FRAN’S VALENTINE STAKES QUOTES

$100,000 FRAN’S VALENTINE STAKES QUOTES

JOCKEY QUOTES

KAZUSHI KIMURA, SNEAKER, WINNER: “She loves to get the lead, that is her style, but she stepped a little slow from the gate. That’s why I had to hustle a little bit from the gate to stay on the (rail). I was confident. Last time she finished well in the Grade 3, so she was ready today.”

TRAINER QUOTES

GEORGE PAPAPRODROMOU, SNEAKER, WINNER: “It set up well and she was well within herself. This was a very good race for her, but I thought her last race (third in the GIII Royal Heroine April 26) was just as good, maybe better. Tough competition. I’m very happy with her progression.
“We’ll take it day by day, see how she comes back and take it from there. We’ll probably try to stick with the Cal-breds, as much as we can, but I don’t see why she can’t win a graded stakes. She’s a nice filly, well bred (by Oscar Performance out of the Giant’s Causeway mare Lime Beach), all turf. What can I say? She’s improving every race. And it was nice to see Kaz get a stakes win.”

OWNER QUOTES

GAYLE VAN LEER, SNEAKER, WINNER: “I was a big fan of (sire) Oscar Performance and she was the second one that I bought. I didn’t like so much the fact that she has the white legs and the white face, I couldn’t sneak her out of the race. We are really proud, we believe in Cal-breds. This filly just really fit the R L Stable program and we are happy to be a winner today.”

NOTES: The winning owner is R L Stables. Sneaker was bred by Fountain of Youth Breeding, Inc.