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PREAKNESS THEY SAID IT

MAY 17, 2008

Big Brown glided home to take the second jewel of the Triple Crown (Jim McCue/Maryland Jockey Club)

"Departing here (on Monday) we're going to go straight in (Bobby) Frankel's barn (at Belmont Park). Empire Maker's stall. Bobby has got it all. I'd rather train him at Belmont for the big race. I want to take every advantage, cross every 't', dot every 'i' that we possibly can. I don't want to take anything for granted. I want to get there the right way. "

trainer Richard Dutrow explaining that he'll train Preakness S. (G1) winner BIG BROWN (Boundary) up to the June 7 Belmont S. (G1) at the Elmont, New York, track

"I don't know, and honestly I really don't think it's important. The important thing is the horse came home safe and we get to move into the next town hopefully with -- he's going back to the barn (having) only used half the tank. I hope I helped make Mr. Dutrow's job a little easier over the next three weeks."

—jockey Kent Desormeaux when asked what he thought Big Brown would've won by if he hadn't wrapped up on him in the stretch of the Preakness

"It looks like Big Brown might win the Belmont farther than Secretariat."

—trainer Paddy Gallagher, whose YANKEE BRAVO (Yankee Gentleman) finished 10th, on Big Brown's Triple Crown chances

"I was just taking every precaution, trying to do everything the right way to get him there the best way, and I thought doing this this morning was the move. I could see he was full of energy. Didn't want to take any energy out of him. I wanted to just kind of let him know he was going to run later on. It usually helps them when you blow them out that morning, usually puts them on their feet when they come out of the gate even though he slipped some."

Dutrow on his decision to breeze Big Brown two furlongs the morning of the Preakness

Big Brown has won all five starts by a combined total of 39 lengths (Joseph DiOrio/Horsephotos.com)

"He's the only one that can even entertain Big Brown's stride. It's going to be exciting. He can run. He's a nice horse. It's another quarter of a mile. You know, there's so many hurdles. Can't wait to find out what happens but that's a cold exacta."

—Desormeaux on Casino Drive (Mineshaft), whom he rode to victory in the Peter Pan S. (G2) and will likely now ride against in the Belmont

"Well, I would like to have him, number one. He looks like a nice horse. Number two, I believe that he can't beat our horse. So, all Japanese people are going to think, when they come here, that Godzilla was dead. They're going to find out he's not dead, he's here."

Dutrow on facing the Japanese-based Casino Drive in the Belmont

"He really, really ran great. I knew he was a real nice horse and came home great. He hooked a superstar, you know."

—trainer Dallas Stewart on his Preakness runner-up MACHO AGAIN (Macho Uno)

Kent Desormeaux looks around for the competition and finds none (Joseph DiOrio/Horsephotos.com)

"We just got beat by a monster. (Big Brown) might just be a Triple Crown winner. We ran huge and that's very important. This is kind of the best second place I've ever had. I don't like to be second, but it's not bad to be second to this horse."

jockey Julien Leparoux on guiding Macho Again to second in the Preakness

"What can I say? I thought he ran huge. I thought really he was unlucky not to be second. He got stopped pretty bad at the top of the stretch when the front runners started backing up. He really had to get him going again, which I thought was really impressive -- that he got back up to be third."

trainer Graham Motion on Preakness third ICABAD CRANE (Jump Start)

"My trip was good to the quarter-pole. I went after Big Brown, but he just threw dirt on me. My horse ran his heart out, and with a little better trip, I may well have gotten second."

jockey Jeremy Rose on his ride aboard Icabad Crane

Big Brown shows his beleaguered opponents a clean pair of heels (Joseph DiOrio/Horsephotos.com)

"He slipped leaving the gate bad. We gave up two or three lengths right away. I think I was on the second best horse today. But nothing worked out right for us today."

jockey Jamie Theriot on KENTUCKY BEAR (Mr. Greeley), who ran sixth as the third choice in the Preakness

"I saw him stumble and Tyler (Baze) said he went down to his nose. That's part of horse racing. It can happen to any horse. Tyler thought he came home good, and that's the important part. We'll live to fight another day."

trainer Beau Greely on Preakness ninth-placer TRES BORRACHOS (Ecton Park), who stumbled and hit his nose on the ground when the gates opened

"The break was rough. I was lucky to stay on him."

—jockey Tyler Baze on Tres Borrachos


 


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