Following is a collection of quotes from riders and trainers of each of the six non-winning entries in Saturday's Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico Race Course, won by National Treasure.
Trainer Chad Brown (Blazing Sevens, 2nd): “I did not want to be in the middle of the racetrack the whole way, but I don't think Irad (Ortiz Jr.) had much choice. The horse just got a very, very wide trip and he came up just short. I think the amount of ground lost probably cost him. I was a little worried because he was so wide the whole way. I thought maybe it might take the starch out of him a little bit, and it did. He had the outside post and I think Irad made the best decisions that he could. I don't see what he could have done differently.
“The winner showed a lot of heart to battle back so you have to give him credit. The pace was slow. I knew the race was void of speed, but I thought he would have a little bit more pressure. He was coming into the race as good as possible, and I am very proud of his effort. The horse really showed up today. We have won this race a couple of times and we have had really good trips. Today we did not have quite the trip we wanted. It goes both ways. That's horse racing.”
Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. (Blazing Sevens, 2nd): “He ran great. He tried so hard. He fought all the way to the wire. The key was John slowed the pace down the backside. Just could not get by him at the end.”
Gustavo Delgado Jr, assistant to trainer Gustavo Delgado (Mage, 3rd): “The pace was hard to … Don't take anything from the winner. They beat us. That's it. He ran a good race to be third. If you take him farther back (off a slow pace), the closer, maybe he doesn't respond. No speed in the race…. The horses in front were going easy. Those horses, you don't beat them (with that pace). They always fight. They fight when they go fast; imagine when they go so slow. They rebreak.
“We took the shot; it was worth the shot, and we got beat.
“He's lightly raced; we'll see how he comes back. We'll regroup, take our time and see what's next to him. Nobody is going to take the Derby from him.”
Jockey Javier Castellano (Mage, 3rd): “The pace. There was not much speed in the race. The way it developed, the way it unfolded, it was a disadvantage for the horses coming from behind. I liked my trip, I had a beautiful trip. I liked where I was. I didn't want to be too far back because I knew there would not be a lot of speed in the race. Unfortunately, they went slow, and I could not catch those horses. He broke so well out of the gate; this was the best break he has had in a long, long time. He put himself in good position and followed every step along the way. I don't think there was any excuse. We had a beautiful dream trip. We stalked behind those two horses, saved all the ground on the first turn, and when I asked him from the quarter pole, I could not catch those horses. And my horse responded very well. Those other two horses opened up and the race was over. Absolutely, I expected to win today. I was not disappointed in my horse. Mage is a really good horse.”
Trainer Steve Asmussen (Red Route One, 4th): “No pace first time by. Joel did all he could. He obviously recognized they were crawling and put him in the race as best he could. But he just was steady to the wire. He looks like he's cooling out well and will most likely go on to the Belmont from here. It appears he stays all day.”
(Thoughts about the winner) “They went by the first time; they were so within themselves it wasn't ideal for us.”
Jockey Joel Rosario (Red Route One, 4th): “John Velazquez did a great job slowing down the pace. My horse ran good. He came running at the end, but it was just too slow a pace for us to catch the front-runners.”
Trainer Ed Moger Jr. (Chase the Chaos, 5th): “He tried really hard. I thought they were going pretty slow up front. We were last, so it didn't set up very good for him. The rider (Sheldon Russell) liked him and said he tried all the way around there. There was no pace to run at.”
Jockey Sheldon Russell (Chase the Chaos, 5th): “He gave me a great ride. Obviously, there was no pace in the race. He relaxed nicely after the first turn. I was traveling well at the half-mile pole. All he needed was some pace. Once they kicked away it was over.”
Trainer Shug McGaughey (Perform, 6th): “I'm disappointed in the way he ran. The pace wasn't that good. He was in a good position down the backside, he just wasn't able to finish.”
Jockey Feargal Lynch (Perform, 6th): “We had a good trip. We went slowly, and then it turned into a sprint. We followed Mage, which is exactly what I wanted to do. Johnny V. is an MVP for a reason.”
Trainer John Salzman Jr. (Coffeewithchris, 7th): “The track seemed a little deeper to me than I was expecting. Jaime said he was fine. He was going down the backstretch and he was right where he wanted him to be. At the three-eighths pole he just sort of folded up on him. He didn't give him his kick. It looks like he came back good. I have no excuse. We'll just have to lighten the load and find a better spot for him.”
Jockey Jaime Rodriguez (Coffeewithchris, 7th): “He broke good. We wanted to stalk the leader. On the backside we moved outside to keep my position. Once we got to the three-eighths pole, we couldn't keep up. John Velazquez stole the race down the backside when he slowed down the pace.”
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