Derby They Said It

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