Turf quotes

Frankie Dettori (jockey, Red Rocks, 1st) – “That was a crazy pace. I knew they couldn’t keep up that pace. They were going ridiculously fast. I decided to let them fight it out and then come at them. I rode him stone dead out of the back. I knew they had to stop. I took him wide in the straight. He kicked and I felt the other horse on the outside and I had to ride him a bit. It’s been a fabulous Breeders’ Cup.”

Brian Meehan (trainer, Red Rocks, 1st) – “It’s just a culmination of a lot of hard work. It’s a marvelous feeling, and a marvelous achievement for out whole operation. Frankie (Dettori) rode a wonderful race. We probably started thinking about this race after the Great Voltigeur. They went really quick (up front). I was a little concerned down the back (stretch), but once they got to the bottom turn (far), I thought Frankie had them well covered, and I knew if the horse was right, he would finish.”

Ramon Dominguez (jockey, Better Talk Now, 2nd) – “He really tried hard. He won this race two years ago and at the eighth-pole the winner tried to run away from us and he (Better Talk Now) picked it up again. He really wanted to win.”

H. Graham Motion (trainer, Better Talk Now, 2nd) – “Tough day at the office! He ran huge. He’s so game this horse. Everyone had written him off. This is not a fluke. He’s just that good. We finally got what we needed. We got pace. We got the distance. We got a great ride. I’m very emotional. I just finished second in two Breeders’ Cup races. I never would have imagined being disappointed with two seconds in the Breeders’ Cup, but I am.”

John Velazquez (jockey, English Channel, 3rd) – “He was in a tough post (10), but that wasn’t the problem. I had a beautiful trip. He kept getting hit by the horse inside of him and that made him a little rank. He kept throwing his head around and once he did that, it was going to be hard to win.”

Todd Pletcher (trainer, English Channel, 3rd and Icy Atlantic, 11th) – “They both ran well. English Channel had an outside post (10) and he had to take the overland route. He ran hard, like he always does. Icy Atlantic did his job.”

Rafael Bejarano (jockey, Rush Bay, 4th) – “Everything went well. We were following the three (Icy Atlantic) and I was just waiting. When I asked him turning for home, he responded well. We just got beat by better horses.

Michael Kinane (jockey, Scorpion, 5th) – “He got in a little tight on the inside and without that, he might have run on a little bit better. It was a pretty good performance for just his second start in a year. You could see there was a lot of improvement there.

Christophe Soumillon (jockey, Hurricane Run, 6th) – “He really likes a long stretch and when I asked him to kick it in, he did not really respond as he has in the past.”

Alex Solis (jockey, T. H. Approval, 8th) – “He was making a good run along the inside but when we got to the top of the stretch, the footing was just getting away from him. He was just never comfortable.”

Edgar Prado (jockey, Cacique, 10th) – “He was in a good spot, but the difference today was he was more keen and pulling me. He never relaxed. I took him to the outside on the backside, but he pulled me every step of the way.”

This is jockey Frankie Dettori’s second Breeders’ Cup victory of the day, having captured the Filly & Mare Turf aboard Ouija Board.

Note in the Breeders’ Cup Mile: Winning jockey Eddie Castro became the youngest jockey to win a Breeders’ Cup race. The 21-year-old Panamanian was born April 10, 1985.