They Said It -- 3/25/11

THEY SAID IT

MARCH 25, 2011

"I'm all for it. I like being the favorite for half a million dollars."

—conditioner

Billy Morey on POSITIVE RESPONSE (Pomeroy) being made the 3-1 morning-line

favorite for Saturday's Spiral S. (G3) at Turfway Park; the Cal Derby and John

Battaglia Memorial winner drew post 2 in the 12-horse field

"I love the one hole. The worst part about it is the amount of

time he has to stand in the gate, but he'll have the least amount of ground to

cover to the first turn, and he won't have anybody to his left to bother him.

He doesn't have to be rushed. I'm tickled to death with the one hole."

—trainer

Gary Contessa on drawing the rail with

PREACHINTOTHEDEVIL (Pulpit) in the Spiral

"I'm not a Polytrack trainer but I know I have a good horse. (The

15-1 morning line on Preachintothedevil) makes me want to prove (oddsmaker

Mike Battaglia) wrong  I think I have as good a horse as anyone in the

race. If he does well here we might go to the (April 16) Blue Grass (G1), or maybe train

up to (May 7) Kentucky Derby (G1). Or I could show up in the (April 9) Wood

(Memorial [G1]). It's all up to the

horse. I think he's ready to run a big, big race."

—Contessa

"We wanted the eight on out, so this is where we want to be. He

doesn't like to be down inside. He wants to be in the clear by himself. He'll be in the five path down the backstretch and then we'll see how it goes

from there."

—David

Koenig of Sand Dollar Stable LLC, who owns TWINSPIRED (Harlan's Holiday) in

partnership with Alpha Stables and Skychai Racing LLC; the gray colt will break

from post 11

"As soon as (Twinspired) stumbled out of the

gate, I turned to (trainer) Mike (Mitchell) and said, 'It's over.' He came back

with a cut on his hock -- it was superficial -- but it just wasn't a good break.

We weren't going to win it but the trip cost us."

—Koenig

on Twinspired's fourth-place run in the John Battaglia last out

"My only concern is the Polytrack. He's getting on a plane today, coming up from Palm Meadows, and will

be there (Turfway Park) tonight. We'll get him out for a light jog (Friday) to get him

out of his stall and stretch his legs, let him lope around the track."

—trainer

Tom Albertrani on Turf Paradise Derby hero KING CONGIE (Badge of Silver); the

dark bay, who will break from post 8 in the Spiral, captured the grassy

Hallandale Beach last out before being placed third via disqualification

"It's better to be in the 12 hole going a mile and an

eighth than in the 11 hole going a mile and a sixteenth. You

have that extra run to the first turn. You can see what everybody else is

doing. Hopefully you're not seven or eight wide going into the turn. Hopefully

you can use just a little speed so you're only three or four wide, or you can

take back."

—conditioner

Kellyn Gorder on stakes winner and Mountain Valley third GLINT (Sharp Humor)

drawing the far outside in the Spiral