Exaggerator beats rival Nyquist, wins Preakness

10:09 PM ET

For the first time in five races against his rival, Exaggerator beat Nyquist to win the 141st Preakness Stakes on Saturday.

Seizing the lead at the top of the stretch, Exaggerator splashed past a tiring Nyquist on a sloppy track and went on for a 3 1/2-length victory over Cherry Wine on a rain-drenched Pimlico Race Course.

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“I had a dream trip today,” jockey Kent Desormeaux said. “It was an amazing race, and Exaggerator is an amazing horse.”

It was the first loss in nine races for Nyquist, who finished third and was bidding to become the first undefeated horse since Big Brown to win the first two legs of the Triple Crown. Nyquist had won his first eight races.

Cherry Wine, who went off at 17-1 odds, caught Nyquist, the 3-5 favorite, at the line and finished second.

Nyquist was sent off as the 3-5 favorite in the 11-horse field, and he dueled with Uncle Lino for the lead through the first mile of the 1 3/16th-mile second leg of the Triple Crown. Then it was all Exaggerator, as he became the first Kentucky Derby runner-up to win the Preakness since 1993.

Exaggerator moved past Nyquist at the 3/16th pole and outlasted the tiring Kentucky Derby winner down the stretch to win the Preakness Stakes. AP Photo/Garry Jones

The 3-year-old son of two-time Horse of the Year Curlin trailed by 13 lengths at one point but kept …

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