Post-race quotes on all the BC Classic runners
DiscreetCat
Moderator
Frankie Dettori (jockey, Raven's Pass, 1st) - "Brilliant. A dream come true; a dream come true.
John Gosden (trainer, Raven's Pass, 1st) - "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."
John Velazquez (jockey, Henrythenavigator, 2nd) - "I had a perfect trip. Because of the distance - his first try this long - they wanted me to wait until the three-eighths (pole) before I moved. When I did, he went. I wish I could have made that move earlier. I think it might have made a difference. He stayed today. There's no doubt about that. He ran an excellent race."
Aidan O'Brien (trainer, Henrythenavigator, 2nd and Duke of Marmalade, 9th) - "Henry ran well. After having a long, hard season, we're delighted with his run."
Mike Smith (jockey, Tiago, 3rd) - "He ran great. I had a great trip. It was a gallant effort and I'm really proud of him - and we beat Curlin."
John Shirreffs (trainer, Tiago, 3rd) - "He ran a great race and I was very happy with it. Zenyatta staying unbeaten and winning the Ladies' Classic, and Tiago running a strong third in the Classic; that's almost as good of a weekend as it gets."
Robby Albarado (jockey, Curlin, 4th) - "He ran well. Maybe he's not a synthetic surface specialist. I don't know. He was paddling around. These horses (Raven's Pass and Henrythenavigator) are great turf horses and it seemed like the synthetics played like a turf course. Raven's Run is an exceptional horse who ran an exceptional time. Curlin's been in that position turning for home, and he's never lost.
"I was content with where I was. Curlin did what he does - going by horses - and he made his run but got a little late in the stretch. He ran hard. I can't answer whether or not the surface had anything to do with it.
"I'm disappointed he lost, but obviously he's done enough for us and our careers. He's the all-time American horse, so we can never knock him."
Steve Asmussen (trainer, Curlin, 4th) - "It was a turf race. It absolutely was the Pro-Ride surface (that beat him). He ran his heart out and gave it all he had. He's a great horse. He's made over $10 million."
Garrett Gomez (jockey, Go Between, 5th) - "I had a terrible trip. He had me a lot closer than he has ever really put me. In the Hollywood Gold Cup, he put me close, but I kind of made him put me there. Today, he was dragging me up into places and was up on the bridle pretty much the whole way. He was pulling, which is unlike him. He was there for me today, but it was just a matter of racing luck. I had him in a good spot, but the horses in front of me did not kick on. I got stuck in behind them and got shuffled back but he still wound up running fifth. At one point on the backside they (the leaders) split and I could have run him up in there, but he is a turf horse and likes to come from way out of it and he was a lot closer with me than I normally am and in all honesty, I didn't think it was the right decision."
Bill Mott (trainer, Go Between, 5th) - "The horse just got shuffled back real bad. He was in a good spot, but he went from third to 10th at the quarter-pole. The whole field went by him, and he (jockey Garrett Gomez) got him out and let him run in the stretch, but it was too late."
Edgar Prado (jockey, Colonel John, 6th) - "He broke well. I wanted to sit just behind the speed. I asked him around the turn. He gave me some run, but the rest just ran on really strong. It was a tough, tough race."
Eoin Harty (trainer, Colonel John, 6th) - "They just outran us today."
Rafael Bejarano (jockey, Smooth Air, 7th) - "He broke good; he was pulling hard. I went with him. He ran huge. He tried so hard at the end. He's a nice, nice horse."
Alan Garcia (jockey, Champs Elysees, 8th) - "I don't have too many excuses. He broke well and I took him inside, but he never did change leads like he should have."
John Murtagh (jockey, Duke of Marmalade, 9th) - "I had him in a good spot. The track holds very well. I turned in and called on him to give him a shot. He just got a little bit tired today. The ground had nothing to do with it."
Richard Migliore (jockey, Fairbanks, 10th) - "He wasn't traveling too comfortably on the track. I knew at the 3 ½ (furlong) pole, it was going to be a long way home. I was surprised that I was not alone on the lead."
Mike McCarthy assistant to Todd Pletcher (trainer, Fairbanks, 10th) - "We didn't get the trip we wanted when Casino Drive went to the front. When the running started, we just couldn't keep up."
Shaun Bridgmohan (jockey, Student Council, 11th) - "He just went through the motions. He never gave me what I thought he would."
Steve Asmussen (trainer, Student Council, 11th) - "He just ran evenly."
Victor Espinoza (jockey, Casino Drive, 12th) - "He went real well. It was a nice pace. Nobody wanted the lead, so I took it. He was comfortable running on the lead but he just didn't have it late."
Nobutaka Tada (representative for trainer Kazuo Fujisawa, Casino Drive, 12th) - "I talked to Mr. Fujisawa and he said it was a very tough race for a horse that young and inexperienced."
John Gosden (trainer, Raven's Pass, 1st) - "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."
John Velazquez (jockey, Henrythenavigator, 2nd) - "I had a perfect trip. Because of the distance - his first try this long - they wanted me to wait until the three-eighths (pole) before I moved. When I did, he went. I wish I could have made that move earlier. I think it might have made a difference. He stayed today. There's no doubt about that. He ran an excellent race."
Aidan O'Brien (trainer, Henrythenavigator, 2nd and Duke of Marmalade, 9th) - "Henry ran well. After having a long, hard season, we're delighted with his run."
Mike Smith (jockey, Tiago, 3rd) - "He ran great. I had a great trip. It was a gallant effort and I'm really proud of him - and we beat Curlin."
John Shirreffs (trainer, Tiago, 3rd) - "He ran a great race and I was very happy with it. Zenyatta staying unbeaten and winning the Ladies' Classic, and Tiago running a strong third in the Classic; that's almost as good of a weekend as it gets."
Robby Albarado (jockey, Curlin, 4th) - "He ran well. Maybe he's not a synthetic surface specialist. I don't know. He was paddling around. These horses (Raven's Pass and Henrythenavigator) are great turf horses and it seemed like the synthetics played like a turf course. Raven's Run is an exceptional horse who ran an exceptional time. Curlin's been in that position turning for home, and he's never lost.
"I was content with where I was. Curlin did what he does - going by horses - and he made his run but got a little late in the stretch. He ran hard. I can't answer whether or not the surface had anything to do with it.
"I'm disappointed he lost, but obviously he's done enough for us and our careers. He's the all-time American horse, so we can never knock him."
Steve Asmussen (trainer, Curlin, 4th) - "It was a turf race. It absolutely was the Pro-Ride surface (that beat him). He ran his heart out and gave it all he had. He's a great horse. He's made over $10 million."
Garrett Gomez (jockey, Go Between, 5th) - "I had a terrible trip. He had me a lot closer than he has ever really put me. In the Hollywood Gold Cup, he put me close, but I kind of made him put me there. Today, he was dragging me up into places and was up on the bridle pretty much the whole way. He was pulling, which is unlike him. He was there for me today, but it was just a matter of racing luck. I had him in a good spot, but the horses in front of me did not kick on. I got stuck in behind them and got shuffled back but he still wound up running fifth. At one point on the backside they (the leaders) split and I could have run him up in there, but he is a turf horse and likes to come from way out of it and he was a lot closer with me than I normally am and in all honesty, I didn't think it was the right decision."
Bill Mott (trainer, Go Between, 5th) - "The horse just got shuffled back real bad. He was in a good spot, but he went from third to 10th at the quarter-pole. The whole field went by him, and he (jockey Garrett Gomez) got him out and let him run in the stretch, but it was too late."
Edgar Prado (jockey, Colonel John, 6th) - "He broke well. I wanted to sit just behind the speed. I asked him around the turn. He gave me some run, but the rest just ran on really strong. It was a tough, tough race."
Eoin Harty (trainer, Colonel John, 6th) - "They just outran us today."
Rafael Bejarano (jockey, Smooth Air, 7th) - "He broke good; he was pulling hard. I went with him. He ran huge. He tried so hard at the end. He's a nice, nice horse."
Alan Garcia (jockey, Champs Elysees, 8th) - "I don't have too many excuses. He broke well and I took him inside, but he never did change leads like he should have."
John Murtagh (jockey, Duke of Marmalade, 9th) - "I had him in a good spot. The track holds very well. I turned in and called on him to give him a shot. He just got a little bit tired today. The ground had nothing to do with it."
Richard Migliore (jockey, Fairbanks, 10th) - "He wasn't traveling too comfortably on the track. I knew at the 3 ½ (furlong) pole, it was going to be a long way home. I was surprised that I was not alone on the lead."
Mike McCarthy assistant to Todd Pletcher (trainer, Fairbanks, 10th) - "We didn't get the trip we wanted when Casino Drive went to the front. When the running started, we just couldn't keep up."
Shaun Bridgmohan (jockey, Student Council, 11th) - "He just went through the motions. He never gave me what I thought he would."
Steve Asmussen (trainer, Student Council, 11th) - "He just ran evenly."
Victor Espinoza (jockey, Casino Drive, 12th) - "He went real well. It was a nice pace. Nobody wanted the lead, so I took it. He was comfortable running on the lead but he just didn't have it late."
Nobutaka Tada (representative for trainer Kazuo Fujisawa, Casino Drive, 12th) - "I talked to Mr. Fujisawa and he said it was a very tough race for a horse that young and inexperienced."
Comments
Really? You think so?
That is hilarious.