|
|
BREEDERS' CUP THEY SAID IT OCTOBER 24, 2008 "The horse looks beautiful. The weather is still going to be in play; it's been pretty warm. But that's why we brought him out here in advance, to give him a chance to adjust, just like we did in Dubai. Will he run his race on a synthetic surface? That's the huge question. And that's why all the handicappers don't have him picked (on top) in the selections. You wouldn't see that if this race were on the dirt." —trainer Steve Asmussen on Horse of the Year and defending Classic (G1) champion CURLIN (Smart Strike) "What a catalyst he's been for great experiences, for our entire family. We have a room at the house with photos of all the races he's won. He's got his own room." —Asmussen on Curlin's impact upon his family, as well as his home decor "He's a beautiful horse and is doing extremely well. He's aggressive and very sharp. He drew extremely well and should have a good run to the first turn. He (Student Council) is a very good horse, though. He's here for the right reasons. He has plenty of accomplishments in his own right. And he's in great physical condition." —Asmussen on his other Classic entrant, STUDENT COUNCIL (Kingmambo), who will be making his final career start in the Breeders' Cup "Mr. Fujisawa was very pleased with his conditioning. He said he was coming up to this race better than he was for the Belmont S. (G1)." —racing manager Nobutaka Tada on Classic contender CASINO DRIVE (Mineshaft), who is pleasing trainer Kazuo Fujisawa "The Duke has been an exceptional horse all year and you can see why. He always steps up to the plate. He cantered well. We're very happy. It's great to be here and great to be taking part in such a great race. Duke is one of these horses who has danced every dance. You can see the physique of him and the power, the strength and the toughness. He has all the things. We look forward to seeing him running." —trainer Aidan O'Brien praises Classic hopeful DUKE OF MARMALADE (Ire) (Danehill) "I think it's as fair as it can get, really, isn't it? With the surface, it's going to allow dirt horses and grass horses to compete in some kind of middle ground." —O'Brien sees the Pro-Ride as neutral territory "I wasn't at Del Mar, but I guess this track is somewhat different. He seems to be moving very well over it, that's all I can tell you. There are going to be slight variations to all of them (synthetic surfaces). He seems to handle it well. I'm optimistic in that the horse has been training well. His works have been as good as you could ever expect them to be. He's coming into it real good, and that's all we can ask." —trainer Bill Mott on whether GO BETWEEN (Point Given) will handle the Pro-Ride as well as he handled Del Mar's Polytrack "It'd give us a reason to do a few high-fives, I guess." —Mott on how he would celebrate a Classic victory by Go Between "He was bred and born at our farm in Versailles (Kentucky) and I picked out the mare and she was bred to Tiznow. We are going to run him next year. Hopefully, he will repeat his daddy's accomplishments and win the Classic." —Sue Casner of WinStar Farm, owner/breeder of Classic contender COLONEL JOHN (Tiznow) "Colonel John is Sue's horse and (Dirt Mile contender) Well Armed is our horse. They're both homebreds and that makes them a little more special." —Bill Casner of WinStar outlines the family loyalties "Pretty straightforward. We're going to the front and taking them as far as we can. We're hoping to go fast enough to spread out the field and slow enough to have something left." —trainer Todd Pletcher is making no secret of the tactics in store for FAIRBANKS (Giant's Causeway) in the Classic "There could be world records set this weekend…The track is like lightning." —Bennie Stutts Jr., trainer of Classic hopeful SMOOTH AIR (Smooth Jazz), on the Pro-Ride "I have a win photo back home from 1948 at Belmont Park. Pete was the winning jockey on a horse for my father. He was an apprentice and just 16. I'm not in the picture, though. I was 10. —Stutts recalls a very early connection with jockey-turned-trainer Pete Anderson, who will send out DELIGHTFUL KISS (Kissin Kris) in the Marathon "He's too much for me right now. He stands over 16 hands…I'm about 4-11." —Anderson on why his daughter, Aggie Ordonez, will handle saddling duties for Delightful Kiss "They always tell you you shouldn't, but in reality, when you have a horse that's been around like him and achieved what he's done, you can't help but be attached. You don't like to allow yourself to, because you don't want them to break your heart. If you're an animal lover, you can't not get attached to them. I do make a conscious effort not to, because they do come and go. You have to make the right decisions. When you make emotional decisions, you don't make good decisions." —Graham Motion, trainer of Turf (G1) veteran BETTER TALK NOW (Talkin Man), on forming attachments "Rebellion is feeling his oats. He bit my knee and my finger. He bit me on the knee when I was on the pony and my finger when I was holding him for a bath. I guess he's feeling good, anyway." —Motion on how he surmises that Dirt Mile entrant REBELLION (GB) (Mozart [Ire]) is in top shape "He looked fresh and well this morning. We'll see how well tomorrow." —a circumspect trainer Sir Michael Stoute on Turf contender CONDUIT (Ire) (Dalakhani) "He's ready to go. Everything's positive. If you can't be positive about your own horse, who can?" —trainer Mike de Kock strikes a philosophical tone about Turf entrant EAGLE MOUNTAIN (GB) (Rock of Gibraltar [Ire]) "At this stage of my career it would be nice. You work 35, 37 years and you give up a lot of things that people in the normal lifestyles have, and you still feel pretty good about yourself. But if you topped it off with something like this it makes it all worth it. We'll just see what happens tomorrow. He couldn't be doing any better." —trainer Bobby Ribaudo on what a Turf victory by GRAND COUTURIER (GB) (Grand Lodge) would mean to him "It was a tough few weeks when we were battling that infection. Whenever you see a horse battle that hard himself, it gives you a lot of satisfaction. Knowing you had to turn the screws on him to get him to this point and have him respond and keep smiling and wanting to go to work every day, it would just be fulfilling to feel like you did a good job and did right by the horse." —trainer Mark Hennig describes the great spirit of RED ROCKS (Ire) (Galileo [Ire]) "I'm satisfied with him. He shipped over good and he's a very fit horse. That's why he needs very little training." —trainer Dermot Weld on Turf contender WINCHESTER (Theatrical [Ire])
 Send this article to a friend
|
|
