Exaggerator heads field for 148th Belmont Stakes

Posted

For the 37th time in 38 years, there won’t be a Triple Crown celebration at Belmont Park after previously unbeaten Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist was denied the second jewel by Exaggerator, who romped down the stretch in the slop to capture the Preakness over the prohibitive favorite.

The list of 12 thoroughbred immortals — American Pharoah (2015), Affirmed (1978), Seattle Slew (’77), Secretariat (’73), Citation (’48), Assault (’46), Count Fleet (’43), Whirlaway (’41), War Admiral (’37), Omaha (’35), Gallant Fox (’30), and Sir Barton (’19) — will remain unchanged after the 148th running of the Belmont Stakes.

So there’s no hope for history to be made this Saturday, and, unfortunately, no rubber match, either. Two days after suffering his first loss following eight victories, Nyquist developed a fever of 102 (normal for a thoroughbred ranges from 99-101) and showed an elevated white blood cell count that forced trainer Doug O’Neill to rule him out for “The Test of the Champion.”

In 2012, O’Neill’s Derby and Preakness winner, I’ll Have Another, was retired the day before the Belmont with a tendon injury and missed a Triple Crown chance. He was listed as the 4-5 morning line favorite.

With Nyquist sidelined, Exaggerator, who became just the third horse in the last 55 years to win the Preakness after running second in the Derby, will face a bunch of rivals he’s beaten over the last month. The list of challengers includes Preakness runner-up Cherry Wine, Lani (fifth in Preakness, ninth in Derby), Suddenbreakingnews (fifth in Derby), Destin (sixth in Derby), Brody’s Cause (seventh in Derby) and Creator (13th in Derby.) Governor Malibu is also confirmed, while Stradivari (fourth in Preakness), Trojan Nation (16th in Derby), and Wild About Deb are considered questionable.

In a statement, New York Racing Association President Chris Kay addressed Nyquist’s absence. “We’re sorry that Nyquist cannot compete in the 2016 Belmont Stakes and hope for a speedy recovery and return to the racetrack.”

Now the focus lands on Exaggerator, owned by Big Chief Racing, trained by Keith Desormeaux, and ridden by jockey Kent Desormeaux. The up-and-down relationship of the Desormeaux brothers has been well-documented, but they’ve united around a dark brown colt looking to become the 53rd horse to take two legs of the Triple Crown. 

Kent has seven Triple Crown victories on a Hall of Fame resume and still holds the U.S. record for races won in a single year with 599 in 2009. In the 1998 Belmont, he came within inches of the Triple Crown with Real Quiet, who was beaten by a nose by Victory Gallop in a photo finish. Desormeaux’s won the Derby twice since, aboard Fusaichi Pegasus in 2000 and Big Brown in 2008, the Preakness two more times (Big Brown and Exaggerator), and the Belmont once with Summer Bird in 2009.

For Keith, this year’s Preakness was the biggest win of his career. His plan was to not push Exaggerator between races. “My philosophy was to take it as easy as possible because you’re not going to gain any fitness in those two weeks,” he told NBC. “I did what I could to get him happy and fresh and strong, and I’ve always said he’s always had a great ability to recover and he showed it.”

Cherry Wine’s trainer, Dale Romans, said after the Preakness: “Exaggerator looked great all week and Keith did a good job with him. It’s a special thing, two brothers in a classic like this. I’m proud of my horse, proud of the jockey [Corey Lanerie.]

Mikio Matsunaga, trainer of Japanese invader Lani, is excited about the 1 1/2 mile Belmont following an improved performance in the Preakness. “He broke from the gate slow as usual,” Matsunaga said. “After the wire he passed everybody. This was much better than the Derby. The race we’re looking forward to now is the Belmont because it’s longer.”

The three-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival begins Thursday with a nine-race card featuring three stakes. It continues on Friday with an 11-race card, including five stakes races worth more than $1.5 million. 

Saturday’s 13-race card gets under way at 11:35 a.m., with the final race post time set for 7:50 p.m. The $1.25 million Met Mile is one of five additional Grade 1 races supporting the Belmont Stakes, which is also preceded by the $1 million Manhattan on the turf, the $1 million Ogden Phipps for fillies and mares, the $700,000 Acorn for 3-year-old fillies, and the $700,000 Longines Just a Game for turf fillies and mares.

Multi-platinum, Grammy-nominated recording artist Daughtry headlines the entertainment lineup for the festival, which will include a special performance from the Broadway hit “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” as well as Country music stars Maddie & Tae. Daughtry will perform a short set prior to the Belmont Stakes, and then a concert near the winner’s circle after the conclusion of the day’s live racing. Maddie & Tae will take the stage on Friday evening.

For ticket information, visit NYRA.com or Ticketmaster.com.