Big Chief Racing’s Exaggerator was the class of the field headed into the $1 million Delta Downs Jackpot Stakes (gr. III), and the Curlin colt delivered with a solid run Nov. 21 at Delta Downs. Watch Video
Coming off a fourth-place finish in the Oct. 31 Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (gr. I) and breaking from post nine in a 10-horse field for the 1 1/16-mile Jackpot, Exaggerator had no issue shifting over under jockey Kent Desormeaux to take over from early pacesetter Iron Dome, who clicked a quarter in :23.49 before yielding to the 4-5 favorite.
Exaggerator easily took over to run a half in :47.53 and three-quarters in 1:13.47, and although he was headed momentarily by Champagne Stakes (gr. I) runner-up Sunny Ridge headed into the far turn, he battled back through a 1:39.90 mile, finishing the 1 1/16-mile test in 1:46.48 on a sloppy track.
“I told him (Kent) to get him settled and the rest is up to him,” said Keith Desormeaux on pre-race instructions to his brother. “He made the decision to get Exaggeratior to the lead. He could easily have taken him back. That’s why he’s in the Hall of Fame. That was Kent’s judgment call. If he doesn’t take the lead he could be eight wide on a bullring track.”
“It’s making the Breeders’ Cup (Juvenile) more aggravating,” said Kent Desormeaux.”I am certainly happy to do it (win the race) in front of the Louisiana fans and all racing fans. Today he was just allowed to be ridden, be himself and he could really run.”
Keith Desormeaux said that Exaggerator will not race for the rest of the year and will prepare the colt for his 3-year-old campaign in California. Asked about his Kentucky Derby prospects, the trainer said, “He’s bred for it. He has the precociousness and the athleticism for it. The Derby is a long way off so we have time to recover and we had a fun trip today.”
The winner returned $3.80, $2.60, and $2.20, while Sunny Ridge brought $4 and $3.20 a neck back in second. Harlan Punch settled for third ($5) and Found Money finished fourth, followed home byWhitmore, Forevamo, Texas Jambalaya, Memories of Winter,Cowboy Classic, and Iron Dome.
Winner of the Saratoga Special (gr. II) and second in the Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity (gr. I) for trainer Keith Desormeaux, Exaggerator was bred in Kentucky by Joseph B. Murphy out of the Vindication mare Dawn Raid and was a $110,000 purchase from the 2014 Keeneland September yearling sale.
Exaggerator collected 10 points on the road to the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), as the Delta Jackpot is a qualifying race worth 10-4-2-1 to the top four finishers for a spot in the 2016 Derby starting gate, and now ranks second to Nyquist, who has 30 points, on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard with 16 points.
Courtesy of The Blood-Horse
