Belmont Stakes: Exaggerator arrives in New York
ELMONT, N.Y. - If Exaggerator has as smooth a trip in the Belmont Stakes on June 11 as he did Sunday shipping from Baltimore to New York, he’ll be even tougher to beat than most people think.
Exaggerator, the Preakness winner and Kentucky Derby runner-up, arrived at Belmont Park shortly after noon Sunday, following a smooth four-hour van ride from Pimlico.
“The only hang-up was coming off the George Washington Bridge. It got real busy,” said Julie Clark, assistant to trainer Keith Desormeaux, who drove the gooseneck trailer that brought Exaggerator and his stable pony to Belmont. “It got real busy and that’s where the heat really cranked up, but other than that it was really smooth.”
A second van carrying Swipe, the multiple graded-stakes placed 3-year-old, and three 2-year-olds also arrived as Desormeaux shipped in five horses to New York.
Exaggerator certainly had plenty of energy as he took a few tours of a walking ring in the courtyard between barns 29 and 30. He nearly tried to rear and appeared as though he wanted to roll as hotwalker Victor Vargas led him around.
“That’s him [being] mellow,” Clark said.
Exaggerator enjoyed a relatively easy eight days since turning the tables on Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist in the Preakness. He returned to the track Tuesday for a jog, then galloped Wednesday, walked Thursday and Friday, and galloped Saturday. He did not train Sunday morning before shipping.
“The first day back he was actually pretty strong,” Clark said. “On Saturday he was very relaxed. We have a different rider, Peedy” - Jermal “Peedy” Landry- “who just has a way of putting horses to sleep. He was more [on a] loose rein and happy to go whatever speed Peedy wanted to instead of trying to dictate.”
Heavy rain is forecast for Monday, but Clark said she hopes to send Exaggerator to the main track for the first time.
“Unless it’s a downpour during training hours then we might try to avoid it,” she said.
Exaggerator is expected to have one workout, either Saturday or on June 7, prior to the Belmont.
Entries for the Belmont will be taken the morning of June 8 and post positions will be assigned at an event held in Rockefeller Center at noon.
As of Sunday, the expected Belmont starters, with riders, are: Brody’s Cause (Luis Saez); Cherry Wine (Corey Lanerie); Creator (Ricardo Santana Jr.); Destin (Javier Castellano); Exaggerator (Kent Desormeaux); Governor Malibu (Joel Rosario); Lani (Yutaka Take); Stradivari (John Velazquez); and Suddenbreakingnews (Mike Smith). Wild About Deb is possible.
On Sunday, Suddenbreakingnews worked six furlongs in 1:12.40 at Churchill Downs. Trainer Donnie K. Von Hemel moved the work up by a day to avoid forecasted wet weather in Louisville on Monday.
Going solo under Joe Rocco Jr. while equipped with his familiar shadow roll and breastplate, the Mineshaft ridgling went in splits of 24.40 seconds, 36.60, 48.60, and 1:00.20, according to Churchill clocker John Nichols. His seven-furlong out time was 1:25.40.
"I thought he looked good," said Von Hemel. "He went real smooth and galloped out strong. Everything seems to be in order."
Suddenbreakingnews will likely be the last Belmont horse to arrive as he will do all his serious training at Churchill before shipping on June 7.
On Monday, at Churchill, trainer Steve Asmussen is expected to work Creator, the Arkansas Derby winner who finished 13th in the Kentucky Derby. Creator, along with the Dale Romans-trained duo of Brody’s Cause and Cherry Wine, are expected to ship to New York on Tuesday.
Wild About Deb is scheduled to work at Churchill Downs on Tuesday after which a decision on his Belmont status is expected to be made.
- additional reporting by Marty McGee
| Potential Belmont Stakes Starters | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Last Race |
| Brody's Cause | Dale Romans | Luis Saez | Ky. Derby, 7th |
| Cherry Wine | Dale Romans | Corey Lanerie | Preakness, 2nd |
| Creator | Steve Asmussen | Ricardo Santana, Jr. | Ky. Derby, 13th |
| Destin | Todd Pletcher | Javier Castellano | Ky. Derby, 5th |
| Exaggerator | Keith Desormeaux | Kent Desormeaux | Preakness, 1st |
| Governor Malibu | Christophe Clement | Joel Rosario | Peter Pan, 2nd |
| Lani | Mikio Matsunaga | Yutaka Take | Preakness, 5th |
| Stradivari | Todd Pletcher | John Velazquez | Preakness, 4th |
| Suddenbreakingnews | Donnie Von Hemel | Mike Smith | Ky. Derby, 5th |
| Wild About Deb | Phil D'Amato | Trevor McCarthy | Peter Pan, 3rd |