If Exaggerator, the 9-5 morning-line favorite, wins, he’ll be the first Derby runner-up to complete the Preakness-Belmont double since Nashua did it in 1955.
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Exaggerator has strung together three impressive performances starting with a win in the Santa Anita Derby back in March. The latter, who announced after the Preakness he was entering an alcohol rehabilitation program, flew in to NY to ride Exaggerator in a Tuesday morning workout that had a bit of a hiccup when Desormeaux had to straighten him out after he went wide entering the stretch.
Kentucky Derby victor Nyquist, who finished third in the Preakness, isnt running in the Belmont. Fourteen times during a long career he’s ridden 1-1/2-mile dirt races at Belmont.
With Nyquist out, attention has focused on Exaggerator and the trainer-brother team of Keith and Kent Desormeaux. Krone guided Colonial Affair to the winner’s circle well ahead of Derby victor Sea Hero and Preakness victor Prairie Bayou.
The list of horses who lost in the Derby, then won the Preakness and Belmont, is relatively long and quite distinguished, including Native Dancer, Nashua, Damascus and Risen Star.
Cherry Wine, Exaggerator, Lani and Stradivari are at the Belmont after running in the Preakness.
There simply were no closers good enough to get Da’ Tara that day, and the closers don’t often finish especially fast either, in great part because they’ve already hit peak performance making a winning move between the mile and 1-1/4-mile markers.
This style of management is a fairly recent phenomenon, reflecting the gradual trend of trainers giving their horses more time between starts. “Where else can you run a mile and a half with a horse you know wants to go that far?” “And Exaggerator has the pedigree in his favor”. Like Suddenbreakingnews, he is a late runner but his trainer, Dale Romans, told the Daily Racing Form that he has been training him with the intent to keep him closer to the pace in the Belmont. He won the Belmont Stakes by an incredible 31 lengths. He finished seventh beaten by nine lengths.
Destin, sixth in the Kentucky Derby, is the third choice at 6-1.
According the Richardson, the horse should be ready to go.
The lone exception to that bunch was 2010 victor Drosselmeyer, whose sire, Distorted Humor, never won beyond a mile but had already proven his offspring could stay, having sired 2003 Kentucky Derby victor Funny Cide.
Being outside should not be an obstacle for Exaggerator, one of several 3-year-olds in the field who like to run well off the lead.
Entries will be taken and post positions drawn Wednesday at 11 a.m.at the Rock Center Café and Summer Garden in Rockefeller Center in Manhattan.
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The 2016 Belmont Stakes will run this Saturday, June 11.
