Friday, August 22, 2014
Personal Ensign (G1) Quotes
Bill Mott, winning trainer of Close Hatches (No. 6): "My instructions to [jockey Joel Rosario] were to be wherever he was comfortable. We didn't know who might try to go to the lead. We thought Antipathy or [Majestic River] might try to go to the lead. He gave them the opportunity [to go the lead] going into the first turn. We were laying second going into first turn, but [Close Hatches] was full of run. [Jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr.] kind of snugged [Antipathy] up, it looked like, and took a little bit of a hold of her, and we inherited the lead."
"She's already a Grade 1 winner, and she just carried on that tradition today."
"Our plan right now, and has been since Keeneland went back to dirt, was to go to the Spinster [Grade 1, October 5]."
Joel Rosario, winning jockey aboard Close Hatches (No. 6): "I did not expect it to be wire-to-wire. It looked like another horse was going to go to the lead. It looked like Irad [Ortiz, Jr.] took a little hold [of Antipathy] and I just took my position. Turning for home, I expected Princess of Sylmar to show up, but she didn't. [My horse] looked good out there; she was doing it nice and easy and it was a good race for her. She's a nice filly with a long stride. I'm not surprised she went that fast."
Todd Pletcher, trainer of fifth-place finisher Princess of Sylmar (No. 7): "She got hung out a little wide on the first turn but ended up in a good position on the backside. He [jockey Javier Castellano] ended up in a good spot down the backside and said she felt great, moving really well until about the three-eighths pole and then she just kind of turned him loose."
Was running in the mud a problem? "It didn't seem like it for the first five-eighths [of a mile]. It seemed like she was in a decent position and handling it pretty well. She's run OK on an off track before."
"It wasn't like he was having to ask her to try to keep up with Close Hatches. So, I don't know. Back to the drawing board."
Javier Castellano, jockey aboard fifth-place finisher Princess of Sylmar (No. 7): "I guess she just didn't like the mud; I really don't have the answer. She had a beautiful spot today, and on the backside she was really running, but when she got to the quarter pole she was done. I didn't have horse at all."
"I think the blinkers helped a lot. She used to be too far back, and with the blinkers she was a little more into the race. It just wasn't her day today."
Kiaran McLaughlin, trainer of fourth-place finisher Antipathy (No. 1): "The winner obviously loved the going, and we finished fourth, and we tried hard, but it wasn't our day."
