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