He finished third behind the Preakness victor Exaggerator, who was second to Nyquist in the Kentucky Derby. I didn’t think we could get beat.
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It was another solid victory for Exaggerator on the wet track.
Kent Desormeaux, a Hall of Fame jockey, set a US record in 1989 for most races won in a single year while riding primarily in Maryland.
He told The Baltimore Sun, “The boy that takes care of him said they had gone probably 100 yards, and he got wobbly and fell over and he pretty much was dead when he hit the ground”.
“They’re still coming in, and people are looking for tickets”, he said. “His fast track performances are not bad either”, he said. He did so with a breathtaking charge across a track that was reduced to soup by the incessant rain, punctuating his 31/2-length victory by flinging mud in his rival’s face as they came down the stretch, their views now switched – Exaggerator with nothing but open track in front of him, Nyquist seeing only Exaggerator’s rear end.
It was the second straight win_the fifth in 11 races overall_for Always Sunshine.
Want to know what your Preakness winning bet paid? .
Later on the card, Marengo Road pulled a 15-1 upset in the $100,000 James W. Murphy Stakes for 3-year-olds on a rain-soaked turf course listed as good.
Marengo Road and jockey Julian Pimentel held off a late charge from Aquaphobia, paying $33.80 to win.
Exaggerator trainer Keith Desormeaux confirmed after the race that his horse will compete at Belmont.
Pramedya, a 4-year-old filly, fractured a cannon bone in her leg while running on grass in the fourth race and was euthanized on the track.
Pramedya was bred and owned by the Jacksons.
Centeno was driven off in ambulance.
Despite the dreary weather, racetrack officials said a record crowd of 135,256 attended the races and the infield concert that included sets by Fetty Wap and the Chainsmokers.
After the day’s opening race, the winning horse, Homeboykris, collapsed after it had left the winner’s circle. Pimlico officials believe the 9-year-old gelding suffered cardiovascular collapse.
While Desormeaux vowed to take Exaggerator to the Belmont Stakes in NY for the final leg of the Triple Crown in three weeks, Nyquist’s trainer made no such promise. It’s the same animal hospital Barbaro was taken to after his injuries. But just down the back stretch, Exaggerator exploded past the field and juked Nyquist to take the inside lane.
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Nyquist lost for the first time in nine career starts.
