BY LAURIE ROSS
A Champion 2-Year-Old Colt in Canada, Gretzky the Great (Nyquist – Pearl Turn, by Bernardini) carved out his reputation on class and precocity, capturing the Grade 1 Summer Stakes at Woodbine with a polished mile performance that stamped him as one of his generation’s standout juveniles.
Now standing at Ocala Stud, he holds a unique distinction as the only Grade 1-winning son of Nyquist currently at stud in North America. Gretzky the Great provides breeders with elite 2-year-old credentials, balanced athleticism and a pedigree grounded in one of the most commercially dominant sire lines in the modern marketplace.
AT THE RACES
Bred by Anderson Farms Ont. Inc., Gretzky the Great was conditioned by Mark Casse and campaigned for Gary Barber and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners. He captured three of four starts as a juvenile. After winning the six-and-a-half-furlong Soaring Free Stakes (Listed) in 2020, Gretzky the Great stepped up in the Summer Stakes (G1) at Woodbine, covering a mile on firm turf in a solid 1:34.53. and clinching the Sovereign Award for Champion 2-Year-Old Colt.
In his 3-year-old debut, Gretzky the Great transferred his form to synthetic for Turfway Park’s John Battaglia Memorial Stakes, where he contested the pace three-wide through quick fractions, before finishing third in an exciting three-way finish.
Later in the year, he won Woodbine’s seven-furlong Greenwood Stakes in 1:20.70, just missing the track record of 1:19.22. He retired having won or placed in seven of his eleven starts, earning $379,866.
PEDIGREE
Physically, Gretzky the Great fits the mold of his male line and closely resembles his Ocala Stud barnmate Adios Charlie, a son of Indian Charlie and a dependable sire.
Powerfully made with a natural downhill balance, Gretzky the Great stands over ground with substance and strength, highlighted by a straight, correct hind leg that supports a fluid, efficient stride.
Gretzky the Great is bred on the successful Nyquist/Bernardini cross, which produced 21 winners from 31 starters, six of them graded or listed winners, including d 2024 Champion 2-Year-Old Filly, Immersive, 2025 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1)-hero, Nysos, and Knightsbridge, a multiple graded winning sprinter-miler who captured the 2026 Gulfstream Park Mile (G3) by 11 1/4 lengths.
As a champion 2-year-old and only the second colt to win both the Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) and Kentucky Derby presented by Yum! Brands (G1), Nyquist (Uncle Mo – Seeking Gabrielle, by Forestry) demonstrated the ability to carry high cruising speed over a classic distance.
The true measure of a successful stallion is versatility and Nyquist has demonstrated it at the highest level. He has sired 39 stakes winners, including three champions, with progeny earnings exceeding $56 million. In 2025, he ranked eighth on the North American general sire list by earnings, and as of March 2026, he sits atop the standings as the current leading sire.
Gretzky the Great is the second foal out of Pearl Turn (Bernardini – Turn Me Loose, by Kris S.), who was third in Delaware Park’s Polly’s Jet Stakes. She also finished fourth, beaten a length, in an exciting edition of the Bayakoa (G3), and was a competitive fourth in the Apple Blossom Handicap (G1). Pearl Turn entered the starting gate 24 times in four years and earned $182,560.
Two years after producing Gretzky the Great, Pearl Turn bore his three-quarter sister, Ba Dee Yah (Uncle Mo), who dominated the Allen Black Cat LaCombe Memorial by five-and-three-quarters lengths.
Gretzky the Great’s second dam, Turn Me Loose (by Kris S.), was a half-sister to 2007 Churchill Downs Stakes (G2)-winner Saint Anddan (by A.P. Indy), and this versatile family has produced stakes winners equally over dirt and turf surfaces.
Gretzky the Great’s damsire, 2006 Champion 3-Year-Old Colt Bernardini’s legacy is as a broodmare sire. In this capacity, he has 132 stakes winners, including last year’s Champion 3-Year-Old and Horse of the Year Sovereignty (by Into Mischief), and four-time Grade 1 heroine Clairiere (by Smart Strike).
AT STUD
Last year, Ocala Stud’s General Manager David O’Farrell spoke to Wire to Wire about Gretzky the Great.
“Gretzky the Great is a beautiful horse who represents tremendous value based on his race record and pedigree,” he said “He’s stamping his babies with his physical traits, and we are optimistic that they will come to hand and run early as he did.”
Both Gretzky the Great and his sire Nyquist were Champion 2-Year-Olds; a distinction that is rarely accidental. It reflects precocity, mental sharpness and the ability to convert pedigree into performance at an early age.
There is an old breeding truth that milers often make the best sires. When paired with sprint-oriented female families, they tend to get speed; when matched with stamina-rich distaff lines, their offspring frequently carry that speed farther. That genetic flexibility is part of what makes the profile so appealing.
Gretzky the Great did his best work on turf and synthetic, yet his pedigree, combined with the surface versatility shown by his immediate family, suggests a strong likelihood that his progeny will handle dirt.
Rather than extreme speed types, they are more likely to be efficient, forward-moving athletes who can sustain their pace and remain effective across multiple surfaces.
In today’s marketplace, where buyers prize 2-year-old performance and surface flexibility, that profile gives Gretzky the Great a practical and commercially relevant niche.
Gretzky the Great stands the 2026 season for $3,000.
Return to the March 11 issue of Wire to Wire
