Four times previously, Nyquist beat Exaggerator.
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The owners of Kentucky Derby victor Barbaro got a grim reminder of their beloved horse’s tragic run at the Preakness 10 years ago when their filly Pramedya broke down Saturday at Pimlico Race Course.
The horse, jockeyed by Kent J. Desormeaux, went into the race with 3-1 odds. But Exaggerator looked too strong, and Nyquist too gassed, for another lead change to take place.
The loss was the first of the career for Nyquist, who was unblemished in eight previous starts as he entered the 3 gate.
Nyquist, with Mario Gutierrez aboard finished third, followed by Stradivari, Lani, Laoban, Uncle Lino, Fellowship, Awesome Speed, Collected and Abiding Star. The race was won by Truly Together, trained by Michael Matz, Barbaro’s trainer.
When Kent Desormeaux drove Exaggerator down near the fence – where the track was wettest – in the first furlong of the race, Keith Desormeaux said of his brother, “I wanted to strangle him”. Cherry Wine placed and Nyquist showed.
Exaggerator has finally beaten Nyquist, and it came in the Preakness on Saturday to end any chance of another Triple Crown. Still, Nyquist’s trainer, Dale Romans, betrayed no concern for the conditions in the lead-up to the race. These turns you want to paint the fence.
Homeboykris had run 62 races before Saturday, winning 13 and finishing in the top three 28 times.
In spite of the rain and temperatures that hovered in the mid-50s, track officials estimated the crowd to be 134,000 – a new Preakness record. When asked for his usual winning burst, the son of Uncle Mo just didn’t have it for the first time in his career.
You’ve got to feel a bit for the Preakness. “They stayed really wide”. “We swung out late, but they were tough”.
“Maybe we just should not come to Pimlico”, Gretchen Jackson suggested.
And now, it’s on to the Belmont Stakes for Exaggerator. Jockey Daniel Centeno was thrown to the ground, and taken away in an ambulance.
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“I hope it’s not only because of the muddy track, the horse has been training phenomenally, ” trainer Keith Desormeaux told NBC Sports.
