Triple Crown winner didn't appear this 2018 due to different horses taking the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, but the 1 1/2-mile Test of the Champion is always worth a watch and that was no different on Saturday. Creator, the winner of the Arkansas Derby, came from behind to win the race by a nose, the fourth nose finish in the race's history.
Creator narrowly beat out Destin for the win, as close as can be. Destin was considered an early front-runner and chased Gettysburg for most of the race before taking the lead down the stretch. But Creator stalked him down for the victory.
The top three was Creator, Destin and Lani. Through much of the pre-race buildup, Lani was considered one of the biggest challengers for Exaggerator, the favorite for much of the pre-race buildup. But while Exaggerator kept with the pace for much of the race, the horse couldn't finish and was soon passed by the top finishers, and eventually most of the pack.
Gettysburg threw a wrench into the odds when he was entered into the race. A late entrant, Gettysburg became the new pace setter and was just that, taking an early lead in the race before fading late. Gettysburg is owned by WinStar Frams, same as Creator. Many felt that it was a strategy move to put Gettysburg in to set the pace for Creator, a notable closer who did just that: closed, and he did it well.
The hype this year was obviously a lot less than 2015, when American Pharoah entered the Belmont with a chance at a Triple Crown on the line. American Pharoah did eventually win the Belmont to become the first horse to win the Triple Crown since Affirmed did it in 1978. But after Nyquist took home the win in the Kentucky Derby this year, Exaggerator played spoiler by taking the Preakness Stakes.
We were denied the all-important rubber match when Nyquist was pulled from this year's race due to a fever and a high white blood cell count. Exaggerator was then considered the prohibitive favorite in the race and held that through the pre-race buildup and into race day. Cherry Wine, Suddenbreakingnews and others moved up and down the odds, but Exaggerator held firm up top.