Preakness Stakes 2016: Full coverage from the 141st running at Pimlico

Exaggerator won the 141st running of the Preakness Stakes on Saturday at Pimlico. With Nyquist, the Kentucky Derby winner, in the lead for much of the race, Exaggerator found a way to come from behind down the stretch and win the very muddy second leg of the Triple Crown.

Exaggerator’s jockey is Kent Desormeaux and trainer is Keith Desormeaux.

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 beat the favored Nyquist with a furious charge down the stretch, winning the 2016 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore.

It ends the Triple Crown hopes for Nyquist, who suffered his first loss in nine career races. Nyquist was at the front for most of the race, battling from the start with 35-1 underdog Uncle Lino. But with the Exaggerator push, Nyquist finished third.

Before the Preakness Stakes, Exaggerator was 0-for-4 against the unbeaten Nyquist. After finishing second in the Kentucky Derby, Exaggerator came back to win the Preakness Stakes two weeks later in a fantastic race. Well before Saturday and well before the rain started, Exaggerator was known to love muddy tracks. The 2016 Preakness stakes proved to be no different, as Exaggerator was clearly the best horse on the track. Unofficially, Exaggerator finished the race in 1:58.31.

Nyquist started the race strong and was challenged throughout by Uncle Lino, who had 35-1 odds to win the race. Exaggerator at one point was 13 lengths behind Nyquist, but continued to close the gap steadily throughout the race, which featured a very fast pace. Nyquist was forced to work hard early and Exaggerator stayed steady throughout, giving him the ability to pull away from the rest of the pack in the home stretch. In the final stretch, Nyquist even tried to switch to an outside position but ran out of steam as Cherry Wine finished in second place with Exaggerator in the lead.

The 2016 Preakness Stakes is the 13th race scheduled on a full day’s worth of action Saturday at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. The $1.5 million, 1-3/16-mile second jewel of the Triple Crown might be the feature everyone is tuning in for, but there’s plenty of good racing to be had before then.

Preakness pre-race coverage begins on NBCSN at 2:30 p.m. ET, and NBC takes over at 5 p.m. You can stream it online at NBC Sports Live Extra. The post time for the Preakness is approximately 6:45 p.m.

For a couple of hours, a usurper sat in the odds throne in the Preakness lineup. A large $80,000 bet in favor of Stradivari gave the young colt the favorite odds of the 2016 Preakness, but as betting continued throughout the afternoon, the true odds favorite has once again risen to the top.

Nyquist currently stands as the top choice for the betting crowd with 3-5 odds (3-5 Morning Line), while Stradivari has dropped back to 7-1 odds (8-1). Exaggerator is still one of the favorites, standing at 3-1 odds (3-1).

Pimlico Race Course is proving to be a difficult one for more reasons than just the muddy track and rainy weather. Two horses have died in the first four undercard races leading up to Saturday’s Preakness Stakes.

The first horse was a 9-year-old colt named Homeboykris who collapsed and died after winning the first race of the day. The second horse, Pramedya, was euthanized after breaking her front left cannon bone, according to the Associated Press.

It may be a short lived change, but Nyquist is suddenly no longer the favorite horse in the 2016 Preakness Stakes.

According to the Sporting News, an $80,000 bet on Stradivari to win the race has shifted the odds in his favor. He is currently at 4-5 odds after starting at 8-1. Coming into the Preakness, the morning line odds had Nyquist coming in at 3-5 odds and most recently at 2-1 odds.

For instance, nine of the 11 experts the Louisville Courier-Journal polled took Nyquist, the 3-5 morning line favorite for the race. One took Exaggerator and another Stradivari, who have odds set at 3-1 and 8-1, respectively.

However, Joe Kristufek of Churchill Downs told the newspaper: “Stradivari’s Keeneland allowance win was one of the most visually impressive performances by any racehorse this season. He’s rested, well drawn on the outside and the price will be fair enough to take a shot against the champ.”

Three of the undercard races are graded, beginning with the $250,000 Dixie Stakes, for ages 3 and up, a 1-1/16 mile Grade II turf race. On the shorter end, the $150,000 Maryland Sprint Stakes is a six-furlong Grade III race on 3-year-olds and up.

The $150,000 Gallorette Handicap for females 3 and up is a Grade III race run for 1 1/16 miles on grass. Although not a graded race, eyes will also be on the $100,000 The Very One, a five-furlong turf race for fillies and mares ages 3 and up.

A second chance. That’s what Nyquist represents for owner Paul Reddam, trainer Doug O’Neill and jockey Mario Gutierrez. Four years ago, the trio teamed up with I’ll Have Another to win the first two legs of the Triple Crown before being forced to scratch their colt with an injury the night before the chance to run for history.

Nyquist enters the 1-3/16 mile, $1.5 million Preakness undefeated in the eight races he’s run during his 2- and 3-year-old seasons. He’s won on dry tracks and wet tracks both. He’s beaten fast horses and held off late closers. There’s absolutely no reason to believe he won’t win again at Pimlico.