Nadal's gritty win in the Feb. 9 San Vicente S. (G2) has earned the 3-year-old colt a chance to compete on Kentucky Derby (G1) trail, according to his connections.

Making his first stakes start since his dynamic maiden win Jan. 19, Nadal and Ginobli battled side-by-side the entire seven furlongs of the San Vicente. Ginobli had a narrow advantage through a very fast half-mile in :44.09 and maintained the slimmest of leads until inside the final furlong, when Nadal surged to the front to win by three-quarters of a length in 1:22.59.

“Today, I told Joel (rider Rosario), don’t get cute, just go.  We can rate him some other day.,” said Baffert. “They took it to him, but if we’re gonna get beat, get beat.  I trained him light for this, so this is my serious work. I thought he was gonna get beat.  He got to gut it out today, so he’s got a good foundation now.”

Added George Bolton, who co-owns Nadal with Arthur Hoyeau, Barry Lipman, and Mark Mathiesen, “He will be on the road now. He’ll be on different surfaces and he’s going to go a different distance yet again, so he will go maybe go to the Rebel (Grade II, 1 1/16 miles at Oaklawn Park March 14).”

Nadal is Baffert's record 10th winner of the San Vicente. His first came in 1997 with Silver Charm, who would go on to win the Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness (G1) that year.