THE VIC ZIEGEL MEMORIAL (NYB) QUOTES

Friday, August 27, 2010

 

 

THE VIC ZIEGEL MEMORIAL (NYB) QUOTES

 

Todd Pletcher, winning trainer of Driven By Success (No. 6):  “He was able to get into a comfortable rhythm for a pretty fast race.  It was nice to see him win a stake at Saratoga after a couple tough losses in the John Morrissey the last two years. We’ll target the Hudson (Belmont Park, October 23) and see if there’s something in between now and then or not.  He won the Hudson last year so that’d be a logical place to try again.  This is a special tribute to [Vic Ziegel] and we’re happy we could do it.”

 

John Velasquez, winning jockey aboard Driven By Success (No. 6): “There’s not much to talk about; he broke well, got into the lead and just kept me there. He handled the track a lot better than last time [August 5 John Morrissey Stakes].”

 

Roberta Ziegel, Vic Ziegel’s wife of 34 years: “Vic had been coming to Saratoga for years. He really loved it. Vic talked a lot about Saratoga. He built it up. It's is like being at the best wedding that anyone could go to. You're dressed. You're joyful. You're out. It's a joyous occasion. He loved every single thing about it. He looked forward to it.

 

“He would be glad [to have a race named for him]. He would be honored. It would be what he called 'dancing around the kitchen'. I just know this. He would be knocked out. He would have loved today.

 

“He loved writing about this sport. He liked to write about the horses, trainers, and jockeys. There was really a lot of great stuff to write.”