JIM DANDY (G2) QUOTES

Saturday, July 31, 2010

 

 

JIM DANDY (G2) QUOTES

 

Tony Dutrow, winning trainer of A Little Warm (No. 5): “I felt strongly he was going to run a terrific race, but I didn’t know if that was going to be good enough to win. We work so hard with these animals, and when you achieve a race like this, it’s bigger than life. He ran the way we wanted him to run at Delaware last time, and my feeling was that he was not 100 percent for that race. When we came up here to Saratoga shortly after that race, he really went over the moon. He loved the racetrack. I told Johnny [Velazquez] to ride him with confidence

 

[Does this set him up for the Travers?] “Absolutely. If he comes out of this race great, count us in.”

 

John Velazquez, winning rider aboard A Little Warm (No. 5): “I rode him down at Delaware, and he impressed me a lot with the way he did it, especially against the horse who was on the lead today [No. 6 Miner’s Reserve]. I liked that horse a lot, and we had beaten him at Delaware. He came back today and did it the same way. You can place him wherever you want and let the speed go. When you ask him, he’s there for you. That’s what I like about him. I don’t think he’ll have a problem [with a mile and a quarter] if he rates like he did today.”

 

Nick Zito, trainer of runner-up Miner’s Reserve (No. 6) and fifth-place finisher and beaten favorite Fly Down (9): “Throw out that race, I guess. [Fly Down] just didn’t fire. Jose said he didn’t give him what he usually gives him. Hopefully he comes back well and we’ll try to regroup for the next race. Miner’s Reserve is a good horse. He ran well down in Delaware to [A Little Warm] in his last race, so Delaware has a good allowance race I guess. I’m happy for Miner’s Reserve and sad for Fly Down. We’ll just regroup and hopefully come back in the Travers, I hope.”

 

Calvin Borel, rider aboard runner-up Miner’s Reserve (No. 6): “There were no excuses with my horse. He bounced out there like we did at Belmont. He never fought with me throughout the entire race. He took me out there and we went out there on our own business. It worked out well. We just got outrun in the end. I thought the colt ran a big race. With the way he had been working, he was coming into the race in good shape. I think he's a late developer, and I think you will see a lot more from him.”

 

Jose Lezcano, rider aboard beaten favorite and fifth-place finish Fly Down (No. 9): “He didn’t break and I had to go inside. He usually has a kick, but he didn’t have the same kick today. He was a little even today.”

 

Jimmy Jerkens, trainer of third-place finisher Afleet Express (No. 2): “My horse was making forward motion and gaining on the leader, so that’s always a good sign. He got a little discouraged getting bottled up down there on the rail, and getting hit with all that dirt. So he kind of spit the bit on him going around the far turn. Then when he got out in the clear he took off again, and I was really happy to see him come on again because it looked like turning for home he was in big trouble.”

 

Javier Castellano, rider aboard third-place finisher Afleet Express (No. 2): “He broke a little slow out of the gate but he actually had a good trip. I saved ground the whole race and stayed behind the rate. But he ran pretty well. There was a lot of speed in the race so I didn’t want to get into a speed duel and he still ran pretty good. I’m very satisfied with what he did. Down the stretch, he finished strong. I’m really happy with what he did at the top of the stretch.”