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DERBY THEY SAID IT MAY 3, 2009 "When he got smashed leaving the gate and bounced to dead last, I was thinking I'm not going to make a good showing in my first Derby, but Calvin did a great job, he was right where he needed to be. When they turned from home I lost him. I saw him start outside, and then he was got lost behind some horses and then he swung to the fence. I looked up at the eighth pole and he was already on the lead. I was just blown away." —trainer Bennie "Chip" Woolley Jr. on his charge, MINE THAT BIRD (Birdstone), who captured Saturday's Kentucky Derby (G1) as a 50-1 longshot "He's just a little horse, but when I asked him he kept getting closer to them and then I thought, 'God -- he's going to get here!' I was pretty far back, like 15 to 20 lengths back, but I was seven or eight lengths back from the horse in front of me and they were all bunched up." —jockey Calvin Borel after winning his second Derby with Mine That Bird "Those cowboys, they came with a good horse." —conditioner Bob Baffert, who trained Derby runner-up PIONEEROF THE NILE (Empire Make) "He ran really good. Everyone's question mark was the dirt racetrack. He was able to leave the gate good, get me in really good position. I was in a tracking position the whole way. The pace wasn't extremely fast but was honest. When I asked him turning for home, he gave me some and stayed on. The horse on the rail was a flash but horse held on, stayed on well and two weeks from now we have the Preakness (G1)." —Garrett Gomez on his ride aboard Pioneerof the Nile "I thought I was sitting on the winner when turning for home. It was just a matter of him going when I asked him to go. He was pulling and traveling well. I haven't had a trip like that in the Kentucky Derby yet. He pulled to the quarter-pole and it was a nice feeling. Like I said, when I turned for home, I thought I was going to win my first Derby." —Gomez "He got hung out so wide, but he was still coming at the end. I was really proud of him the way he ran today. He got bumped around, but that's the Derby." —trainer Derek Ryan on Derby third MUSKET MAN (Yonaguska) "I was forced to go wide coming into the stretch. My horse was still running at the end, but I got bumped near the finish, and I know that cost me second because that other horse (Pioneerof the Nile) only beat me a nose." —jockey Eibar Coa, who was aboard Musket Man "No excuse. He ran good. He was super, but just got outrun." —trainer Gary Stute on PAPA CLEM (Smart Strike), who just missed third in the Derby by a head "I can't believe it. I was in perfect position and sitting comfortable. He was moving so smooth and I thought I was going to win the race. I really did. He was still running all the way to the wire, but the winner, he was fantastic when he passed me in the stretch." —jockey Rafael Bejarano on his ride aboard Papa Clem "I don't think we had the best of trips -- far back, down inside and catching all the mud. But I had him ready to run, I'm pleased to have been able to run in this race and I have no real excuses." —conditioner Jerry Hollendorfer on Derby fifth-place runner CHOCOLATE CANDY (Candy Ride [Arg]) "Turning for home, I thought I was going to win it. Then he just hung. He got hot behind the gate on me. That didn't help. But he ran great." —jockey Mike Smith on Chocolate Candy "I was really proud of Join in the Dance. He took them as far as he could and he was hanging in there. Turning for home I loved seeing him still up there. He ran great. Dunkirk stumbled two strides out of the gate, then again before they went 50 yards. When a horse does that, you know you're in trouble. I think he just wasn't comfortable out there. This track was sort of in between. It wasn't sloppy or it wasn't fast. It was drying out and I think it was a little heavy. Obviously, some horses are going to like it and some not. Rene Douglas (on Advice) told Elliott Walden (stable manager for owner WinStar Farm) that he had trouble at the quarter pole. I'm going to have to watch the replay and get a sense for what happened. I thought he was in traffic trouble. We'll take our horses up to New York now and regroup. I salute Calvin (Borel) for his terrific ride. It's an amazing story. It just shows you how special this race is. Anything can happen." —trainer Todd Pletcher talking about his Derby trio: JOIN IN THE DANCE (Sky Mesa), who ran seventh, DUNKIRK (Unbridled's Song), 11th at the wire, and ADVICE (Chapel Royal), who finished 13th "I probably went a little too quick the first part, but they weren't going to give me an easy lead, then he ran as far as he could. In a race like this no one's going to give you an easy lead, especially with 19 horses, it's not like a five-horse field where you can dictate. I knew I'd be close to the front because he looked on paper like he was the fastest horse in the race. But someone's always going to try to force the issue. And that's exactly what happened." —jockey Chris DeCarlo, who piloted Derby pacesetter Join in the Dance "I sat right behind the speed and I thought he was going to be good right there, but when I asked him to go I didn't have much horse left. He stumbled twice. He broke and the second jump he stumbled. It might have cost a little position, but not much really. He was doing good until he passed the half mile to the three-eighths pole and after that I just ran out of horse." —jockey Edgar Prado on Dunkirk's effort in the Derby "Actually, I had a great trip. I know I was behind and all that but I had a great trip. I thought I had a lot of horse around the three-eighths pole and then the horse next to me (Dunkirk) stepped on my horse and he lost all momentum right there. He just backed up on me and he never got going the way he was going before. If that hadn't happened, I'm not saying I was going to win, but I would've been in contention with the other horses. I think the distance is no matter with him. He was running good; he took the dirt good, he took the track good. I had no excuse with him. I think he tried and I think he'll run good next time." —rider Rene Douglas on his mount, Advice "I salute Calvin (Borel) for his terrific ride. It's an amazing story. It just shows you how special this race is. Anything can happen." —Pletcher acknowledging Borel's winning ride on Mine That Bird "Both have a few minor little nicks and scrapes but nothing unexpected in a 20-horse race in the mud. We can't use that as an excuse for either one of them. I think Regal Ransom probably ran his race considering it was 10 furlongs and the pace scenario. He did have to be asked a little earlier than we thought. Alan (Garcia) had to shake him at the five-eighths pole. It's a little odd. We thought he would run on a little bit more than that, but he still battled all the way into the stretch. He was still there at the three-sixteenths pole fighting away. And he probably finished where he figured to. He ran pretty well. I think he ran his race. We really can't offer (Desert Party) much excuse. Given the post draw he really pulled a pretty good trip. He was laying about where we thought he would be and for whatever reason midway around the turn he couldn't run with them anymore, which was surprising and a little disappointing." —assistant trainer Rick Mettee, speaking about the Saeed bin Suroor-trained pair of REGAL RANSOM (Distorted Humor) and DESERT PARTY (Street Cry [Ire]), the respective eighth and 14th-place finishers in Derby 135 "I was having a good trip. I was following Pioneerof the Nile on the outside but I found myself with no horse at the five-eighths pole. My horse never really finished up. When I saw Calvin make his move, it was at the quarter-pole and he passed me in no time. I was very surprised. He squeezed through the inside of (Todd) Pletcher's other horse (Join in the Dance) and he finished amazing." —jockey Ramon Dominguez, who was aboard Desert Party "I didn't think much of the performance to tell you the truth. He didn't show who he was. He came back to the barn choking in mud. One eye was completely packed shut and his one nostril was completely shut with mud. He coughed twice and it popped out after he got back to the barn." —owner/conditioner Tom McCarthy on GENERAL QUARTERS (Sky Mesa), who ran 10th in the Derby "(Kent Desormeaux) just said he put him in position and he was empty at the three-eighths pole. He was negotiating traffic and he thought that's where he should be. He said when he asked him, he jumped into the bridle. Then he flattened out with three furlongs to go." —trainer Bill Mott analyzing 12th-place runner HOLD ME BACK's (Giant's Causeway) effort on Saturday "It was good. Not good for me. My horse just was not comfortable out there. (The winner) was next to me the whole way on the backstretch. My horse was not running with mud getting kicked in his face so I eased out a little bit and he took the spot I left open on the inside. Then he just took off and passed everyone. It was unbelievable." —jockey John Velazquez on his experience aboard Derby 15th MR. HOT STUFF (Tiznow) Saturday "I'm happy for Birdstone. God bless Calvin Borel, what an ambassador of the game. God bless the trainer, (Chip) Woolley, and God bless Birdstone. What a game this is. It proves that you never, ever know." —conditioner Nick Zito, who saddled 17th-place finisher NOWHERE TO HIDE (Vindication) "I ended up having a pretty clean trip but my horse didn't handle the surface and he was slipping and sliding and couldn't get the traction I needed. He just didn't handle the track." —jockey Shaun Bridgmohan on his impression of Nowhere to Hide's effort in Derby 135 "He got hit real badly out of the gate and grabbed a quarter (left front). He's bleeding. If you see blood on the track, it's his. I couldn't find him at post time. I don't even know where we were running. But we'll have to watch the replay." —trainer Larry Jones on the his charge FRIESAN FIRE (A.P. Indy), who ran 18th in the Derby "He got a bad start and got hit (in his left front). I feel that he didn't want to go, so I let him relax and finish the race. I didn't want to hurt the horse. I just dropped the reins and let him gallop. He came back OK." —jockey Gabriel Saez on 7-2 Derby favorite Friesan Fire's bad racing luck
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