BREEDERS’ CUP TURF SPRINT QUOTES
Saturday, November 4, 2017
Winning and second-place trainer Peter Miller (Stormy Liberal and Richard’s Boy)
“I’m just elated to win a Breeders’ Cup at home. It’s just amazing. The first win I’ve ever had, I thought we had home court advantage and they ran to that. Richard’s Boy ran his butt off. I couldn’t be prouder of these horses. They’re just two gutsy, tough, hard-knocking horses.”
Winning jockey Joel Rosario (Stormy Liberal)
“He broke well. I asked him a little to get my spot. They were going very fast in front. But I listened to Peter. He said to stay inside and save some ground then make my run. I did that and it worked out perfect. He really was there for me. He did all the work.”
Second-place jockey Flavien Prat (Richard’s Boy)
“He ran a really good race. He just got beat by a neck.”
Third-place trainer Christophe Clement (Disco Partner)
“They both ran well (also finished fifth with Pure Sensation). I just wish they had run one-two, but that’s racing. I don’t know if the posts compromised them. I have to go back and watch the replay in a quiet place until I have an opinion. As long as they come back and safe to fight another day is the main thing.”
Third-place jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. (Disco Partner)
“I had a good trip. Five furlongs is just too short for him. Five and a half or six is better for him. He gave me a good kick.”
Jockey Luke Morris (Marsha, sixth)
“She’s run very well on an unfamiliar track and she wasn’t beaten far. She’s probably better on a straight track.”
Jockey Oisin Murphy (Cotai Glory, ninth)
“He just didn’t handle the turn. He’s been around Chester at home, but this is much tighter. If he hadn’t lost so much ground on the turn, he would have been in the mix.”
Jockey John Velazquz (Lady Aurelia, 10th)
“I had a perfect trip. There were a couple speed horses so I let them go. I got into a spot I wanted at the three-eighths pole and she was just flat down the lane.”
BREEDERS’ CUP TURF SPRINT TRANSCRIPT
Saturday, November 4, 2017
Gary Hartunian
Petter Miller
Joel Rosario
THE MODERATOR: Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint was 30 to 1, Stormy Liberal. We’re pleased to be joined now by winning rider Joel Rosario. This is his sixth Breeders’ Cup victory. And winning trainer, Peter Miller, his first Breeders’ Cup win, and he goes one-two in the Turf Sprint. Congratulations, Peter. An amazing accomplishment. Peter, of course, is a locally based trainer. Lives up in Carlsbad, and he’s a four-time leading trainer here at Del Mar. So that makes it extra special, if winning a Breeders’ Cup Race can be extra special. It certainly is for Peter. Let’s get your initial reaction. Looked like you were going crazy.
PETER MILLER: Yeah, I think I’ve lost my voice. But, yeah, it was just a surreal experience to see Richard’s Boy look like he was going to win. And I’ve watching Joel, and I’m rooting for Joel, and I’m like just one of you win, just one of you win. Somebody win, you know? And to run one-two here for my first Breeders’ Cup and here at home, I live ten minutes away in Encinitas, is special. And to win with Joel Rosario, who I consider a good friend and who rode a lot for me when he was out here, just one of the best riders in the world. So — and for Gary Hartunian and Rockingham Ranch, you know, a win for Gary Hartunian, who is my largest owner.
GARY HARTUNIAN: Second best owner.
PETER MILLER: No, he’s my biggest owner, and also just a good friend. So to be up here with these two guys at Del Mar and run one-two, it doesn’t get any better than this.
Q. Now, Joel, can you just take us through the ride, if you would?
JOEL ROSARIO: Yeah, so it was very — I just break out of the gate, and I asked my horse a little bit. Peter told me don’t, just get your position, and he has a lot of speed, but he wanted me to just like follow and save some ground and just stay on the inside. And that worked out perfect.
So just like I said, I broke there, and looked like they were going very fast in front. I was just trying to save some ground, just like Peter told me, and take it from there.
Q. Peter, does this effort surprise you at all? He was 30 to 1 on the board, and Richard’s Boy had a big shot.
PETER MILLER: You
know, Joel gave a fantastic ride, as did Flavien Prat. Just my hat’s off to both these guys. Just rode a heck of a race. I had a lot of faith in these horses, both these horses. They show up every time. But to run in a Breeders’ Cup Race against Lady Aurelia, and some super good sprinters, I felt we needed the home-court advantage, which I think we had. I had two jockeys that know the course and two horses that know the course, and it turned out to work in our favor.
Q. Gary, can we get your reaction to winning a Breeders’ Cup?
GARY HARTUNIAN: This is the first time I didn’t give instructions to the jockey, so.
PETER MILLER: Good job. Good job.
GARY HARTUNIAN: I was running down saying, I want to talk to you, Joel, and he jumped on the horse, so I was so upset. Then I said, you know, I’m going to go bet Richard’s Boy now, and that’s what I did.
PETER MILLER: I always tell the jockeys, whatever he said, don’t listen to him (laughing). It’s true.
GARY HARTUNIAN: So we started this whole process, and I go, Pete, which horse do you want to go to the Breeders’ Cup? And he named like four, five horses, and I said, what about Richard’s Boy? He said, it’s going to cost you $100,000 extra to put him in. And he said, you can’t do that. So I talked him into putting my horse in.
PETER MILLER: He did. He did. I said it didn’t make sense from a financial standpoint and trying to look out for him. But he knew more than I did, and I think —
Q. In this case?
PETER MILLER: Yeah, I think he was a little surprised when we talked about the Breeders’ Cup, Stormy Liberal. He said, Stormy Liberal? He isn’t running in four months, five months, whatever it was. But he’s such a hard-knocking horse and a good horse, and he was training well. I thought he deserved a chance.
Q. How much does the race being in your backyard play into giving him a shot too?
PETER MILLER: It definitely mattered. They’re in the barn that they’re familiar with. They’ve been on both — both have been on this course. It’s a 45-minute ship from San Luis Rey, not flying across the country. So it definitely mattered that we were at home. Like I said, it’s just a dream come true.
Q. How did you guys acquire the horse?
GARY HARTUNIAN: I claimed Stormy Liberal for $40,000. So those people right now are jumping off the Coronado Bridge. Then Richard’s Boy, a friend of mine at the track came up to me and said, you know, you want to buy this horse privately, and I bought it privately. So Richard’s Boy worked out really well.
Q. Are you a breeder?
GARY HARTUNIAN: A little bit, little bit. Not too much. But just a little here and there.
Q. How many horses does Rockingham Ranch have?
GARY HARTUNIAN: We have about 60 racing, and about 10 or 15 broodmares and some babies. About 20 babies.
Q. And how many of those that are in training are with Pete?
GARY HARTUNIAN: About 50. 50 of them, 48 or 50.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
