Nadal

Nadal, a 3-year-old Blame colt owned by George Bolton, Arthur Hoyeau, Barry Lipman, and Mark Mathiesen, turned heads quickly in his first appearance on the racetrack when he took a 6 ½-furlong maiden race at Santa Anita Park by 3 ¾ lengths on Jan. 19, 2020. He was then returned to competition three weeks later in a far tougher test, the Grade 2 San Vicente Stakes at Santa Anita on Feb. 9, where he squared off against 2019 champion 2-year-old male Storm the Court.

With Joel Rosario aboard, Nadal contested the pace from the outset and turned back his front-running rival Ginobli with a game effort in deep stretch, winning the seven-furlong San Vicente by a half-length as the 3-10 favorite and receiving no challenge from fourth-place Storm the Court.

The San Vicente offered no qualifying points for the 2020 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve, but trainer Bob Baffert said following the race that Nadal would join the Derby trail and possibly make his next start in the Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park on March 14.

That turned out to be the case, and Nadal was sent off as the 9-10 favorite in an eight-horse Rebel field. Breaking from the rail under Rosario, he moved to take the lead heading into the first turn and set a contested and very fast pace through the first half-mile in 46 seconds flat. Nadal put away his early challengers and briefly extended his short lead in early stretch, but was all out to hold off deep closer and 82.60-1 longshot Excession for a three-quarter length win.

Nadal earned 50 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby with his third career win without a loss.

Nadal returned in the second division of the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby and settled into second comfortably behind Wells Bayou. He surged to a clear lead in early stretch and rolled to a dominant win to remain unbeaten and earn 100 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve.

Kentucky-bred Nadal was bought by bloodstock agent Kerri Radcliffe for his owners as a juvenile out of the Fasig-Tipton Florida select sale, fetching $700,000. He is out of the Pulpit mare Ascending Angel and from the family of champion filly Pleasant Stage.