Nyquist, Exaggerator Set for Seventh Meeting

After six previous meetings that include one-two finishes in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I) and the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), Nyquist and Exaggerator go toe to toe for Round 7 in the Pennsylvania Derby (gr. II) Sept. 24 at Parx Racing.

The past three Pennsylvania Derby renewals have been won by 2013 3-year-old champion Will Take Charge  , 2014 Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I) winner Bayern  , and Frosted, winner of this year's Mohegan Sun Metropolitan Handicap (gr. I) and Whitney Stakes (gr. I). With year-end honors potentially on the line, the Pennsylvania Derby's 40th running certainly feels a lot more like a grade I event as Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist and Preakness Stakes (gr. I) winner Exaggerator meet for the seventh time in the $1.25 million race.

Nyquist swept his five starts as a 2-year-old en route to an Eclipse Award, and looked like a serious Triple Crown threat after beating Exaggerator for the fourth time in the Kentucky Derby, but the latter turned the tables on his nemesis over a sloppy track in the Preakness. Nyquist was sidelined by a fever soon afterward, and 10 weeks later he again fell prey to Exaggerator's late run in a sloppy renewal of the Haskell. 

Nyquist spent the remainder of the summer at San Luis Rey Downs in Southern California, as trainer Doug O'Neill sensed it was time for a change of scene.

"We decided after the Haskell he was definitely going through a growth spurt where he had gotten taller and just got a little light on us, and decided he needed a tranquil setting ... and not be overwhelmed with a lot of the stress of what racetracks can sometimes do," O'Neill explained. "He's really flourished, he's put on a lot of weight, he's doing really well. Hopefully we'll see some positive results. We're thinking we need to run a big race Saturday. I'd be lying if I said I thought he could get beat Saturday and still be 3-year-old champ."

After being softened up fighting for the early lead twice, O'Neill will attempt to orchestrate a change of tactics as Nyquist breaks from post 9 and outside several quality speed horses.

"I'd definitely love to see him off the pace," said O'Neill. "At the Preakness, we're 8 for 8, we draw toward the inside of an 11-horse field and I just envisioned some potential horses trying to cut over in front of us and just be in some traffic trouble, so I was adamant with Mario (Gutierrez) to take it to 'em, and then in the Haskell drawing the rail, that backfired. I envision seeing more of a race like you saw in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile; we're going to let the race unfold and have a target, and go get 'em late. We're all super-pumped, super-optimistic for a big effort."

A change of pace for Nyquist could set up some jockeying for position with his arch-rival Exaggerator, who came out of a disappointing race as the Travers favorite none the worse for wear judging from a sharp workout at Churchill Downs last week.

"Everything went beautifully," said trainer Keith Desormeaux. "The time (second-fastest of 37 at the distance) was right, he finished strong and he galloped out strong."

Exaggerator appeared to struggle with the deeper tracks at Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course, and although all three of his grade I wins have come in the slop, his connections remain unconvinced he is dependent on help from Mother Nature. 

"I thought he might like those deeper surfaces, but it seemed like he couldn't get a real 'push,' so he didn't look like his normal self," said assistant trainer Julie Clark, who is overseeing the colt's final preparations at Parx. "He was gassed after the Travers, but he came out of it fine."