Colt Named After Rafael Nadal is a leading contender on the Kentucky Derby trail

• Tennis News
• Rafael Nadal

A colt named after 12-time Roland Garros champion Rafael Nadal is a leading contender on the Kentucky Derby trail, according to The Sentinel Source. Nadal is trained by trainer Bob Baffert. In 2018, Baffert's Justify, who had not raced as a 2-year-old, made his first start in February and less than four months later had swept the Derby, Preakness and Belmont to become Baffert’s second Triple Crown winner in four years.

Nadal did also not race as a 2-year-old, made his debut in January and is now 2-for-2 and a leading contender on the Kentucky Derby trail after winning the Grade 2 San Vicente last Saturday at Santa Anita Park. According to Wikipedia, The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival.

The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of 2 km at Churchill Downs. It is the first leg of the American Triple Crown, followed by the Preakness Stakes, and then the Belmont Stakes.

The attendance at the Kentucky Derby ranks first in North America and usually surpasses the attendance numbers of all other stakes races including the Preakness Stakes, Belmont Stakes, and the Breeders' Cup. It is also known in the United States as "The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports" or "The Fastest Two Minutes in Sports" because of its approximate duration.