Friday, October 23, 2009
John Velazquez (jockey of winner Bluegrass Princess)
“It (the turf course) is very soft, but she’s been on the (yielding) ground before. We knew she could get a good hold of it. She’s been knocking on the doors; she’s been in tough races, and she’s always coming and coming. Today, finally she got it together and went on away from the group. I think the whole thing with her is to let her do her thing and hopefully when she passes horses she’ll keep going on. In the past, she’d get next to the horses and kind of hang with the horses. Today she ran away and ran the way I thought she could.”
Neal McLaughlin (brother of and assistant to winning trainer Kiaran McLaughlin)
On saddling another Keeneland stakes winner for his brother
“He’s a busy man up in New York, and I enjoy coming out on this grass winner’s circle. So we’ll leave him at home up there.”
On Bluegrass Princess’ winning performance
“She’s had some great races, but hadn’t gotten her head in front on the turf. She’s won twice on the Poly. When I saw the weather forecast today, I was kinda hoping (the race) might come off (the turf course). She loved the ground today, and Johnny gave her a great ride.”
James Graham (jockey of runner-up Single Solution)
“I had a perfect trip. The ground got away from her a little bit, but she did everything I asked her to do, finished up strong. Johnny (Velazquez on winner Bluegrass Princess) got away from me a little earlier than I wanted him to, but that happens in horse racing.”
Rajiv Maragh (rider of third-place finisher Kiawah Cat)
“She broke from the gate good and got good position. I was traveling with a lot of horse. At the top of the lane, I kicked her out for her to make her run and she gave me her best effort.”