Kentucky Derby hopeful Nyquist, ridden by Jonny Garcia, gallops at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., Tuesday, May 3, 2016. The 142nd Kentucky Derby is Saturday, May 7. (AP Photo/Garry Jones)
May 04, 2016 - 3:51 PM
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Stanley Cup is coming to the Kentucky Derby.
The prize awarded to hockey's championship team will be brought to the barn of trainer Doug O'Neill on Saturday, hours before he saddles expected Derby favourite Nyquist in the 1 1/4-mile race.
Nyquist's owner, Paul Reddam, is Canadian and a big fan of the Detroit Red Wings. Reddam named his prize colt after Red Wings player Gustav Nyquist, who is Swedish.
The Cup will be escorted by its minder who travels with it throughout the year.
It's not the Cup's first visit to Churchill Downs. It visited the Derby in 2006, making a trip down the red carpet. It returned from 2012-15 to parade on the carpet, and in 2014 it also visited the barn of Wicked Strong, who finished fourth.
News from © The Associated Press, 2016