LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Nothing like the Stanley Cup showing up on the backstretch at Churchill Downs the morning of the Kentucky Derby.
That’s exactly what happened early Saturday, when NHL officials brought the championship trophy to the barn of Derby favorite Nyquist.
The horse is named for Detroit Red Wings forward Gustav Nyquist, a player Nyquist owner J. Paul Reddam admires but has not yet met. Reddam, who grew up in Windsor, Ontario, is a Red Wings fan.
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Nyquist trainer Doug O’Neill stood by his unbeaten horse and they posed with the Stanley Cup. At one point, Nyquist stuck his nose into the cup.
Reddam also has named horses after other Red Wings players, including Pavel Datsyuk, Niklas Kronwall, Petr Mrazek and Henrik Zetterberg. Detroit is out of the playoffs, currently in the second round.
Post time for the Derby is 6:34 p.m.