Quotes for the White Oak Handicap
Chris Block (trainer of winner Shrewd Operator): “Everything is the break with this horse. He’s got to get away from there cleanly and he did today. When I saw 23 – he’s never seen that in his life – and 45 and 4. Eddie did a great job. He gets along with this horse. He settled nicely for him and left plenty in the tank for him. He loves the synthetic surface.”
Eduardo Perez (rode winner Shrewd Operator): “The last time, he jumped a little bit and left the gate slow. Today, he left pretty good. We were going pretty slow (up front) and that was it.”
James Graham (rode runner-up Wildeydsouthernboy): Asked if thought he would catch the winner – “After they went 23 (seconds to the quarter), no. Trip was fine. Clear. Just couldn’t get him.”
Hugh Robertson (trains runner-up Wildeydsouthernboy): “They handed the other horse the race. When I saw 23 up there, I said that’s a joke. My horse came running late though.”
Quotes for the
Chris Emigh (rode the winner Big Looie): “They were wanting to race each other down the backstretch and I was getting a little worried. I got to back off a little bit. I thought my horse was getting a little tired but he has a big heart. He was ready and fit and he had enough to finish.”
Rob Dobbs (assistant to trainer Christine Janks, Big Looie): “We’re hoping he’s good enough to keep winning these Illinois-bred races. We are hoping he can go a little longer, which he showed today because he finished good. They had a pretty good pace and I was getting worried the other horse might be getting away from him, but he prevailed in the end.”
Jesse Lantz, 2nd on Lansing Blue: "It set up nice, he hung a little bit. He didn't train quite like we wanted, so he ran out of training at the end."
James Graham, 3rd on Royal Express: "He ran his (tail) off! I thought he would pull it off until late, he probably doesn't want to go that far. He conserved himself, and the winner came and got him."
Quotes for the
Michael Baze (rode the winner Cumulonimble): “He (trainer Wayne Catalano) said to let her break out of there and get good position early – just be sitting there with a lot of horse and save it for the end. She needed the last race and today she was a completely different horse.”
Wayne Catalano (trainer of the winner, Cumulonimble): “Steve Hobby (her former trainer) went east and the owner sought me out to train the horse. She ran a great race today. The post position (14) made me nervous but we had a couple of good scratches (to move into post 11). We had the speed to get in position to do what we needed to do if everything went our way, which it did.”
Tim Thornton (rode runner-up Peyote Patty): “My trip was not as good as I would have like it to have been. I got shut off a bit in the first turn and I think that cost me the race. I think we should have won for sure. She ran her race but we could have had a better trip.”
Inez Karlsson (third on Apple Martini): “I was going good and suddenly a horse stopped in front of me and I had to check sharply. I got going again and another horse stopped in front of me and I had to check again. I finally decided I had to go around which isn’t the way you want to go on the turf but sometimes that’s what you have to do.”
Quotes for the Purple Violet Handicap
Rusty Hellman (trains winner Heavenly Lass): “She’s a little filly and he have to space our races out a little more. She like the grass so we were hoping she’d like the Polytrack. She had been working over it good.”
Brandon Meier (rode winner Heavenly Lass): “We were laying good while they were cruising up front. When I asked her, she responded huge. She’s been going great in the morning and she came in to the race perfectly.”
Lisa Merritt (trains runner-up Sweet Lemon Chello): “It was a very gutsy performance. She didn’t get a whole lot out of her last race so we were just hoping she had enough to finish well today. We’re proud of her.”
Junior Alvarado (3rd on Thats Whatshesaid): "We had a perfect trip all the way, just got beat. She tried really hard."
Tanner Riggs (4th on beaten favorite Wild Hope): "It was a good trip, I just don't think she's quite the horse she is over at
Quotes for the Black Tie Affair Handicap
Tim Thornton (winning jockey on My Sonny Boy): “He broke alright. I just let him relax and run his own race. I had never been on him before. I didn’t want to send him and get into a speed duel. I followed Free Fighter around there and when he started to get into a little trouble, I angled outside of him. When I made the lead he kind of wanted to pull up a little bit but he felt the other come on back again and he kept on trying.”
Michele Boyce (trains runner-up Princeville Condo): “That was tough. It was a bob of the head and he tried so hard. He gives his all every time, and he did again today. He got beat by a better horse. He lays his body down every time.”
Jesus Castanon (jockey for runner-up Princeville Condo): “He was really striding out at the end. It was just a bad bob that got him.”
Quotes for the Isaac Murphy Handicap
Jesus Castanon (rode the winner Secret Kin): “Mike (owner-trainer Stidham) said to try to keep her close to the pace. I let her be where she was comfortable, and when I got to the quarter pole I switched her to the outside.”
Junior Alvarado (2nd on Kip Berries): "She tried really hard, she's like a really, really, really fast filly. I tried to get her to relax a little bit. She was fine at the end, just got beat."
Lyndie Wade (rode beaten co-favorite Nicks): "We just got out-kicked at the end."
Brandon Meier (third aboard Ripe Tomato): “I had a perfect trip. That’s how she runs. She always comes from out of it. She had that closing kick but we just weren’t going to get to them today.”
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