Exaggerator
| Exaggerator | |
|---|---|
| Sire | Curlin |
| Grandsire | Smart Strike |
| Dam | Dawn Raid |
| Damsire | Vindication |
| Sex | Colt |
| Foaled | February 5 2013[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Colour | Dark Bay or Brown |
| Breeder | Joseph B Murphy |
| Owner | Big Chief Racing LLC et al |
| Trainer | Keith Desormeaux |
| Record | 9: 4-2-1 |
| Earnings | $1,671,120 |
| Major wins | |
|
Saratoga Special Stakes (2015) Delta Jackpot Stakes 2015 Santa Anita Derby (2016) | |
Exaggerator (foaled February 5 2013) is an active American Thoroughbred racehorse. Racing as a two-year-old in 2015 he won three of his six starts including the Saratoga Special Stakes and the Delta Jackpot Stakes as well as finishing second in the Breeders' Futurity and fourth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. In the following spring he finished scond in the San Vicente Stakes and third in in the San Felipe Stakes before establishing himself as a contender for the 2016 Kentucky Derby with a six length win in the Santa Anita Derby. Tactically, Exaggerator is a "hold-up" horse who prefers to come from behind in his races and appears to be suited by muddy or sloppy tracks.
Background
Exaggerator is a dark bay or brown colt with a small white star and a white sock on his right hind leg bred in Kentucky by Joseph B Murphy. He is from the fourth crop of foals sired by the 2007 Preakness Stakes and Breeders' Cup Classic winner Curlin, whose other offspring have included Palace Malice and Keen Ice.[2] Exaggerator's dam Dawn Raid showed some good form as a two-year-old in 2007, winning two races and finishing third in the Fanfreluche Stakes.[3] She was a great-granddaughter of Bon Debarras, whose other descendants have included the Queen's Plate winner Niigon.[4]
The yearling colt was consigned to the Keeneland sale in September 2015 and bought for $110,000 by Big Chief Racing. During his racing career Exaggerator had been owned by Big Chief Racing with a variety of partners and has been trained by J. Keith Desormeaux. His regular jockey is his trainer's younger brother Kent Desormeaux.
Racing career
2015: two-year-old career
Exaggerator began his racing career by finishing fifth behind Nyquist in a five furlong maiden race at Santa Anita Park on June 5.[5] On July 26 at Del Mar Racetrack Exaggerator started favorite for a maiden over six furlongs and recorded his first success, coming from well of the pace to take the lead in the final stride and win by a nose from Miner's Light.[6] The colt was then stepped up in class for the Grade II Saratoga Special Stakes over six and a half furlongs at Saratoga Race Course. Racing for the first time outside California his final preparation for the race was handled by Desormeaux's assistant Julie Clark and he was ridden by Junior Alvarado. He raced at the rear of the six-runner field before producing a sustained run along the rail to take the lead inside the final furlong and won by three quarters of a length from the favored Saratoga Mischief. After the race Clark commented that Exaggerator "showed some real class for a baby".[7]
On October 3 Exagerrator started favorite for the Grade I Breeders' Futurity over eight and a half furlongs at Keeneland. After tracking the leaders he took the lead in the stretch but was overtaken in closing stages and finished second, beaten a length by Brody's Cause.[8] Four weeks later, over the same course and distance, Exaggerator was one of fourteen colts to contest the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. After tracking the leaders he stayed on in the stretch without ever looking likely to win and finished fourth behind Nyquist, Swipe and Brody's Cause, beaten three lengths by the winner. On his final appearance of the season, Exaggerator started favorite for the Delta Downs Jackpou Stakes run on November 21 on a muddy track at Delta Downs in Louisiana. The best fancied of his rivals was Sunny Ridge, who had finished runner-up in the Champagne Stakes. Exaggerator took the lead after a quarter mile and fought off a sustained challenge from Sunny Ridge to win by a neck. Commenting on the colt as a potential Kentucky Derby contender Keith Desormeaux aid "He's bred for it. He has the precociousness and the athleticism for it."[9]
2016: three-year-old career
Exaggerator began his second season in the Grade II San Vicente Stakes at Santa Anita on February 15. He came from off the pace and finished strongly but was beaten one and a half lengths into second place by Nyquist. In the San Felipe Stakes on March 12 Exaggerator started second favorite behind Mor Spirit, a Bob Baffert-trained colt who had won the Los Alamitos Futurity and the Robert B. Lewis Stakes on his last two starts. He challenged for the lead on the final turn but finished third behind the wire-to-wire winner Danzing Candy with Mor Spirit taking second. Exaggerator faced Danzing Candy and Mor Spririt again in the Grade I Santa Anita Derby on April 9 and started third choice in the betting at odds of 3.4/1. Racing on a sloppy track Exaggerator trailed the field in the early stages as Danzing Candy set the pace but began to make rapid progress half a mile from the finish. He drew alongside the leaders on the final turn and quickly went clear of the field to win by six and a quarter lengths from Mor Spirit with Uncle Lino taking third ahead of the tiring Danzing Candy. Kent Desormeaux commented "He was the fourth horse that I rode in the mud today and the others felt like they had ice skates on: Exaggerator felt like he had track shoes on. He really liked the going and I think that was part of his incredible effort today. He enjoyed the mud".[10]
Pedigree
| Sire Curlin (USA) 2004 |
Smart Strike (CAN) 1992 |
Mr Prospector | Raise A Native |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold Digger | |||
| Classy 'n Smart | Smarten | ||
| No Class | |||
| Sheriff's Deputy (USA) 1994 |
Deputy Minister | Vice Regent | |
| Mint Copy | |||
| Barbarika | Bates Motel | ||
| War Exchange | |||
| Dam Dawn Raid (CAN) 2005 |
Vindication (USA) 2000 |
Seattle Slew | Bold Reasoning |
| My Charmer | |||
| Strawberry Reason | Strawberry Road | ||
| Pretty Reason | |||
| Embur Sunshine (CAN) 1993 |
Bold Ruckus | Boldnesian | |
| Raise A Ruckus | |||
| Vevila | The Minstrel | ||
| Bon Debarras (Family: 3-g)[4] |
References
- 1 2 "Exaggerator pedigree". equineline.com. 2012-05-08. Retrieved 2013-05-05.
- ↑ "Curlin - Stud Record". Racing Post.
- ↑ "Dawn Raid - Statistics". Equibase.
- 1 2 "Satchel - Family 3-g". Thoroughbred Bloodlines.
- ↑ "Maiden Special Weight result". Equibase. 5 June 2015.
- ↑ "Maiden Special Weight result". Racing Post. 26 July 2015.
- ↑ Claire Novak (16 August 2015). "Exaggerator Brave in Saratoga Special". The Blood-Horse.
- ↑ Jeremy Balan (4 October 2015). "Brody's Cause fights back in Breeders' Futurity". ESPN.
- ↑ Claire Novak (21 November 2015). "Exaggerator Holds in Delta Jackpot". The Blood Horse.
- ↑ Jeremy Balan (9 April 2016). "Exaggerator Soars Home in Santa Anita Derby". The Blood-Horse.