Saturday, May 12, 2012
PETER PAN (G2) QUOTES
Larry Jones, winning trainer of Mark Valeski (No. 5): “I thought it was really good. We were a little wide, and Rosie said she didn’t want to be out there, but she just didn’t want to take a shot of him getting down in there and getting hung up behind horses. She felt like she was on enough horse where she could give up some ground and just keep him clear. We just needed a real good race in him to see where we sat, and he answered the questions like we thought he should, and like we thought he could. We’re very happy with this performance today, they were rolling up front and he was staying close to them, so all was well. I kept thinking to myself ‘Well, if we win this thing by a bunch I’m going to wonder if I should have been at the
“We’re going to Churchill with him, and then we’ll see how he comes out and whether we try to come back [for the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Stakes on June 9] or what our next plan is. There are plenty for options for him. We’re sure going to look [and the Belmont] because it sure looked like he handled this track well, and slowing the fractions down a little bit he’s going to carry that speed a lot farther. He’ll probably be a forward factor in the
Rosie Napravnik, winning jockey aboard Mark Valeski (No. 5): “The horse felt great and did everything right. I was a little worried about all the ground we were losing, but at the same time with the fast pace I didn’t want to tuck in and get stuck behind, because I knew I was on the best horse. When I pressed the button, even with all the ground we lost, he was much the best and ran great today. It should set him up very nicely for his next race.”
“I asked him out of the gate pretty good because I know sometimes in these races with a lot of speed, everybody is waiting to see who goes, so that way you can get yourself a better position if you ride a little more aggressively. I still didn’t get to where I wanted to be, but there was plenty of speed in there and he was the best horse, and that’s what got us there.”
“He was right there when I needed him. He was waiting on me. He does whatever you want. He could have been on the lead if he wanted to and would have been last if I’d asked him. That’s the really nice part about riding versatile horses in these big races, it gives you a lot more options and opportunities to get a good trip.”
“He hasn’t done much wrong yet, and doesn’t seem to ever get tired. We’ll have to see about the mile and half. I’m sure it will be a question for him as for many others in that race, if [owner Brereton C. Jones] decides to take him to the Belmont Stakes.”
Eoin Harty, trainer of runner-up Right To Vote (No. 1): “He ran huge. Oh, Lord. [Announcer] Tom Durkin, he was putting the fear of God in me there, ‘Lightning fractions! He goes a half in 45!’ I’m thinking ‘When is he going to die?’ He hung in there. I don’t know what our next stop is going to be, maybe the Dwyer [Grade 2, $200,000, 1 1/8 miles on June 30 at
