Stakes Quotes

JOCKEY QUOTES

JOEL ROSARIO, KAYS AND JAYS, WINNER: “Mike (Mitchell) told me that she runs good when she makes the lead and she did. I tried to save something for the finish and I knew that other filly was coming but she had something left.”

TRAINER QUOTES

JOCKEY QUOTES

JEREMY ROSE, SMART BID, WINNER: “He did everything perfect. He broke good and got his ears up right away. I was able to get him back, no problem and he ran great. I hadn’t ridden him in a long time (Dec. 8, Philadelphia Park) and he showed huge improvement today. He was just a big, playful baby and we always knew he had a lot of talent, but his mind is catching up with his body—now we can see what he can do. This is my second win at Santa Anita, but it’s my first stakes win and it’s a great feeling.”

TRAINER QUOTES

JOCKEY QUOTES

RAFAEL BEJARANO, TUSCAN EVENING, WINNER: “She ran really good today. She’s run well with me on the lead and she’s run well up close. I think she’s going to improve a lot off of this race. She showed me a big kick in the stretch and we had to run to hold off those other fillies, but I still had something left.”

TRAINER QUOTES

JOCKEY QUOTES

MIKE SMITH, CRISIS OF SPIRIT, WINNER: “I’m liking the way she’s relaxing now. The first time she ran at Del Mar (Sept. 5) she was on the muscle. The second time she ran (at Oak Tree, Oct. 4) she was a little better and today she was real kind. It looks like she ought to be able to stretch out.”

TRAINER QUOTES

JOCKEY QUOTES

GARRETT GOMEZ, MACIAS, WINNER: “He was running, as you can see by the (final) time. That other horse (Hurricane Ike) was coming after us, but my horse never let up…he accelerated and stayed on well. I think he’ll go long because he hits a high cruising speed and stays with it. He’s very game.”

TRAINER QUOTES

BOB BAFFERT, MACIAS, WINNER: “He popped out of there today. He’s a very smart horse and very tractable. He was working well for this . . . The other horse that came to him (Hurricane Ike) is a pretty nice little horse.”

JOCKEY QUOTES

GARRETT GOMEZ, APRIL PRIDE, WINNER: “I didn’t know a lot about her going in, but I had watched her races and seen that she had a good turn of foot, but she didn’t seem to be able to carry on with it. Today, she didn’t really break running too well, so we were able to take back and she rated beautiful. When we straightened out for home, we were going for a really tight hole and we actually had to slow down a bit before we went for it.

JOCKEY QUOTES

GARRETT GOMEZ, BLUE CHAGALL, WINNER: “Leaving the half-mile pole, I decided to follow Bejarano (Rafael, aboard Tiz West) and then when we turned for home, I was able to slide right up inside of the four (Gothic Samurai) and my horse really responded fast. He was real handy today and he ran great.”

TRAINER QUOTES

JULIO CANANI, BLUE CHAGALL, WINNER: “Since he’s become a gelding, he’s a different horse. I gelded him three races back, and he’s been a nice horse since. I don’t know about his next race. I play everything by ear. I hope I wake up tomorrow.”

JOCKEY QUOTES

TYLER BAZE, GOTTA HAVE HER, WINNER: “She’s never been beaten down the hill and I don’t think any horse can beat her here. The owners and Jenine have just been so nice to me, they let me ride her the last two times with a broken finger and she’s just a dream to ride. She’s so consistent.

JOCKEY QUOTES

MIKE SMITH, FREE FLYING SOUL, WINNER: “She needed that race at Del Mar (Aug. 27). I thought
she’d move forward off of it and she surely did. Around the turn, the horse on the lead (Oilgonewile) was getting out. I wasn’t worried about her getting away from us, but I was concerned that if she kept getting out, I might get fanned real wide turning for home. As it turned out, that filly stopped and we didn’t lose much ground.”

TRAINER QUOTES

JOCKEY QUOTES

ELVIS TRUJILLO, PRESIOUS PASSION, WINNER: “Everything went good today. This horse stayed very relaxed. When the number nine (Black Astor) was a late scratch, that was good for us. I wasn’t worried about the distance because this horse gives 100 percent. He tries hard at a mile and one eighth or a mile and a quarter.”

TRAINER QUOTES