5/14/08
Last updated: 5/14/08 8:09 PM
<p align="center"><b><i><font face="Arial" size="4">PREAKNESS </font></i></b><i>
</p><p><b><font face="Arial" size="4">THEY SAID IT</font></b></i></p>
</p><p><p align="center"><b><font face="Arial" size="2">MAY 14, 2008</font></b></p>
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</p><p><table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tr><td valign="top"><table border="0" align="left" cellspacing="0" width="325"><tr><td align="right" style="Border:black 1px solid;"><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/brisnet-content/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/14145828/giantmoon10-20dk.jpg" width="325"/></td></tr><tr><td align="right">
</p><p>
</p><p> <b><font size="2">Gayego is the second choice on the Preakness morning-line</font></b><font size="1">
</p><p> (Debra Kral/Horsephotos.com)</font></td>
</p><p>
</p><p> </tr></table><p>"He's great, super. He was feeling very good this morning. We had to
</p><p>walk him with a lip chain. He's very, very sharp right now."</p>
</p><p>
</p><p><p align="right"><font size="2" face="Arial"><em><strong>Trainer Richard
</p><p>Schosberg on GIANT MOON (Giant's Causeway), who worked four furlongs in a bullet
</p><p>:47 3/5 at Belmont Park on Tuesday</strong></em></font></p>
</p><p>
</p><p><p>"It's not like he worked (five furlongs) in :57. The way the work shaped
</p><p>up, it was more like a three-eighths of a mile blowout and then (he) galloped
</p><p>out the half in :47 and change, which is OK. It's basically to open their lungs
</p><p>up and sharpen them up, and I think that's what we did."</p>
</p><p>
</p><p><p align="right"><font size="2" face="Arial"><em><strong>—Schosberg on
</p><p>Giant Moon's work</strong></em></font></p>
</p><p>
</p><p><p>"I think we could all be in trouble if he (Big Brown [Boundary]) runs the
</p><p>same race he ran in the (Kentucky) Derby (G1). We're hoping to pick up the pieces, but it is a
</p><p>horse race. A lot of things can happen. It would be a shame not to be in there
</p><p>and not have the opportunity to win. He's doing well and he has a good win over
</p><p>the track."</p>
</p><p>
</p><p><p align="right"><font size="2" face="Arial"><em><strong>—Trainer Graham
</p><p>Motion on ICABAD CRANE (Jump Start), who won the nine-furlong Federico Tesio S.
</p><p>on April 19 at Pimlico</strong></em></font></p>
</p><p>
</p><p>
</p><p> </td>
</p><p>
</p><p> </tr></table><p>"I don't know about the others, but in our case the horse is doing well. We
</p><p>want to try him at a mile and three-sixteenths. Other than Big Brown, it looks
</p><p>like the race is wide open. We all know that anything can happen. You can't have
</p><p>any fear. I think there are some good horses that haven't run yet at this
</p><p>level."</p>
</p><p><p align="right"><font size="2" face="Arial"><em><strong>—Trainer Kenny
</p><p>McPeek on RACECAR RHAPSODY (Tale of the Cat), who comes off a fourth-place
</p><p>effort in the 1 1/16-mile Lexington S. (G2) at Keeneland</strong></em></font></p>
</p><p><p>"Second money, probably."</p>
</p><p><p align="right"><font size="2" face="Arial"><em><strong>—McPeek on why 12
</p><p>challengers are prepared to line up against Big Brown</strong></em></font></p>
</p><p><p>"And I think it's good for him to be tested again. If he's going to be a
</p><p>Triple Crown winner then make him work for it."</p>
</p><p><p align="right"><font size="2" face="Arial"><em><strong>—McPeek on
</p><p>Preakness favorite Big Brown</strong></em></font></p>
</p><p>
</p><p><p>"If Big Brown runs his race, he looks like he's the winner. We're all here to
</p><p>try our best and see what happens."</p>
</p><p>
</p><p><p align="right"><font size="2" face="Arial"><em><strong>—Trainer Paddy
</p><p>Gallagher, who will saddle YANKEE BRAVO (Yankee Gentleman) in Preakness 133</strong></em></font></p>
</p><p>
</p><p><p>"As you know, I'm a dirt-track guy. The issue with Eight Belles (who broke
</p><p>down after finishing second in the Kentucky Derby and was euthanized) is going
</p><p>to come up over and over this week. You know just as well as I do, or better,
</p><p>it's more than the tracks. My thing right now is to try to protect the dirt
</p><p>surfaces as good as we can."</p>
</p><p><p align="right"><font size="2" face="Arial"><em><strong>—Trainer Nick
</p><p>Zito, who believes that dirt tracks, with a little research and development,
</p><p>remain a preferable alternative to synthetic surfaces; Zito will saddle STEVIL
</p><p>(Maria's Mon) in the Preakness</strong></em></font></p>
</p><p>
</p><p><p>"I'm here to protect the game. We're in American racing, not in English
</p><p>racing or French racing. If you go to all synthetics, there's a good possibility
</p><p>you'll be racing in England and France."</p>
</p><p>
</p><p><p align="right"><font size="2" face="Arial"><em><strong>—Zito, who said
</p><p>he and several colleagues were concerned that the synthetic surfaces might tend
</p><p>to produce future generations of Thoroughbreds with turf proclivities and
</p><p>reduced dirt-track abilities</strong></em></font></p>
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