3 weeks ago Exaggerator eliminated any chance for a Triple Crown for Nyquist with a victory on a sloppy track in Baltimore at the Preakness. Now the Belmont Stakes field is set for the third jewel in the 2016 Triple Crown.
Unfortunately there will not be a showdown between Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist and Preakness winner Exaggerator at the Belmont this year. Following the Preakness Stakes, Nyquist was sidelined with a fever and headed back home to California.
2016 Belmont Stakes Field
| Post Position | Horse Name | Trainer | Jockey | Morning Line Odds |
| 1 | Governor Malibu | Christophe Clement | Joel Rosario | 12-1 |
| 2 | Destin | Todd Pletcher | Javier Castellano | 6-1 |
| 3 | Cherry Wine | Dale Romans | Corey J. Lanerie | 8-1 |
| 4 | Sudden Breaking News | Donnie Von Hemel | Mike Smith | 10-1 |
| 5 | Stradivari | Todd Pletcher | John Velazquez | 5-1 |
| 6 | Gettysburg | Steven Asmussen | Paco Lopez | 30-1 |
| 7 | Seeking the Soul | Dallas Stewart | Florent Geroux | 30-1 |
| 8 | Forever d’Oro | Dallas Stewart | Jose Ortiz | 30-1 |
| 9 | Trojan Nation | Patrick Gallagher | Aaron Gryder | 30-1 |
| 10 | Lani | Mikio Matsunaga | Yukata Take | 20-1 |
| 11 | Exaggerator | Keith Desormeaux | Kent Desormeaux | 9-5 |
| 12 | Brody’s Cause | Dale Romans | Luis Saez | 20-1 |
| 13 | Creator | Steven Asmussen | Irad Ortez Jr | 10-1 |
Exaggerator is the early 9-5 favorite and we expect that to drop to 3-5 by race time. But there are a few horses we like to offer a challenge. Cherry Wine finished strong down the stretch in the Preakness and has been improving every race. The longer Belmont track may benefit this horse the most.
Jockey Kent Desormeaux likes the number 11 post drawn by Exaggerator. He plans to grab the lead and stay there. “I’d like to establish position preferably without him getting a grain of sand in his face” said the 46 year old rider. Exaggerator is trained by Kent’s brother Keith Desormeaux.
Can Exaggerator go back-to-back in Triple Crown races? We’ll see what the rest of the Belmont Stakes field has to say about that!