Saturday, March 3, 2012
TOP FLIGHT HANDICAP (G2) QUOTES
Kiaran McLaughlin, winning trainer of It’s Tricky (No. 4): “It’s great. She’s kind of a special filly for everybody involved with her, or not involved with her. It’s nice off four months for her to win. It’s kind of a funny track today, maybe drying out a little bit. But she won, and that’s important. She’s trained great. I give a lot of credit to her exercise riders. Rob Massey was getting on her all winter and she’s been very well- behaved. We just thought she does a little better up here, and obviously, talking to Simon Crisford [ racing manager for Godolphin Stable], we weren’t hooking Royal Delta and Awesome Maria. It was a good spot to get started and we’re thankful she won. We don’t know where we are going to go next. We’ll talk to Simon about that.
“It’s always tricky when you’re on a drying-out surface for everybody. Todd [Pletcher’s] filly [Love and Pride] was going nice and we got to her, but I think that both were tired a little bit. Ramon [Dominguez] said she didn’t love the track, but she won, so we’re off to the races. I think it was a very good performance and she’ll improve from the race.
“She’ll probably stay here, but the Rampart [Grade 2, March 31] is down there [at
Ramon Dominguez, winning jockey aboard favored It’s Tricky (No. 4): “I really feel like the track is extremely tiring today – very consistent, very good, very safe but [tiring]. Same thing in the last race, I won on that horse [Tech Fall] for Tony [Dutrow], and that horse actually can be tactical, can be decent as far as speed on his feet when you need him, and he was struggling today. It seems like every horse has been.
“I was watching [Todd] Pletcher’s filly, who was coming off a solid effort, and before we hit the hit the quarter pole she’s already showing signs that she’s tiring. She got the lead and got to relax and kind of had everything her way; I just feel that the track is very tiring. [It’s Tricky] did get tired the last eighth; she was kind of wandering around a little bit, but overall I was very happy with her. Especially with her demeanor, how well she handled herself. She has been known to have her days and is sort of tricky, like her name says, but she was great today.
“I rode her for the Breeders’ Cup [Ladies Classic] and she was really good that day too, but she was a little more on her toes, a little more intense going into the first turn. She actually drifted out slightly that day, but today she was perfect. You would maybe expect that from her today [coming off a layoff], but she could not have behaved any better.”
