Saturday, August 23, 2014
Additional Travers (G1) Quotes
Jimmy Jerkens, trainer of winner V. E. Day (No. 4) and runner-up Wicked Strong (No. 7): "I wasn't absolutely sure it was V. E. Day because he had so much mud on him, until they got a little closer and I saw the silks and then I knew it was him. I said, 'Man, what a feeling. I know I'm going to win the Travers; I just don't know with who.'"
Rajiv Maragh, jockey aboard runner-up Wicked Strong (No. 7): "He beat me! That darn Jimmy Jerkens, you can't beat that guy! That race unfolded just the way I wanted it to. Bayern wasn't loose on the lead and I had them both on my side, it's just a tough beat. I just kept on riding [when I saw V. E. Day down the lane], it was just an unfortunate bob.
"The race was going the way I wanted it. When I saw Tonalist doing that work for me, I kind of backed off them and just tracked. Then midway in the turn, I thought I'm going to take over. It's a mile and a quarter, it's a steady kind of race, so I figured if I kind of got a jump on them, on Tonalist, then it'll be hard for them to re-rally. But then comes V. E. Day. And Jimmy Jerkens."
Joel Rosario, jockey aboard third-place finisher Tonalist (No. 6): "It looked like there was one horse with speed and then me and Wicked Strong. I tried to get my position early and he can run like that, so I was happy where I was. He's the kind of horse that keeps on going. We were just third-best today. I thought he was fine where he was early, but he just didn't have it today in the end."
Bob Baffert, trainer of beaten favorite and last-place finisher Bayern (No. 2) (by telephone): "He broke well and was in a good position. But when he turned for home, he was out of horse. The Haskell might have taken something out of him. I think you have to prep for the Travers in the Jim Dandy. But he's been so brilliant his last few outs, you had to take a shot. I was hoping they'd go in 48 and change. We were hoping to steal it, but the secret was out."
