Stakes Quotes

JOCKEY QUOTES

RAFAEL BEJARANO, NORVSKY, WINNER: “We were going really slow in the beginning and I was wondering if the pace would stay that way. So I just tried to get in close and not stay too far back. At the half-mile pole I was trying to improve my position, and when I got to the stretch my horse showed me a big kick. I knew he was going to win the race then. My horse is still learning, and I think the perfect distance for him is either a mile and one sixteenth, or a mile and an eighth. He’s always doing very good at both distances.”

TRAINER QUOTES

JOCKEY QUOTES

COREY NAKATANI, RENEESGOTZIP, WINNER: “I’ve been getting on this horse in the morning for Pete (Miller), and she’s showed me every time what she can do. She was a little green coming to the quarter pole today. She shied and drifted out so I shook her up right there and she responded. It’s a good thing that Pete puts me to work on her because you get to know what she’s capable of doing. He’s confident in what we wanted to do with her. She’s a tremendous filly.”

TRAINER QUOTES

JOCKEY QUOTES

JOCKEY QUOTES

RAFAEL BEJARANO, CARACORTADO, WINNER: “I knew I had a lot of horse so I didn’t want to use him too early. I just tried to follow instructions from the trainer. He told me before the race to wait, and as soon as I crossed the dirt that I would have a good turn of foot from the horse. He said not to go too early and just wait for one big run. As soon as I closed the door my horse was flying. This is the first horse that I’ve rode that has this kind of finishing speed. He showed me a big kick. It was unbelievable.”

TRAINER QUOTES

JOCKEYS

GARRETT GOMEZ, MIZDIRECTION, WINNER: “My horse broke running and she got up on her feet right away. I didn’t expect to have any horses in front of me because I didn’t feel like there was that much speed. I thought maybe O’Neill’s filly (Separate Forest) and Marty’s filly (Unzip Me) would show the most speed and I’d be somewhere right behind them.

JOCKEY QUOTES

ALONSO QUINONEZ, CHIPS ALL IN, WINNER: “My horse was just galloping around there. I knew the leader (Champions Gate) was going really easy, so I didn’t want him to get the jump on me. I knew Gomez (on Sheer Talent) was right behind me going to the far turn and I didn’t want to let him push me out, so I had to hold my position. When we turned for home, he put himself in the race and when I hit him left-handed, he re-broke.