Sunday, May 18, 2008

Post Race Quotes


“That’s another walking advertisement for [glue-on] shoes—the
same shoes Big Brown uses. Starforaday has terrible feet. The shoes
have saved his career.”

Trainer Gary Contessa, talking about Starforaday, winner of the
$100,000 Maryland Sprint Handicap (G3) at Pimlico Race Course on
Saturday

“Your first impulse is, ‘Boy this isn’t fun or
great.’ But then the more the [People for the
Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)] kept
protesting and the more that I knew that we
were right and what we did was right … when
it’s down to one trainer left in America still training,
it could very well be me. And thanks to
PETA I will be trudging on. I may be racing my
own horses against myself, but I won’t be stopping.
This is a great game and these are magnificent
animals.”

Trainer Larry Jones, talking about the aftermath of Eight Belles’s
fatal injury


Going down the backside when Kent got him
out and he was laying third on the outside, I knew
it was over.”

Richard Dutrow, trainer of undefeated Preakness
Stakes (G1) winner Big Brown

“He really, really ran great. I knew he was a
real nice horse and came home great. He hooked
a superstar, you know.”


Dallas Stewart, trainer of Preakness Stakes
(G1) runner-up Macho Again


“This horse has run fourth four times in a row. That’s a lot of fours,
and I don’t like running fourth.”

Ken McPeek, trainer of Racecar Rhapsody

“It looks like Big Brown might win the Belmont farther than Secretariat.”

Trainer Patrick Gallagher on Big Brown’s effortless Preakness win

“What can I say? I thought he ran huge. I thought really he was unlucky
not to be second. He got stopped pretty bad at the top of the
stretch when the front-runners started backing up. He really had to
get him going again, which I thought was really impressive—that he
got back up to be third. Big Brown’s a very, very good horse. He’s the
real deal. It’s very exciting for the game.”


Trainer Graham Motion on Preakness third-place finisher Icabad
Crane and impressive victor Big Brown


“He stumbled out of the gate and really had no chance after that.
The jock [Jamie Theriot] thought he should have been second if everything
went right. I guess we know that Big Brown is the real deal now.”


Reade Baker, trainer of Preakness sixth-place finisher Kentucky Bear

“I thought he was going to be second because he was following Big
Brown. We got excited. He ran fifth, he tried hard. You’ve got to salute
the winner. There’s no question he’s a tremendous horse.”

Nick Zito, trainer of Preakness fifth-place finisher Stevil

—Compiled by Pete Denk

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Nora - Thanks again for the contest - I wasn't sure about Big Brown until I saw him gather himself after coming out of the starting gate poorly. I think he can make the mile and a half Belmont track OK in good weather, but if he encounters rain and a sloppy track he may be disturbed by the mud in his face and the footing. It's going to be exciting anyway. (Still remember how excited I was when Rags to Riches won)

Nora said...

I agree, Joan. Three weeks seems so far away! It should be exciting.