Explanations And Excuses: Kentucky Oaks Trainers React In Race Aftermath

Kenny McPeek, Thorpedo Anna, winner: “She was a bear today. She has been training great and when I saw Brian (Hernandez) had the race in control I thought she could do it. It’s just so amazing to finally win this race. We’ve been close for a long time but it’s a great feeling to get it done.

Bill Mott, Just F Y I, runner-up: “I had a great trip. I didn’t have any excuses. My filly broke a little funny from the outside post but we got as good a trip as you could possibly ask for. I mean he got her tucked in, she was in position leaving the five-sixteenths pole to win. It looked like we had that filly (Thorpedo Anna) on our radar. It looked like she could probably catch her from there and the other filly just didn’t back up.”

Chad Brown, Regulatory Risk, third, Ways and Means, Fourth: “The winner was making the fractions and she was a deserving winner. (Ways and Means) just couldn’t’ keep up. Talking to Tyler (Gaffalione) after the race he said he liked the trip. She was in the clear out of trouble and they were going fast but she’s a fast horse. I don’t think that had anything to do with it. When we shipped Regulatory Risk here she turned a lot of eyes. The horse breezed so good up in New York we made the decision to take the blinkers off and relax her. She really ran super and mission accomplished with her. We were trying to get third. And for a moment there at the quarter pole looking at the fractions, I’m thinking could she inherit, sort of, this win with a pace collapse? That wasn’t to be. But she did run great.”

Ian Wilkes, Into Champagne, seventh: “She ran a big race. I’m very happy. She was in position to make a move but she couldn’t go that far. I’m going to back up to one turn and go from there.”

Val Brinkerhoff, Where’s My Ring, 10^th: “She didn’t break and I know for sure she didn’t like the track today.”

Steve Asmussen, Our Pretty Woman, 11^th: “She had a wide trip. She was asked to cover more ground than she was capable of but she came back fine.”

Brad Cox, Tarifa, ninth, Gin Gin, 12^th: “No excuses. Not good enough today.”

Todd Pletcher, Leslie’s Rose, 13^th: “Our filly didn’t care for the sloppy conditions at all. But she came back in good order.”

Bo Yates, Fiona’s Magic, 14^th: “Not too sure what happened out there. Bummer.”