Exaggerator's first crop ready to hit the track

Exaggerator, who counted the 2016 Preakness Stakes among his multiple Grade 1 victories, quietly garnered an outstanding first book of mares when he entered stud at WinStar Farm. The young stallion’s resulting first foals are now juveniles who will be seen in the commercial arena and on the racetrack.

Exaggerator covered 163 mares in his first season, according to The Jockey Club’s Report of Mares Bred. That included Grade 1 winners Belle Gallantey – who is from the family of champion Arrogate – and Last Full Measure, as well as proven producers such as Song of Bernadette, dam of dual-surface Grade 1 winner Catholic Boy; stakes winner Emanating, dam of Grade 1 winner Boisterous; and Betty’s Solutions, dam of Grade 1 winner Include Betty and three other stakes horses.

Exaggerator’s first book also included Fashion Cat, dam of graded stakes winners Corfu and New York Central, the recent winner of the rich Saudia Sprint on the Saudi Cup undercard. Other mares producing foals by the young stallion included Christies Treasure, dam of graded/group stakes winners Sacristy and Mozu Superflare, and graded stakes winner Silsita.

Also bred to Exaggerator were Sacre Couer, dam of champion Lady Eli, as well as graded winner Bizzy Caroline and graded-placed Princesa Caroline; and Akron Moon, dam of multiple Grade 1 winner Bellafina and stakes winner Diamond King. Neither mare ultimately produced a foal by Exaggerator, but their inclusion in his book speaks to his potential.

Further speaking to his potential, Exaggerator, who averaged $83,500 from his first yearlings sold last year, had four juveniles selected for the boutique Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream sale - which has since, however, been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. He has a group of 15 at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co.’s March sale, which is expected to still proceed as scheduled, including the fillies out of Fashion Cat and Silsita; a colt out of stakes-placed Gem Sleuth, dam of stakes winners Theory and Roman Officer; and a filly out of Gone Purrfect, a full sister to champion Speightstown and the dam of Grade 3 winner Golden Hawk.

Exaggerator is a son of Curlin, who is well known as a consistent classic sire, represented by 2013 Belmont Stakes winner Palace Malice and four American classic-placed runners in addition to Exaggerator. In addition to his stamina influence, Curlin and his sons have begun to emerge with solid juveniles, showing the precocity valued in the American market.

Exaggerator was a multiple graded stakes winner for Curlin as a juvenile in 2016, and the following year, Curlin’s son Good Magic won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile to earn a divisional Eclipse Award. Palace Malice was among the leading freshman sires of 2019 when led by Structor, who won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.

Exaggerator won the Grade 2 Saratoga Special in his third career start, then stretched out for a solid second in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity. After finishing fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, he bounced back to win the Grade 3 Delta Downs Jackpot.

The following winter, Exaggerator was second in the Grade 2 San Vicente to juvenile champion and racetrack rival Nyquist, then finished third in the Grade 2 San Felipe before breaking through with a win in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby. After finishing second to Nyquist in the Kentucky Derby, he finally turned the tables on that rival in the Preakness Stakes. Exaggerator finished 11th in the Belmont Stakes, but returned for one more moment of glory with a win in the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational, finishing ahead of Nyquist and classic-placed Gun Runner, who was eventually the 2017 Horse of the Year. Exaggerator finished his career with a record of 15-6-3-1 and earnings of more than $3.5 million.

In a press release at the time of Exaggerator’s retirement, WinStar president and CEO Elliott Walden cited the horse’s durability through a long campaign, including contesting all three Triple Crown races.

“He is a sound horse that passes all physical exams . . . . The fact he remains sound after 15 big-time starts in the last 16 months is a testament to his ability, consistency, fortitude, and class,” Walden said. “He is an extreme racehorse – a tough, durable throwback to the old days, like his sire, Curlin.”

Exaggerator will be one of four freshman sires this season for WinStar, along with Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Tourist, Grade 1 winner Outwork, and graded stakes winner Speightster.

Tourist, by Tiznow, and Speightster, by Speightstown, are both by veteran WinStar sires. WinStar is coming off a season in which it had two young stallions in the 2019 freshman sire top 10 in Constitution and Carpe Diem. Constitution, who finished second by earnings, was among the leading freshmen by graded stakes winners, with runners on his résumé already including Grade 1 winner and leading Kentucky Derby hopeful Tiz the Law.

California Chrome represented at sales

The globe-trotting two-time Horse of the Year California Chrome will be a world away as his first foals come to the commercial and racing arenas this spring in his home country. California Chrome was sold to stand at Arrow Stud in Japan beginning this season after spending the first three years of his stud career at Taylor Made Farm in Kentucky. The California-bred son of Lucky Pulpit will have three Kentucky-sired crops, with a handful of those set for the country’s first 2-year-old sales of the season.

There are a pair of juveniles by California Chrome entered for the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co.’s March sale that kicks off the season, including a filly out of Grade 3 winner Wildcat Lily, who also was multiple Grade 1-placed.

The syndicate that stood California Chrome at Taylor Made, with the stallion also shuttling to Chile for two Southern Hemisphere seasons, announced in late November that it had reached an agreement with JS Company Ltd. of Japan to sell the horse to stand at Arrow Stud. As part of the sales agreement, the syndicate has first right of refusal to purchase California Chrome, who, upon being pensioned from breeding, may be repatriated as a pensioner. Perry and Denise Martin, California Chrome’s co-breeders and original co-owners, will continue to participate in California Chrome’s breeding career in Japan.

“We were approached by representatives of the buyer, and being that California Chrome is owned by a 50-share syndicate, the offer was presented to the shareholders for a vote,” Taylor Made’s Duncan Taylor said. “Ultimately, the results were in favor of moving forward with the sale. California Chrome is the best horse we have ever owned, and he will now have the opportunity to have offspring performing in three different countries.”

California Chrome won seven Grade 1/Group 1 races, including the 2014 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes and 2016 Dubai World Cup. He retired with earnings of $14,752,650. He averaged $89,500 from 42 first-crop yearlings sold nationwide in 2019.