There will be no Triple Crown this year. Nyquist suffered his first-ever loss at the Preakness Stakes, thanks to a strong stretch-run performance by Exaggerator, who took home the trophy.
Nyquist got a good start out of the gate and entered the first turn head-to-head with Uncle Lino. The two horses remained tight with each other throughout the backstretch, while Exaggerator made a comeback after a poor start.
Exaggerator made his big move during the final turn, pulling ahead of the pack down the stretch run. Nyquist tried switching to an outside position to get his lead back, but Exaggerator pulled ahead for the win, denying us the chance of seeing a Triple Crown winner in 2016. Nyquist ran out of gas towards the end and got passed up by Cherry Win, finishing in third place.
Exaggerator finally bested Nyquist after losing his previous four races against the horse. He came closest in the Kentucky Derby after a huge charge in the stretch, only to see Nyquist get the victory. With his impressive combination of speed and endurance, Exaggerator looks to be the favored horse at the Belmont Stakes in three weeks.