BREEDERS’ CUP THEY SAID IT
OCTOBER 25, 2008
“What a day to cherish. Santa Anita is our home away from home. We were here
for 11 years. I was very confident that we’d be in the top three. He’s been
improving over the fall. He’s been training better and better. Mentally, he’s
more mature. Sometimes things just go right.”
trainer
John Gosden on winning the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) with RAVEN’S PASS (Elusive
Quality)
“I’d like to publicly apologize to my wife for being pretty
impossible to live with the last month or so. I’ve been like a coiled spring for
this visit here. And I knew that I had the horse that could do the job. But she’s put up with a very irritable, tricky husband.”
Gosden
“Curlin set the standard. Curlin set the benchmark. He’s a
magnificent horse, and the way he won in the slop last year was superb. In
Dubai, he was fantastic. He’s a great horse, and he’s still a great horse.
But, you know, when you fight — it’s like any champion. When you fight,
you put the belts down on the ground. There’s always a chance the challenger can
come on and catch you with the left hook, that’s all. Doesn’t change anything.
Curlin still remains an extraordinary fantastic horse.”
Gosden on what
beating defending BC Classic winner CURLIN (Smart Strike)
“Well, it’s like the last spot or the last game of the Ryder
Cup. I’ve been close twice. And I was reminding my wife that perhaps it’s a bit
of fate that it was 10 years ago that I got beat with Swain, and that didn’t go
down very well. And I got close with Sakhee. You know, 10 years down the line I
had a third chance and didn’t want to let it slip.”
jockey Frankie
Dettori on finally earning his first BC Classic victory
“It’s gone. Something I was dreaming last night when I thought
perhaps you will win, that I would do. Now I regret that I’ve done it, because
somebody else got it.”
Dettori when
asked about tossing his whip in the air after winning the BC Classic with
Raven’s Pass
“This is an absolute highlight. Because obviously, you know, I
worked for John Gosden 25 years ago in California here. So to see John come back
and win a classic here on what was his home turf is fantastic.
I’m only sorry that H.R.H. Princess Haya of Jordan and Sheikh Mohammed can’t be
here. Because that makes it extra special for me. Because everything we have is
down to them. They are the ultimate sportspeople. But Sheikh Mohammed now is
just so busy that he couldn’t take the time to get here.
So that takes the shine off slightly for me. But overall, it’s a fantastically
wonderful day.”
Darley
representative John Ferguson on what Raven’s Pass BC Classic win meant to him
“I worked for one winter. I was working for Michael Stoute in
Europe, and he got fed up with me for the winter and sent me out to John Gosden
for experience. I was a hot-walker, pony boy. And never, ever in
one’s wildest dreams did you think the three of us would be sitting here. I knew
these two would, but I didn’t think I would.”
Ferguson on his
prior experience working with Gosden
“Henry ran well. After having a long, hard season, we’re delighted with his
run.”
trainer
Aidan O’Brien on HENRYTHENAVIGATOR (Kingmambo) taking second behind Raven’s Pass
“He ran great. I had a great trip. It was a
gallant effort and I’m really proud of him – and we beat Curlin.”
jockey Mike Smith
after finishing third with TIAGO (Pleasant Tap) in the BC Classic
“He ran a great race and I was very
happy with it. Zenyatta (Street Cry [Ire]) staying unbeaten and winning the
Ladies’ Classic (G1), and
Tiago running a strong third in the Classic; that’s almost as good of a weekend
as it gets.”
trainer
John Shirreffs reminiscing about his Breeders’ Cup weekend
“I talked to Mr. Fujisawa and he said it was a very tough race for a horse
that young and inexperienced.”
Nobutaka
Tada, representative for trainer Kazuo Fujisawa, on BC Classic pacesetter CASINO
DRIVE (Mineshaft) finishing last
“He’s a very promising horse. He’s a three-year-old. Pilsudski (Ire) was
four, Kalanisi (Ire) was four, as well. He keeps getting better, this horse,
that’s the exciting thing about him.”
Sir
Michael Stoute compares CONDUIT (Ire) (Dalakhani) to his two prior Turf (G1)
heroes
“Why we didn’t use Lasix? I never contemplated using Lasix
with him. This horse has never shown any sign of bleeding. We didn’t use it with
Pilsudski or Kalanisi.”
Stoute
affirms that he has no need to use Lasix on his horses
“Second time back, (and starting
in
the) Breeders’ Cup, what more can you ask for? A mile and a half was just a
little hard
of a ride for him. If he had had another race in between, maybe he could have
pulled it
off. We were in perfect position, sitting right behind the leaders, when we
turned for
home. I said, ‘They will have to come and catch me.’ Unfortunately, someone did
catch me.”
jockey Kevin Shea
on EAGLE MOUNTAIN (GB) (Rock of Gibraltar [Ire]), a gallant runner-up in the
Turf in his second start off a year-long layoff
“I thought it was a great
race; a
great effort. It was only his second run in a year and the first time for the
jockey on this race track. It was a super run.”
trainer
Mike de Kock on Eagle Mountain
“This was such a tough race. We
finished third to two of the best turf horses in the world. I had a great trip
and the horse
gave me 100 percent. I was just behind the first pack (of horses). Johnny
(Velazquez on
Spring House) was outside of me the whole way. The horse on the rail (Red Rock
Canyon) was backing up quick, so we had to move. He took me where I needed to go
to the stretch, and I rode real hard from there.”
jockey
Rene Douglas on Turf third DANCING
FOREVER (Rahy)
“He ran well. If we had
been able to get a decent race into him this summer he may have won. It looked
to me that we had to go a little wide. He made his move and then he flattened
out.”
trainer Shug
McGaughey on Dancing Forever
“No excuse.”
jockey Johnny Murtagh doesn’t
waste words about SOLDIER OF FORTUNE (Ire) (Galileo [Ire]), fourth as the 8-5
favorite in the Turf
“I thought he ran a great
race.
It came three weeks after the Arc. We often thought that with this horse that he
needs a little bit of space between his races. But we had to come here after the
Arc. He ran well.”
O’Brien
on Soldier of Fortune
“We were sitting with the
pacesetters and I thought they were going a little quicker than they needed to,
so I
thought I’d take back some. But then I decided not to when I saw who was up
there. He
fought (ran) for a whole mile and a quarter, but when I asked him for more, he
was done.”
Gomez
on Turf fifth OUT OF CONTROL (Brz) (Vettori)
“He got around poorly, and wasn’t
moving right, and I didn’t push him.”
Dettori
on 2006 Turf hero RED ROCKS (Ire) (Galileo [Ire]), who wound up 10th
“It was a pretty fast pace, and he
was
going to have to run hard the entire way. We lost time with him, and trying (to
win this
race) on works was just too much in light of the pace scenario. Frankie said he
just came
up empty. We’re planning on going to the Japan Cup ([Jpn-G1] on November 30)
with him.”
trainer
Mark Hennig looks ahead to another day for Red Rocks
“Coming into this race — when he broke with the field, I knew it was over. I
mean, I knew. (Gomez) had him in a good spot. Turning for home, he got a little
tired. He might have been a little short today. I’d like to put one more work
into him. But you know what, he is such a great horse, and he came back.”
—trainer
Bob Baffert describing his thoughts while watching MIDNIGHT LUTE (Real Quiet)
repeat in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1)
“The fans — this horse, they’ll remember this. There are a lot of Breeders’
Cup races. People remember them, they’ll remember Midnight Lute.”
—Baffert
on Midnight Lute becoming the first back-to-back Sprint winner
“When I got to rolling (on the turn) there was all sorts of traffic in front.
I didn’t want to take a hold of him — he’s such a big horse you don’t want to
do that — so I looked for the best hole I could see. I had to ease out and ease
around. When I did I saw that big horse (winner Midnight Lute) outside me. He
was running free and easy. Then he was gone.”
—jockey
David Flores on his ride aboard Sprint favorite STREET BOSS (Street Cry [Ire])
“It’s very different. I think
it’s more rewarding to train a horse like her than
ride. What can I say? It’s very different. I mean,
it’s a second life for me, so I’m very lucky to train
such good horses.
The tension is a bit more. A jockey, once
you’re on your horse and you’re on the track, you
get relaxed. I think Olivier (Peslier) rode her like he’s been
riding her all her life, so he doesn’t have the same
stress I would say.
But a trainer when you’re in the stands and
you figure out what happened before and all the
career, all the training to come here, it’s a bit —
gives you a bit of emotion, I would say.”
Freddie
Head, trainer of Mile (G1) heroine GOLDIKOVA (Ire) (Anabaa) and rider of
two-time Mile queen Miesque, compares the disciplines
“I think so (that Goldikova could be as good as Miesque). I think so. I
think she’s more easy to ride because she travels
better, she can settle. Miesque was always difficult
to ride, always very keen. But they don’t have the same background. She was more
backward
than Miesque, Miesque is a champion
two-year-old. I saved her (Goldikova) at two, only run twice, very cheap races. I didn’t want her to have her career
at two. Then she comes improving with all the races.”
Head contrasts
Goldikova with Miesque
“I know
the only thing she wants is speed. She’s very fast.
Loves the speed. That’s why she does well here.
They set off a good gallop and they go. It’s not
always the same in Europe or in France, and that
is the kind of race she likes.
That’s why I think she wants fast ground
and fast to go. I mean, she wants to run in 1:33 or
1:34, then she’s at her best, I think.
Head
on Goldikova’s chief asset
“She’s not really
good — she’s really, really good. Has a nice heart,
nice mentality, and she’s very strong, she’s like a
colt. For sure for next year, if she’s still like this, for
sure next year she is better. Like the same for me
is great. She can win in the
front, behind, whatever. You know, this is a really good horse.
jockey
Olivier Peslier can’t say enough good things about Goldikova
“He ran his race the best he could. We were in good position, running very
strong coming down the stretch, but that filly was just better than us today. He
ran all he could.”
rider
Cornelio Velasquez on defending champion KIP DEVILLE’s (Kipling) runner-up
effort in the Mile
“I was happy as I can be with our horse. He ran the race of his life, it
looked to me. We tip our hat to the filly. She’s a freak. We feel like we won
but he’s probably not happy he got beat, I’ll tell you that.”
trainer Richard
Dutrow echoes the sentiment
“I had a pretty good trip around there until the running started. He wasn’t
helping me a whole lot. He wanted to lug in with me a little bit. When I finally
got him out from behind horses, he didn’t want to switch leads. I don’t want to
say I would have beaten those horses today, but he was his own worst enemy. He
might have run third anyway.”
jockey Garrett
Gomez critiques Mile third-placer WHATSTHESCRIPT (Ire) (Royal Applause [GB])
“Everything happened well for my filly. We had perfect position. When I got
to the turn, I felt like I had a lot of horse. We got to the stretch, and I had
a big kick, but the other three had a bigger kick. We were running at the end,
but those are really good horses.”
jockey Rafael
Bejarano on PRECIOUS KITTEN (Catienus), who was fourth in the Mile
“Yes, he did go in two turns, beat the best, that’s what it’s about.”
trainer
Bob Baffert when asked if Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) hero MIDSHIPMAN
(Unbridled’s Song) should win the Eclipse Award
“He’s a high cruising kind of horse. And he’s getting smarter. This
horse is getting smarter with every race he’s learning. And at the half-mile
pole, I just loved the way he looked. All you can ask for is when they turn for
home, you find out what they’re really made of. You know, sometimes they turn
for home. They don’t kick on, that means they can’t go long. But when he kicked
on for home, he showed he’s the real deal. That was probably the most exciting
part. Because it’s hard to come along with a horse like this. I mean, he’s the
kind of horse that’s taken the Kentucky Derby (G1), and he’s just getting better
and better. And he’s going to get much better as he gets older.”
Baffert
describing Midshipman
“I really thought he would fit this kind of horse. He’s got a lot of
experience in these big races. I wanted somebody with experience. When you run
for the big money, I want experience on my side.”
Baffert
on switching from regular rider Tyler Baze to Garrett Gomez on Midshipman
“He broke running. He’s a big,
long-striding horse; he’s a young horse and a little timid. Actually,
I had a
little trouble on the first turn. I was trying to get him to settle down a little bit. He was a little keen, and
every
time I tried to touch his mouth, he threw his head in my lap a little bit. I had
to finesse
him a little bit around the first turn. When I got him slowed down, I just
slowly gave it to
him and let him do his own thing and find a good rhythm and get into a nice long
stride. Turning for home, I asked him to start accelerating, he answered all the right
questions. He went about his business really well and hung on against a really
nice racehorse.”
Gomez
on his ride aboard Midshipman
“Sheikh
Mohammed will decide whether the horse will be in
Dubai and come back for the Kentucky Derby, or
whether the horse stays here. And that is the
decision he makes in the best interest of the horse,
Godolphin, and obviously, Godolphin is Dubai.
One mustn’t forget that his people follow
Godolphin in the same way that people from New
York follow Yankees or whatever else. It’s a
flagship. So I think there’s every possibility the
horse will go to Dubai, but that is a decision that
will be made through the winter.
I personally believe that one of the
problems with coming from Dubai for Godolphin in
the last few years has nothing to do with the travel,
it’s to do with the fact that we haven’t had the
horses good enough to do it. So this could be a
possibility with this horse.”
John Ferguson,
spokesman for Darley Stable, on whether Midshipman could winter in Dubai
“Well, I think what will probably happen is we’ll go to Dubai in the next 10
days after the Keeneland November sale, and we’ll
sit down and discuss it then. And Sheikh
Mohammed will tell me what he wants to do then, I would think in the next 10
days, two weeks. But I
will say, I think Bob has done the most superb job
with this horse. If you see the way he’s run his
races through the year, he’s done nothing but
improve.
The horse was so focused today and put
up a really impressive performance. A lot of that
goes down to the horse, but you have to say that
Bob has done an absolutely superb job, and Garret
gave him a beautiful ride today.”
Ferguson praises
Baffert’s handling of Midshipman while reiterating that Sheikh Mohammed will
decide his future
“I would say that from
every viewpoint, it should be. There is no reason
why he won’t stay the trip. Being by that side,
there’s no reason Churchill Downs won’t suit him.
And you know, the Kentucky Derby has always
been a serious goal for Sheikh Mohammed and for
Godolphin. And I think this is a horse — this horse
appears to be a perfect candidate. We’ll just have
to see, as I said, to what Sheikh Mohammed
decides to do.
No, I think it’s an obvious target, you know.
The great thing about it, if you remember years
gone by, people used to say if you won the
juvenile, there was a jinx on the Kentucky Derby.
Luckily Street Sense put that one to bed well and
truly.
So I think this horse has a great shot, very,
very exciting.
Ferguson
emphasizes that the Kentucky Derby is naturally on the radar screen for
Midshipman
“Sometimes things like that work out for the best. Although it’s always sad
to move a horse somewhere else, and they were very good to him. And they did the
very best they could. Gary (Mandella) loved the horse, and it was really with a
very heavy heart that I moved him. But we felt, I think both Gary and I felt,
that we were going backwards with the horse. We couldn’t really figure him out.
Finally, sometimes by changing what you’ve been doing, new eyes look at the
horse and his talents, or non-talent, whatever if the case may be, and Vladimir
just had the key.”
co-owner Marianne
Chase on switching Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner ALBERTUS MAXIMUS (Albert the
Gold) from trainer Richard Mandella to Vladimir Cerin
“Yeah, we use a number of modalities that humans use. I’ve also purchased and
installed at my farm a hyperbaric chamber. And he did have a visit after his
last workout to help him recover a little bit. Yeah, you know, I’m 54 years old,
53, hard to keep track (laughing), but I try and learn something every day of my
life. And the education at UCLA helped me to learn, to learn, and I hope I never
stop learning about horses, about exercise physiology, or taking care of them.”
Vladimir Cerin on
how his degree in Kinesiology from UCLA factors into his training
“Almost every single one of them – we’ve had one that didn’t like it – they
just walk in, and somehow they can taste the oxygen, which I can’t, and they
like it. They know it’s good for them.”
Cerin explains
how horses react to the hyperbaric chamber
“In my opinion, he should run next year. I think we should keep the horses
around for the fans. I think it’s the best thing we can do for this sport, which
is not exactly blooming, but today it is. But we need to do everything to keep
those fans coming.”
Chase
when asked if Albertus Maximus would return as a five-year-old
“He was in trouble every step of the way. Every move seemed to be the wrong
one.”
Eoin Harty on BC
Dirt Mile favorite WELL ARMED (Tiznow) finishing ninth
“Everything happens for a reason in life. I remember walking in Hollywood
Park, the first month I got there, and bumping into David Hofmans and
reintroducing myself, because I had ridden a horse for him. And I came away
feeling that something good’s going to happen with this man. I’m going to win a
big race for this guy. And here it is, two years later, and I won a big race for
this guy.”
jockey
Richard Migliore after winning his first Breeders’ Cup race with DESERT CODE (E
Dubai) in the Turf Sprint
“Well, my opportunities have been limited. Some of it just the breaks of the
game, some of it unfortunately the breaks of my body. Artie Schiller hurt
because I was right on the cusp of riding him, and I knew how good he was doing.
At the same time, that horse deserved to win. He was that kind of a horse.”
Migliore
on missing the ride aboard 2005 Mile (G1) winner Artie Schiller
“Absolutely. We had planned this last year when they announced they were
going to have this race. But we ran into some problems at Del Mar with him. And
we had to back off some, so…But we had planned for this race all along.”
trainer David
Hofmans on pointing Desert Code to the BC Turf Sprint
“It was a good run. That horse (Desert Code) came out of the blue and got
us. I thought I’d won it. He ran super, just unlucky.”
jockey
Frankie Dettori about being overtaken and finishing second aboard DIABOLICAL
(Artax) in the BC Turf Sprint
“She ran well. I took her inside and got through the gap. The horse on the
outside (winner Desert Code) was just too good. She’s just a three-year-old
filly. She’ll be a top-class sprinter next year.”
jockey
Johnny Murtagh on running fourth with BC Turf Sprint favorite FLEETING SPIRIT
(Ire) (Invincible Spirit)
“He was a little bit of a menace to the
other horses. We go out in quite big sets, and he
would spend a lot of time on his hind legs walking
around seeing where the fillies were. And I ran
him three times and he spent most of his time
snaking up the track, going left, and going right.
Before I ran him at Royal Ascot, and he ran the
Queen’s horse over, he was really a complete
hooligan.”
trainer John
Gosden explains why it was an easy decision to geld Juvenile Turf star DONATIVUM
(GB) (Cadeaux Genereux)
“I’m
incredibly impressed with the job that the Breeders’
Cup have done in developing this program into two
fantastic days of racing we’re in now. I thought the
distaff yesterday and the fillies juvenile were
exceptional. And the filly and the distaff was
wonderful to behold.
I think the whole program is developed,
you can bring any horse here, any distance, colts,
fillies, old or younger, they’ve opened it up and
made a huge effort. And I think they do deserve
enormous credit for that. It had slightly become
static. It was in danger of becoming a little stale,
and they really rejuvenated it.”
Gosden praises
the revamped, two-day Breeders’ Cup extravaganza
“Yeah, I love
Santa Anita. This is where I started as a young
boy. Coming back here to some really great
friends has been overwhelming. And I knew I had
a great book of rides.”
Dettori revels in
the Arcadia, California, atmosphere after his victory aboard Donativum
“The emotions are like
Frankie, because the jocks’ room here, right to say,
was the greatest ever assembled. We only missed
Eddie Acaro, occasionally, and he dropped by
occasionally. But the jock room with
Delahoussaye, Pincay, McCarron. It was just the
most fantastic atmosphere, and Shoe, used to.
They couldn’t wait to get in there and play cards in
the morning and play games.
And that all seeped through, and the
camaraderie, and the closeness is something that
I’ve never, ever experienced again. And it is
something I will miss all my life because it was so
much fun.
But to come back here and bump into the
feed straightaway and laugh and joke, and have a
crack, that’s what it’s all about. Sometimes in life
without being sentimental, that means more to you
possibly more than winning a race.”
Gosden, who was
based in Southern California early in his career, reflects on the good old days
at Santa Anita
“He’s probably a sprinter.
He’s got the mile well here. He can definitely go
further. He’s a horse that’s likely to possibly
switch, but with a gelding like this, let’s be honest,
you go for the money, and you go for the nice
races and you take chances. It’s no problem. So I
would never be frightened at looking at anything,
no. I never would. The Kentucky Derby, you do
have to get the mile and a quarter, you know.”
Gosden responds
to a question about whether Donativum could be considered for the Kentucky Derby
(G1)
“Geldings are welcomed here. John
Henry was welcome at any track he went. That is true. That (the fact that he is
a gelding) slightly restricts opportunities for him (in Europe).
He could well be a horse to transfer to the States.
He could well be a horse to do that with.
It is something I’ll discuss with the owner,
and it is something I may well recommend. I think it might be a smart move, and thanks for pointing it
out to me.”
Gosden mulls the
possibility of Donativum’s having a long-term presence in the United States
“I had a pretty
good trip. It was a little tight, but we were down on the inside where he likes
to be. I was following (Coronet of a Baron [Pure Prize]) and was waiting for my chance. He
kicked on for me and I thought I had it.”
Murtagh
on Juvenile Turf runner-up WESTPHALIA (Ire) (Danehill Dancer)
“He ran a great
race and Johnny (Murtagh) gave him a great ride. There’s trouble in every race,
it’s just part of it. We’re a little disappointed but certainly not discouraged.
He’s got a good future ahead of him.”
O’Brien on Westphalia
“He ran
well, but he got outrun. He showed up and was in a spot to do it, and I thought
he was going to do it. It’s just that better horses beat him today.”
Harty
on Juvenile Turf third-placer CORONET OF A BARON (Pure Prize)
“I didn’t even
try to get early position. We broke well, so he took me there. He never came off
the bridle. He was just a little too aggressive. Somebody wound up hitting me
from behind right on the turn, and that made him even more aggressive. He kind
of burned himself out. He’s a little green, but when that horse hit him in the
turn, he kind of just lost it.”
jockey John
Velazquez on BITTEL ROAD (Stormy Atlantic), who wound up eighth in the Juvenile
Turf
“It worked out beautifully. I just got a lovely lead throughout the
race. And then when I wanted to make my move out of the back turn, I had no
traffic problems.
To be fair to the horse, he responded for me all the way down the stretch.”
jockey
Pat Smullen on his ride aboard the inaugural Breeders’ Cup Marathon winner
MUHANNAK (Ire) (Chester House)
“The reality is that he’s a Polytrack horse, and he is a mile-and-a-half
horse. You know, the combination meant that it was slightly irrelevant whether
we ran or not, or whether we won or not. The point was, the conditions for him
were ideal if he coped with the traveling. With the money they offer, and so on,
we had to come. It’s worked out.”
trainer Ralph
Beckett, who was saddling Muhannak for just the third time in the BC Marathon,
on the decision to run
“It’s fair to say our tickets are booked and we’re ready to come back.
It’s very exciting.”
Beckett when
asked if Muhannak would return in 2009 to defend his title
“I just felt like both horses were training so good, they deserved a
shot. Both were ridden the way I wanted. I would have been happier if we had
won, but they just got beat.”
trainer
Mike Mitchell on his respective Marathon second- and third-place finishers,
CHURCH SERVICE (Pulpit) and BIG BOOSTER (Accelerator)
“It was great hearing Shea singing the national anthem before the
races.”
Mitchell
speaking about his daughter