Breeders' Cup They Said It

BREEDERS' CUP THEY SAID IT

OCTOBER 23, 2007

"I would like to switch with Larry Jones (trainer of Hard Spun) and have the

eight. That's a great spot for him. The two just means you have to run a little

more early to get position."

—trainer Carl

Nafzger on STREET SENSE's (Street Cry [Ire]) drawing post 2 in the Classic (G1)

"(Jockey) Mario (Pino) wanted inside and I wanted outside. One of us had to

be happy. We had an early selection at the Derby and we chose the eight, so this

is good."

—trainer Larry

Jones gives the scoop on what post position Team HARD SPUN (Danzig) wanted in

the Classic; the Kentucky Derby (G1) runner-up landed in post 8

"Lawyer Ron ran huge at Saratoga and when he drew the rail, you had to make

him the favorite. I'm not surprised about that."

—Jones comments on

the installation of the Todd Pletcher-trained LAWYER RON (Langfuhr) as the 5-2

favorite on the Classic morning line

"Everyone refers to Monmouth Park as speed-favoring or conducive to speed.

You have a horse that runs at Belmont at three-quarters of a mile and he gets

tired at the quarter-pole, where he makes it three-quarters at Monmouth. Horses

go further at Monmouth than they do at some other places. With that being said,

yes, (Curlin) beat Lawyer Ron in the Jockey Club Gold Cup ([G1] at Belmont), and

he is the favorite over us, and that has to do with where the race is run more

than anything else."

—Steve

Asmussen, trainer of Classic contender CURLIN (Smart Strike), cites the Monmouth

factor as the reason for Lawyer Ron's favoritism

"Oh, gee whiz. I'm not happy with that. Not at all. I'd liked to have drawn

anywhere but the 12. Does it compromise her chances? Oh, I don't know about

that. We'll have to see. But I can tell you, I'm not happy."

—trainer Jerry

Hollendorfer expresses his displeasure that HYSTERICALADY (Distorted Humor)

wound up in post 12 in the Distaff (G1)

"Good draw. I'm happy with it. He just needs a little time to get rolling and

he'll get it from there. I just didn't want to be drawn outside the eight or the

nine and it worked out."

—John Shirreffs,

of the AFTER MARKET (Storm Cat) camp, was a rare trainer who was satisfied with

his spot in the Mile (G1) gate; his charge will save ground from post 3

"It's not great. It's a seven-furlong turf course, so the outside isn't a

great place to be. I'm not going to scratch, but it's a tough spot."

—horseman Barclay

Tagg wasn't thrilled by NOBIZ LIKE SHOBIZ's (Albert the Great) drawing post 9 in

the Mile

"It's better to do the squeezin' than be the squeeze. There's nothing you can

do about it."

—trainer Tom

Proctor makes lemonade from lemons, so to speak, after Mile contender PURIM (Dynaformer)

landed in post 12

"It's horrible. This is a very bad post. But you can't lose hope. You must

keep trying and be positive."

—conditioner Angel

Penna Jr. comes to grips with the fact that Mile hopeful REMARKABLE NEWS (Ven) (Chayim)

has been marooned in post 14

"It's not a place I'd choose, but it can be -- if things happen right -- a

good thing. The rail could be fast.  But I don't need or want to be on the

lead.  There's going to be a lot of speed in there.  He's better with

something to run at and he'll get that in here."

—trainer Greg

Gilchrist, whose SMOKEY STOVER (Put It Back) will break from the rail in the

Sprint (G1), looks on the bright side

"It's good. I've got one speed horse, Bordonaro, outside me (in post 9), but

at least I've got Baffert (Midnight Lute in post 2) and the rail horse (Smokey

Stover) buried. Idiot Proof has more speed than anybody. If nobody else wants to

go to the lead, we'll be in front. I'm not worried about an off track if it

rains. He's by Benchmark out of a Bertrando mare. He should relish an off

track."

—Cliff Sise,

trainer of Sprint contender IDIOT PROOF (Benchmark), has it all mapped out from

post 7

"That's OK; the six is fine. The only thing I'm worried about is the weather,

because she doesn't like soft turf."

—horseman Kiaran

McLaughlin is more concerned about the rain than the post for LAHUDOOD (GB)

(Singspiel [Ire]) in the Filly & Mare Turf (G1)

"You're starting right on the turn, so it's not the best post. What can

you do? I've got no choice."

—Tagg would have

preferred a better draw than the 10 hole for TALE OF EKATI (Tale of the Cat) in

the Juvenile (G1)

"It's good and bad. It's good that I'm out there and should stay out of

trouble. It's bad that he could get carried wide. I'm happy to be there. You

can't win if you ain't in."

—trainer Richard

Mandella weighs the pros and cons of DIXIE CHATTER's (Dixie Union) winding up in

post 11 in the Juvenile

"It's a horrible post. It's hard to believe it happened to us again (extreme

outside draw). He handled it last time (won from post 12 in the Breeders'

Futurity [G1] at Keeneland), so he'll have to again. That's what he drew and

there's nothing we can do about it. From out there we might get hung out

eight-wide on both turns. Obviously, I would have much preferred being inside,

like where (morning line favorite) War Pass drew (post 2). He (War Pass) is fast

enough to get a really good early jump on the field."

—conditioner Rusty

Arnold is having a terrible sense of deja vu about Juvenile threat WICKED

STYLE's (Macho Uno) getting stuck in post 13

"That's actually what we wanted. The owner (Charles LaLoggia) is ecstatic.

Last year we drew the far outside (post 14 with Skip Code, also trained by Mark

Casse and owned by LaLoggia in the Juvenile) and he blew the turn and the race.

At least this year, she'll be in the thick of it. Also, two was the number of Volponi when he won the Classic (in 2002) and she's by Volponi, so it's

perfect."

—assistant trainer

Norman Casse finds an historical angle to bolster CLEARLY FOXY's (Volponi)

chances in the Juvenile Fillies (G1) from post 2

"I think I got a good draw. I'm a traditionalist with posts. I want something

outside going short and something inside going long. I don't pretend to know all

the nuances of this track, but just generally speaking, I'm pleased with where

we've drawn. Now we're just going to try to get lucky."

—horseman John

Sadler, whose Juvenile Fillies candidate TASHA'S MIRACLE (Harlan's Holiday)

landed in post 3, gives his post position theory

"I would have preferred to be inside a little, but we'll live with it. She's

as fast as you need her to be. All of her wins have come from off the pace, so

we're OK. At least we know that no one can run over us from out there."

—Jones takes

solace after PROUD SPELL (Proud Citizen) draws post 10 in the Juvenile Fillies

"We're going to give it hell. Right now, he's wilder than a March hare."

—trainer Wesley

Ward, whose CANNONBALL (Catienus) drew into the Juvenile Turf from ninth on the

preference list, on wheeling the colt back into Friday's Juvenile Turf on five

days rest; the gelding captured Sunday's King Cugat S. at Belmont Park

"We're going to gun right out of there with Dream Rush and La Traviata and

see who can stand the heat. She has run hot fractions before and held on to win,

but that wasn't with horses of this caliber. It's the only way she knows to run,

so we'll see how it shakes out for her."

—conditioner Don

Chatlos promises that SHAGGY MANE (Bertrando) will come blazing out of post 9 in

the Filly & Mare Sprint

"I think they're all OK. The old expression is 'It is what it is, you get

what you get.' I hope it all works out. In these races, the Triple Crown races

and the Breeders' Cup, the whole thing is the break. We'll try as hard as we

can."

—trainer Nick Zito

waxes philosophical; his Breeders' Cup team comprises WAR PASS (Cherokee Run)

(post 2 in the Juvenile), COMMENTATOR (Distorted Humor) (post 3 in the Sprint)

and WANDERIN BOY (Seeking the Gold) (post 3 in the Dirt Mile)

"The only post I would have liked to see different was Cry and Catch Me a

little closer in. Four is a good post for Indian Blessing, but I would have

rather seen Cry and Catch Me in five, six, seven or eight. But they're both

doing well: that's the main thing. The post does not make much difference for

Midnight Lute. He's surrounded by really fast horses and will have to get lucky

turning for home. Three is a good spot for Tough Tiz's Sis. I try not to worry

too much about the posts. Good horses can overcome a lot of things."

—horseman Bob

Baffert sums it all up for us; his Breeders' Cup squadron consists of Juvenile

Fillies duo INDIAN BLESSING (Indian Charlie) (post 4) and CRY AND CATCH ME

(Street Cry [Ire]) (post 13), Sprint contender MIDNIGHT LUTE (Real Quiet) (post

2), and Distaff threat TOUGH TIZ'S SIS (Tiznow) (post 3)