Nyquist the horse meets Stanley Cup, wins Kentucky Derby (Video)

Nyquist the horse remained undefeated and won the 142nd Kentucky Derby on Saturday. Named after Detroit Red Wings forward Gustav Nyquist, the horse improved to 8-0 in his racing career and has earned over $4 million.

Prior to the Run for the Roses, Nyquist the horse had a special guest in his barn at Churchill Downs with an arranged meeting with the Stanley Cup. And while the trophy was there, the Derby favorite tested a bit of superstition by drinking from the Cup before the race.

Earlier in the week, Nyquist the horse received a good luck message from Nyquist the hockey player, who was unable to attend the race because of his participation in the IIHF World Championships in Russia.

Nyquist the hockey player had a pretty good weekend as well after scoring the overtime winner for Sweden versus Latvia on Friday.

The horse named Nyquist is owned by Paul Reddam, who bought the 3-year-old last year for $400,000. Reddam was raised in Windsor, Ont. and is a big Red Wings fan.

While it worked out great this time, Reddam recently told the Detroit Free Press naming horses after players from his favorite hockey team hasn’t always been as successful.

“In 2004, I named a horse Datsyuk, and he was a bum. We’ve had a Zetterberg, a Lidstrom, a Mrazek, a Tatar. We sold Kronwall; he was a bum.”

Nyquist the horse will look to grab the second jewel of the Triple Crown in two weeks time at the Preakness Stakes.

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Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Sean_Leahy

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