Exaggerator wins Preakness Stakes, ending Nyquist's Triple Crown bid
BALTIMORE -- Finally, Exaggerator has beaten Nyquist, and it came in the Preakness on Saturday, ruining the Kentucky Derby winner's bid to become horse racing's second Triple Crown winner in two years.
Seizing the lead at the top of the stretch, Exaggerator splashed past a tiring Nyquist and went on for a 3 1/2-length victory over Cherry Wine on a rain-drenched Pimlico Race Course.
Exaggerator's elusive victory over his nemesis came after four tough losses, including a runner-up finish to Nyquist in the Kentucky Derby.
Nyquist was sent off as the 3-5 favorite in the 11-horse field, and dueled with Uncle Lino for the lead through the first mile of the 1 3/16th-mile second leg of the Triple Crown.
And then it was all Exaggerator - no kidding.
The 3-year-old colt kept gaining ground along the rail. Jockey Kent Desormeaux saw an opening around the final turn, angled outside and Exaggerator took over.
"I was on the fence, and they all stayed wide," Desormeaux said on NBC after the win. "These turns, you want to paint the fence. We did. They didn't, and I think, not for nothing, but knowledge is power."
Nyquist, with Mario Gutierrez aboard, finished third, followed by Stradivari, Lani, Laoban, Uncle Lino, Fellowship, Awesome Speed, Collected and Abiding Star.
Winning time for the race was 1:58.31.
Trained by Kent's younger brother, Keith, Exaggerator showed his talent in the slop once again. He won the Santa Anita Derby over a sloppy track, and did the same in the Preakness. It was the first Preakness winner for the trainer who began his career in Maryland, and third for the Hall of Fame rider.
The crowd was estimated at a record 134,000.