Bred in Kentucky by Joseph B Murphy, he is from the fourth crop of foals sired by the 2007 Preakness Stakes and Breeders' Cup Classic winner Curlin, whose other offspring have included Palace Malice and Keen Ice.

[3] Exaggerator's dam Dawn Raid showed some good form as a two-year-old in 2007, winning two races and finishing third in the Fanfreluche Stakes.

[6] After the 2015 Breeders' Cup, the owner of Big Chief Racing, Matt Bryan, brought additional partners into ownership of the horse.

[9] On July 26 at Del Mar Racetrack Exaggerator started favorite for a maiden over six furlongs and recorded his first success, coming from well off the pace to take the lead in the final stride and win by a nose from Miner's Light.

He raced at the rear of the six-runner field before producing a sustained run along the rail to take the lead inside the final furlong and won by three-quarters of a length from the favored Saratoga Mischief.

After tracking the leaders he stayed on in the stretch without ever looking likely to win and finished fourth behind Nyquist, Swipe and Brody's Cause, beaten three lengths by the winner.

After the San Vicente, Desormeax changed tactics and began training him to colt fall back and come from behind, making him a "closer".

Exaggerator faced Danzing Candy and Mor Spirit again in the Grade I Santa Anita Derby on April 9 and started third choice in the betting at odds of 3.4/1.

Racing on a sloppy track, Exaggerator trailed the field in the early stages as Danzing Candy set the pace but began to make rapid progress half a mile from the finish.

He drew alongside the leaders on the final turn and quickly went clear of the field to win by six and a quarter lengths from Mor Spirit with Uncle Lino taking third ahead of the tiring Danzing Candy.

On a rainy day, and a sloppy but sealed track, Kent Desormeaux restrained the colt well behind the very fast pace set by Nyquist and Uncle Lino.

The outsider Cherry Wine, who had hit his head on the starting gate and was second-to-last for much of the race finished strongly to deprive Nyquist of second by a nose.

Explaining the colt's light training regimen since the Derby, Keith Desormeaux said: "My philosophy was to take it as easy as possible because you're not going to gain any fitness in those two weeks.

"[19] In the Travers Stakes on a fast track at Saratoga on 27 August Exaggerator started favorite but was never in contention and finished eleventh of the thirteen runners behind Arrogate.