ALFRED G. VANDERBILT (G1) QUOTES
Steve Asmussen, winning trainer of Majesticperfection (No. 5): “We had Lady Tak here the year that she won the Test (2003), and it was that kind of performance. He’s been very fast, he’s a very good horse, and I’m very proud that he ran this race on this level. We could all read how well he’d run in the other spots, but for him to bring it up against this level of competition, it puts him exactly where we want him to be. He was away very cleanly today and you could tell Shaun was very comfortable. He had his chance to show who he is, and he got it done. I think he beat a very good group, but we’ve got to reproduce that performance again. I would be very tentative [about his plans between now and the Breeders’ Cup], and it’s just one of the suggestions, but it would most likely be the Vosburgh [Grade 1, $350,000, October 2 at
Shaun Bridgmohan, winning jockey aboard Majesticperfection (No. 5): “He’s a nice horse and a very fun ride. He broke really smart and sharp, and he really made my job a lot easier. He’s a pretty quick horse and really professional. Once he got there, he felt really comfortable and we got away with some nice fractions. I knew before the Prairie Meadows race [Iowa Sprint Handicap] that he was the real deal. I’ve known it since the first time I rode him.”
David Fawkes, trainer of runner-up Big Drama (No. 4): “He [Majesticperfection] has the perfect form. The race set up well for him. There wasn't a lot of speed in the race. He got a nice opening quarter by himself. My horse ran great. We just happened to chase the winner. I thought my horse ran a huge race by holding off Todd's horse [Bribon]. He dug in and fought him off."
Eibar Coa, jockey aboard runner-up Big Drama (No. 4): “I was very happy with the way he tried. I was doing two jobs – I was trying to chase [Majesticperfection] and also holding off the horses coming from behind. So, I was proud of him, that he held on for second. That’s what I was asking him to do today; I knew in the stretch he wasn’t going to win the race. But again, he tried hard for us today.”
Todd Pletcher, trainer of third-place finisher Bribon (No. 6): “He ran well. Unfortunately, there wasn’t really anybody to go with the winner. The half in 45 3/5 for a horse of Majesticperfection’s quality makes it hard to run him down when you get those kinds of fractions. We were where we wanted to be early, and our horse ran well.”
Garrett Gomez, jockey aboard third-place finisher Bribon (No. 6): “As they say, pace makes the race, and there wasn’t any. Bribon is a nice horse, but he is a closer and needs some help with pace. If you leave a good horse out there by himself, it’s going to be hard to catch him.”
