Following up on his win of the 141st Preakness Stakes, Exaggerator took advantage of the sloppy track at Monmouth Park in New Jersey to win the $1 million Haskell Invitational this past weekend beating second place finisher American Freedom by 1 ½ lengths.
The weather set the three year old colt up perfectly by producing a muddy track, the likes of which have favored Exaggerator in past wins in the Santa Anita Derby and the Delta Downs Jackpot Stakes.
(Photo of Exaggerator winning the 2016 Preakness in May by Maryland GovPics. You can place horse racing wagers online at Betfair Casino New Jersey .)
Exaggerator was a distant trailer approaching the first turn, but by the half mile pole jockey Kent Desormeaux had him within four lengths of the lead.
From there he overtook the Kentucky Derby-winner Nyquist who eventually finished fourth, and third place finisher Sunny Ridge before passing the Bob Baffert trained American Freedom on the outside in what proved to be a thrilling race.
But an objection by Rafael Bejarano, the jockey atop American Freedom, put the victory in question momentarily. Bejarano accused Desormeaux of crossing into his lane causing him to change the course of American Freedom.
But the complaint was quickly dismissed and the victory belonged to Exaggerator who now has three first place finishes on the year and six overall in his career. His total earnings in 2016 have eclipsed $2.5 million with his lifetime earnings surpassing $3.5 million.
Exaggerator paid $7.60 to win with the winning time on the 1 1/8 mile track of 1:48.70.
The victory gives Exaggerator an automatic bid into the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita Park in California. Taking place on November 4th and 5th and boasting a $6 million purse, the 1 ¼ mile race attracts top thoroughbreds from around the world.
Triple Crown winner American Pharoah won the Breeders’ Cup Classic last year making him the first horse in history to win the “Grand Slam” of American horse racing.
You can watch the exciting race in its entirety here:
