Exercise Rider's Finesse Aids Exaggerator

Sometimes the most beautiful things in life are the ones that you don't see coming. Just ask Jermal "Peedy" Landry, exercise rider for Preakness Stakes (gr. I) winner Exaggerator.

Landry, 25, a native of Lafayette, La., received a call earlier this spring that resulted in his departure from the heart of Cajun Country for a journey that was completely unimaginable to him before his phone rang.

Landry galloped horses a few years ago for Exaggerator's trainer, Keith Desormeaux, in Louisiana. When the trainer left to set up shop on the Southern California circuit, Landry decided to stick with the familiar and remained home.

But Landry came to mind a couple of weeks before the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), when Desormeaux and his assistant and girlfriend, Julie Clark, were seeking a rider who had the finesse to manage their high-energy runner—who wound up second to champion Nyquist in the Derby before turning the tables two weeks later in Baltimore.

LAMARRA: Exaggerator Turns the Tables, Wins Preakness

The morning of June 1, before Landry took Exaggerator out for a two-mile jog on the Belmont Park training track, Clark said that the exercise rider has a delightful manner out of the saddle that translates well when he is on the back of a horse.

"The horses love him," Clark said. "He can get on a tough one and just make them relaxed and calm. I think it's Peedy's personality. (His) attitude ... his vibe on a horse ... there is nothing about his presence on a horse that says, 'Go. We have to hurry.' I love that. He's a happy guy (and) always has a big smile. He's a positive person. 

"I also think a big part of it, too, is that he doesn't have any idea how talented he is. He thinks horses go like that for everybody, and they don't. He makes a big difference."

Landry, who has been galloping horses for 10 years—first on a Louisiana farm, owned by relatives, and then later at Evangeline Downs and Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots—is at a bit of a loss to explain exactly why he and Exaggerator click.

"They say we get along well," the soft-spoken Landry said with a high-wattage grin. "I just try to keep things equal between me and the horse, where he is comfortable and I'm comfortable."

Exaggerator has looked the part of a healthy and happy contender since arriving in New York May 29 to begin preparations for the third leg of the Triple Crown, the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes (gr. I) June 11. The son of Curlin   has been bright-eyed and energetic in his two gallops on the main track, May 30 and 31, and was the same when he jogged twice around the one-mile training track June 1.

"He's just a feel-good horse," Landry said when he returned Exaggerator to the barn. "He's happy. When he is (training), he's just playful. This morning, he felt great. He threw in a couple of bucks—it was more like he was stretching and having a feeling-good type of buck. He pays attention to what is going on and knows what is surrounding him."

The same can be said of Landry, who is taking in all that comes with traveling with the Kentucky Derby runner-up and Preakness winner, who is owned in partnership by Desormeaux, Big Chief Racing, Head of Plains Partners, and Rocker O Ranch. The exercise rider—whose childhood nickname "Peedy" is a nod to "Petey," the beloved dog on the television show The Little Rascals—is also a bit awed by all the goings-on that are part and parcel of being part of an equine star's entourage.

"This is really new to me and exciting," Landry said as he gestured at the media watching Exaggerator's every move as he was bathed by his groom, Victor Vargas. "I love traveling with (Exaggerator) and seeing new things. The crowds just have me in shock—a lot of people with cameras taking pictures. I've never been around that much publicity before. It's awesome."