Belmont rematch next for Nyquist, Exaggerator

BALTIMORE -- It’s not about the rivalry for Keith Desormeaux so much as, after 30 years grinding away in this business, the trainer has reached horse racing's highest level.

As Preakness Stakes winner Exaggerator and Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist each move on to the third leg of the Triple Crown series, however, Desormeaux will do his part to hype the horses’ sixth meeting.

“No way it’s going to compare to American Pharoah last year,” he said, “but it’s sure going to be fun for those of us who are immediately involved.”

On another rainy morning at Pimlico, Desormeaux guided Exaggerator around the shed row of the track’s stakes barn Sunday, showing off a bright-eyed colt he often boasts recovers well. Nyquist, third by a nose to Cherry Wine after running on the early Preakness lead, also walked Sunday morning following his first career defeat.

Cherry Wine and Lani, fifth in the Preakness, are expected to contest the Belmont, while back from the Derby are Suddenbreakingnews, Destin, Brody’s Cause and Mo Tom.

So who’s the favorite?

“There’s a good question,” Desormeaux said. “Well, see – I’m stuttering. Glad I don’t have the oddsmaker job. It’s going to be close. I think it might skew toward Exaggerator because of the pedigree.”

Video | Replay Saturday's Preakness Stakes

By Curlin, and out of Seattle Slew mare Vindication, Exaggerator turned the tables in the Preakness on Nyquist, the 2-year-old champion that topped him in maiden company, the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, San Vicente Stakes and Kentucky Derby before Saturday’s race.

In each race, the margins between the two seemed to narrow, reminiscent of Alydar creeping up on Affirmed in their 1978 Triple Crown battles. When it comes to Nyquist versus Exaggerator, Desormeaux said, “We have to play that up as horse racing aficionados.”

Showdowns beyond the Triple Crown series are possible, even as Nyquist (Darley in America) and Exaggerator (WinStar Farm) already have contracts in place for their breeding careers. Desormeaux mentioned the Travers Stakes and Breeders’ Cup Classic for his colt, while Nyquist owner Paul Reddam recently bought a share in the 2017 Pegasus World Cup, at $12 million to be the world’s richest race and run in January at Gulfstream Park.

Whereas Nyquist will ship to New York on Monday for the June 11 Belmont Stakes, Desormeaux will keep Exaggerator in Maryland for up to a week more to allow for recovery. Both colts could work out over a track known as "Big Sandy" for the 1 1/2-mile race, where turns are wider and the surface deeper than they've ever tried.

Trainer Doug O’Neill, not jockey Mario Gutierrez, said Sunday morning it was his idea for the Uncle Mo colt’s speedy early fractions in the Preakness that left the horse with little run late. It was O'Neill's goal to get Nyquist in the clear, but he instead locked into a pace duel in the middle of Uncle Lino and Awesome Speed, both of which faded to finishes off the board.

“I wanted him to have a good, clean trip, free-running,” the trainer said. “And the fast pace would be blamed on me, because I just didn't want any traffic trouble going into the first turn.

“... If we had been outside of speed, we could have gone into the first turn maybe at a little easier pace, but I don't think that beat us. He ran such a bang-up race two weeks ago, and he had to really run going into the first turn. He tried hard. You could see, even going the last eighth, he was really plugging away, trying to get back to Exaggerator. He just couldn't keep pace with him.'”