Thursday, October 22, 2009
$125,000 Sycamore (G3)
Rosemary Homeister Jr. (rider of winner Cloudy’s Knight)
“First, I just want to thank (trainer) Jonathan Sheppard. He’s just amazing; a master of the turf, and (I want to thank co-owner) Shirley Schwartz. She just had so much confidence in Jonathan and in her horse.
“Going into the race, Jonathan said, ‘You know how to ride him. Just break, sit and just try to make one big run.’ At the eighth pole, I thought I might be second or third. When Ramon Dominguez’s horse (Winchester) headed him, he just took off with him. He’s very game, aggressive, and he handled the turf course perfect.
“This is my first win at Keeneland.”
Jonathan Sheppard (trainer of winner Cloudy’s Knight)
On winning second stakes race at 1 ½ miles with the gelding, who had not previously raced in a year
“You can’t go without the horse. He’s quite something. He’s an amazing animal, he really is. He’s absolutely huge, got a great stride. He’s got a great stride, and Rosemary seems to have a great rapport with him. All of this came together at the right time.”
Ramon Dominguez (rider of runner-up and beaten favorite Winchester)
“I had a great trip up until the sixteenth pole. The winner made some contact with me and also was leaning on my horse. I felt like my horse didn’t really get a fair shot the last 50 yards or so.”
James Lopez (rider of fourth-place finisher Timeless Fashion)
“(Trainer Thomas Drury Jr.) told me just to ease him back and get him to settle as much as I could. He did that for me. When it was time to run, he did that for me. He laid it down for me. He’s a classy horse, and he’s going to do whatever you call on him to do.”