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DERBY THEY SAID IT APRIL 30, 2008 "We put him in the gate and he was very good. He just galloped around there one time and we couldn't be happier with things at this point." —Trainer Richard Dutrow on probable Kentucky Derby (G1) favorite BIG BROWN (Boundary), who schooled in the starting gate prior to a light exercise on Wednesday "I'm going to breeze him three-eighths after the break and I'd like him to go anywhere between :36 and :37. The track seems pretty fast and he's really smooth, so you don't really know how fast you're going with him. I'd like to nail it on the head if he could. I think that's kind of important for us. I don't want him to go too fast." —Dutrow on Big Brown, who is scheduled to have his final pre-Derby workout under regular exercise rider Michelle Nevin on Thursday at 8:30 a.m. (EDT) "It's to let him know we're zeroing in. He knows we shipped here. He knows we put him in the gate. We're going to school him in the paddock (on Thursday). He knows we're going to get a little three-eighths. We're rounding everything up to where it's coming to a head. He knows it. He's not stupid." —Dutrow on Big Brown's "wake-up call" "It's all good, babe." —Dutrow "We came so close last year with Hard Spun. We do think she belongs (in the Derby) and we have a chance to make history. You dream big and I think she fits numbers-wise. Right now, you don't know how good Big Brown is, and no one is sure how good Eight Belles is either." —Trainer Larry Jones on Fantasy S. (G2) heroine EIGHT BELLES (Unbridled's Song), who will try to become the fourth filly in history to win the Kentucky Derby "I don't know how he's going to behave in front of 160,000 people, but I'm really impressed how well he's done. We just walked the paddock 10 minutes now and he's like an old jumper. He's really switched off." —Trainer Graham Motion on ADRIANO (A.P. Indy), who reared up several times in the paddock prior to his ninth-place effort in the February 24 Fountain of Youth S. (G2) "I've seen the good horses walking in the paddock and they have their heads between their legs, and that's what you want. You can't have a horse walking out there all buzzed up, because they have another 10 minutes on the track to deal with before they run." —Motion, who said Adriano would school in the paddock once more on Thursday afternoon "I don't know if they're good enough to win the race, but they're both very nice horses. They've both won a prep. Funny Cide didn't win a prep. He ran in three preps and didn't win any of them. These horses each won a major prep. They certainly stamped their ticket to be here." —Trainer Barclay Tagg, who trained 2003 Kentucky Derby winner Funny Cide, on Tampa Bay Derby (G3) winner BIG TRUCK (Hook and Ladder) and Wood Memorial (G1) winner TALE OF EKATI (Tale of the Cat) "I noticed pretty early on that he wasn't just a sprinter. Oh, he can run short; he's got natural speed. But I think it was his attitude that made me think he could be a route horse. If you let him, he'd just go stand in the paddock, or out on the track, all day long. He's so mellow. He's a great horse to work with. Most sprinters are wound up tight. They're usually on the muscle and a handful to deal with. But not him. He's not that way at all. He's very professional." —Trainer James Kasparoff on Sunshine Millions Dash winner BOB BLACK JACK (Stormy Jack), who most recently finished a close second in the 1 1/8-mile Santa Anita Derby (G1) "My part is nearing the finish. He's as good as he can be for this and he's coming up to it as well as we could have wanted. On Saturday, I won't give (jockey) Mike Smith any instructions. That's the nice part of having a rider like him. He knows the horse and he knows what to do. When the race comes, I just say: 'Mike, I've done my job, now you go do yours.'" —Trainer Paulo Lobo on Arkansas Derby (G2) winner GAYEGO (Gilded Time) "The last couple of days he's been just spectacular. He's gotten just a tad bit better every day the last few days. When you come here with a longshot, there's no pressure. I'm a longshot. Put two dollars on me. I'll be 50-to-1 -- you'll get your two dollars' worth." —Trainer Louie Roussel III on Illinois Derby (G2) winner RECAPTURETHEGLORY (Cherokee Run) "He's coming into the race the right way, and we'll find out if he's good enough. He's a horse that comes from off the pace. Hopefully they'll be enough pace in the race and horses will be coming back. We just hope he can get a mile and a quarter and he can pick the pieces up at the end of the race." —Trainer Michael Matz, who trained 2006 Kentucky Derby hero Barbaro, on Gotham S. (G3) winner VISIONAIRE (Grand Slam)
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