Saturday, August 14, 2010
SWORD DANCER INVITATIONAL (G1) QUOTES
Steve Hobby, winning trainer of Telling (No. 8): “[Garrett Gomez] had him in a perfect place all the way. The pace was a little slower, but he was in a good spot. He sure chose the right way – that’s the one thing I told him, that he probably prefers the outside than being in, but it’s not something I’d make a drastic change to do. It’s tremendous to win again – it’s something we had aimed at from the last time, and to make it work a year later is really amazing.”
Garrett Gomez, winning jockey aboard Telling (No. 8): “He broke well and I really felt like I was in great spot. When they quickened up the backside, I was having a little trouble telling how fast they were actually going and deciding whether or not to go after the leaders at that point. But my horse was bobbling a bit so I decided to switch him to the outside a little and wait. When we turned for home, the horse in front of us dropped off. I just dove toward the fence, and it was like he found new life. He’s just one of those horses that stays on really well going a mile and a half. It’s a real pleasure for me to win a race for Steve Hobby because the first recognized race I ever rode was for his dad. That horse didn’t win, but I told Steve today that we better win this one for his dad.”
Ian Wilkes, trainer of runner-up Bearpath (No. 6): “I thought he ran great, I really did. We were just second-best. I felt he belonged in here today, and he showed it.”
Calvin Borel, jockey aboard runner-up Bearpath (No. 6): “He ran a great race, no excuses. He maybe could’ve gotten through a little bit faster. The pace up front was pretty honest and I thought we were sitting pretty well. Everything went perfectly; we just got outrun.”
Chad Brown, trainer of beaten favorite and 5th-place finisher Expansion (No. 4): “Around the three-eighths pole he was bumped and carried out pretty far, and Javier thought he maybe lost his stride a little bit there. From there, he was kind of unorganized the rest of the way down the lane. On top of that, the horse is probably more effective going a mile and a quarter. The combination of those two things probably prevented us from hitting the board. I was worried about [the distance] all week. I ran him here based on the competition. I respected all of the horses in there. I'd rather take a shot at a Grade 1, maybe not at the optimal distance, but given how much money is on the line, that it’s a Grade 1 at
Bill Mott, trainer of third-place finisher Al Khali (No. 5): “It was a smooth race. He had a good trip. He inherited the lead after the No. 1 horse [Marlang] retired early. Turning for home, he was asked to run and he opened up a little bit, but he couldn't hold on. He was clearly beaten for the win.”
