Exaggerator (Curlin), who has made a habit of impressive wins over off tracks, skipped over the sloppy going at Monmouth Park Sunday in a powerful last-to-first victory in the GI Betfair.com Haskell Invitational S.

“Once I called on him he exploded,” enthused winning rider Kent Desormeaux. “When we got clear I just kept him to his task. He’s a really amazing horse with a devastating turn of foot. I was ecstatic when I heard he was coming to this race. I knew he would like the surface here and he showed that today.”

Exaggerator, second behind Nyquist (Uncle Mo) in the GI Kentucky Derby, splashed home first in the GI Preakness S., but was a disappointing 11th as the favorite in the June 11 GI Belmont S. last time out. The dark bay colt was last out of the gate Sunday and Desormeaux angled him to the rail well last as a four-wide battle developed for the lead going into the first turn. Derby hero Nyquist, making his first start since suffering his first loss when third in the Preakness, gained a narrow advantage through a quarter in :22.78 with American Freedom (Pulpit) pressing him every step and even taking a narrow advantage after a half in :46.62. Nyquist dug back in to regain the advantage over American Freedom entering the final bend, but Exaggerator had made stout progress and loomed a menacing threat four wide as the field approached the home stretch.

Nyquist grittily stuck his head in front at the top of the lane, but Exaggerator drove effortlessly to the lead with a furlong to run and soared clear. American Freedom was second, while local contender Sunny Ridge (Holy Bull) just nipped even-money favorite Nyquist for third. Rafael Bejarano, aboard the runner-up, lodged a claim of foul against the winner, alleging interference at the eighth pole, but the stewards let the result stand.

Desormeaux admitted he was confident right from the start of Sunday’s Haskell, a Win and You’re In event for the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic.

“He broke right on the money,” Desormeaux said. “They were going at it pretty well up front and I said to myself ‘Could this be happening.’ Up the entire backstretch, he was just galloping and gaining on them. I had to snatch him up a little bit into the far turn. I didn’t want him to go too soon.”

The jockey’s brother, trainer Keith Desormeaux watched the race remotely, but he was equally optimistic.

“As the race was unfolding, I thought, ‘Perfect,’” the trainer told TVG’s Christina Blacker. “It was not as much Exaggerator laying off the pace, but the way the race was setting up in front of him. There was a lot of speed and he was settling right off of them. It was a repeat of his other wins in the mud.”

Bejarano, aboard American Freedom, said Exaggerator’s drifting in as he was passing the eventual runner-up hurt his mount’s chances.

“I had a big chance in the stretch,” Bejarano said. “When he came around me, he crossed me a couple times. I had to change my course in the stretch and then let him run again. I’m completely disappointed. We are hoping everyone had a clean race, in such a prestigious race, and he definitely crossed my lane and I had to change my course.”

Connections of the beaten favorite remained proud of their charge after Nyquist suffered only the second loss of his career. “The trip was great,” reported jockey Mario Gutierrez. “The horse [Nyquist] was just a little off today. Any other day, he should be able to attack the pace, Rafael [Bejarano]’s horse [American Freedom] kept going and I didn’t. The race was great, perfect, but we were a little off today.”

Trainer Doug O’Neill added, “His hands were kind of tied from the rail, so we were forced to ride a little harder than we wanted to. I’m still proud of this guy and we will regroup, see how he comes out of it and go from there. I thought Mario rode him perfectly. That’s how he had to ride, with confidence, and he did. No excuses and we will go over the champ later and go from there. He will go back to California in the next day or two.”

Owned by Big Chief Racing, Head of Plains Partners and Rocker O Ranch, Exaggerator had been expected to start in Saturday’s GII Jim Dandy S. at his summer base in Saratoga, but after a sub-par work at the Spa last Saturday, Desormeaux withdrew his charge from consideration from that race, instead calling an audible, announcing Exaggerator was Haskell-bound last Wednesday.

Despite the decision to bypass Saratoga’s traditional prep for the Aug. 27 GI Travers S., Desormeaux will still consider the Midsummer Derby for Exaggerator’s next start.

“I will absolutely consider the Travers at Saratoga for him next,” Desormeaux said. “That’s where my east coast stable is based. The Travers is a famous race. I hope to see a better style of breeze from him. That’s the reason we went to the Haskell, because of his breeze. He was struggling with the track and hopefully that changes in the upcoming weeks.”

Exaggerator, winner of last year’s GII Saratoga Special, was runner-up in the GI Breeders’ Futurity and fourth behind Nyquist in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. He splashed home to a front-running neck victory over Sunny Ridge in the GIII Delta Jackpot S. A solid second behind Nyquist while beginning his sophomore campaign in the Feb. 15 GII San Vicente S., Exaggerator was third in the Mar. 12 GII San Felipe S. before unleashing a tour d’force performance over a rare muddy California track in the Apr. 9 GI Santa Anita Derby.

Pedigree Notes

Exaggerator’s win gave Hill ‘n’ Dale’s Curlin his third graded victory of the weekend, following Stellar Wind’s upset victory over Beholder (Henny Hughes) in Saturday’s GI Clement L. Hirsch S. and Curlina’s win in Sunday’s GIII Shuvee H.

The Haskell winner’s dam Dawn Raid, third in the 2007 Fanfreluche S., RNA’d for $625,000 while carrying a full-sibling to the future Classic winner at last year’s Fasig-Tipton November sale. She produced a filly by Curlin this year and was bred back to Medaglia d’Oro. Dawn Raid was bred by Josham Farms, which purchased her multiple-stakes-winning dam Embur Sunshine (Raise a Ruckus) for $36,495 at the 1994 Canadian Breeders Sale of Selected Canadian-bred Yearlings. Her half-sister is Canadian champion older mare Embur’s Song (Unbridled’s Song), who sold in foal to More Than Ready for $900,000 at last year’s Keeneland November sale.