Belmont Stakes: Exaggerator stretches legs; Nyquist stays at Pimlico with fever

In the wake of the highly disappointing news that Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist will miss the 148th Belmont Stakes because of an illness, the other 3-year-olds being pointed to the June 11 classic at Belmont Park are continuing unaffected with their preparations.

While Nyquist remained in his stall Wednesday at Pimlico in Baltimore, his Preakness conqueror, Exaggerator, visited the racetrack for the second straight morning.

“He’s good,” trainer Keith Desormeaux told Pimlico publicity staff. “He jogged a couple rounds on the track, and he looks no worse for wear. He’s eating up his feed, and his legs are tight and cold. He’s just doing all the things we want our horses to do post-race.”

Meanwhile, the Nyquist news, first reported by trainer Doug O’Neill to Daily Racing Form, came as a real bombshell. Nyquist initially was scheduled to van Monday to Belmont in New York, but after the colt spiked a temperature overnight Sunday into Monday, those plans were put on hold.

The temperature returned to normal Monday afternoon, but it was back up to 101.2 degrees as of midmorning Tuesday. (His normal temperature is 100.3, O’Neill said.) When it became known Tuesday the colt had an elevated white blood cell count, the colt was declared out of the Belmont.

“We’re going to put him on stronger antibiotics, get him right, get him back to California, and let him relax and recover from the trip,” O’Neill said.

“It is a bummer,” he added. “It’s like a family member being sick. We’re going to focus on getting him better, and we look forward to a summer campaign.”

O’Neill said he is not sure where or when Nyquist would return but that he hoped the colt could race this summer at Saratoga in either the Jim Dandy Stakes on July 30 or the Travers Stakes on Aug. 27.

For the time being, O’Neill’s assistant, Jack Sisterson, will remain at Pimlico with Nyquist. Sisterson confirmed Wednesday that the colt appears to be feeling fine.

“We’re taking the right precaution with the aspect of getting him back right,” he said. “We’ll get him back to California once he’s 100 percent.”

Nyquist, the 2-year-old male champion of 2015 for Reddam Racing LLC, defeated Exaggerator by 1 1/4 lengths in the Kentucky Derby on May 7 to remain unbeaten in eight starts. Exaggerator turned the tables on Nyquist last Saturday in the Preakness, winning by 3 1/2 lengths while Nyquist was nosed out for second by Cherry Wine.

Exaggerator, said Desormeaux, is very much on target for the last and longest leg of the Triple Crown, the 1 1/2-mile Belmont.

“He’s going to walk a couple of days, Thursday and Friday, and then we’ll gallop him again on Saturday and roll to Belmont on Sunday,” he said.

At Belmont, Lani returned to training Wednesday for the first time since finishing fifth in the Preakness. The colt went around the huge oval four times – walking one lap, galloping two, and walking/jogging a final lap. Assuming both make the starting gate, he and Exaggerator will be the only two horses to compete in all three legs of the Triple Crown this year.

For Lani, who ran ninth in the Derby, the Preakness “was a tough race, but he came back okay,” said Keith Tanaka, agent for owner Koji Maeda. “He continues to improve.”

Also at Belmont, Stradivari, fourth in the Preakness for Todd Pletcher, also returned to training Wednesday, jogging once around. Pletcher said he wants to wait a while before deciding whether to point for the Belmont. Pletcher already has Destin, sixth in the Derby, training toward the Belmont.

At Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., a handful of possible starters for the Belmont are in training, including a foursome who ran in the Derby and took a pass on the Preakness: Suddenbreakingnews (fifth), Brody’s Cause (seventh), Mo Tom (eighth), and Creator (12th). Cherry Wine, who like Brody’s Cause is based at Churchill with trainer Dale Romans, also is likely for the Belmont.

Out of the Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont on May 14, the victorious Unified is doubtful to run in the Belmont, Governor Malibu (second) is probable for Christophe Clement, and Wild About Deb (third) is possible, trainer Phil D’Amato said this week from California.

– additional reporting by David Grening