do think Nyquist leaving Califoia, going to Kentucky, facing the top horses of his era there and breaking from the 13-hole ... being wide on both tus and still getting it done ... it definitely gives us confidence going into Saturday for sure,” O’Neill said.

One trainer who’s run colts against both Nyquist and Mohaymen, Mark Casse, was asked for his opinion on Saturday’s race.

Casse chose the politically correct route. He refused to choose sides.

“Kiaran used to work for me, and Doug’s a great guy,” he said. “It’s going to be an interesting race, but more importantly I think it’s great for horse racing to see those two get together. Obviously, Kiaran’s horse maybe has a little bit of a home-field advantage, but I don’t know. It’s going to be a good race.”

Until they beat him, I’ll go with the champ. Nyquist by split decision.

Follow Art Wilson on Twitter at @Sham73