Blue Norther Stakes

BLUE NORTHER STAKES QUOTES

JOCKEY QUOTES

BRICE BLANC, GIZA GODDESS, WINNER: “I was a little worried because she was leaning on horses today. She’s still a little green but she’s got a ton of potential. I’ve had the chance to ride her on the grass in all three of her most recent starts and she keeps improving every time. I think there’s more potential. She still doesn’t know exactly what she’s supposed to do and that’s what happened today when I passed Rafael. She started to lean a little bit and went on. It was enough to look a little tight.

“That’s what you have with young horses when they’re still not mature. When you pass other horses you have those waves that happen. I’m glad that she kept to her task and finished nicely. I’m really excited about her.

“This is a great way to finish up the year.  This filly has a lot of talent.  She was a little green, being here at Santa Anita for the first time in the afternoon, but she finished great.  To be honest, I lost (the mount on) a couple nice horses over the summer, so it’s really nice to have this filly going into the New Year.”

TRAINER QUOTES

JOHN SHIRREFFS, GIZA GODDESS, WINNER: “I think switching to the turf is what has moved her up. It’s made all the difference with this filly.  It was nice to be able to run back again at a mile, but beating maidens is one thing and beating winners is another.

“After a maiden win you always wonder how they’re going to do against winners. This was a big step up for her and in her last race, she had the outside post so she had to hustle to get to the lead. I was wondering if she’d settle well today, and she did.”

WAS HE NERVOUS DURING THE INQUIRY?  “You’re always anxious during these. Brice said she leaned in, but the other filly wasn’t going anywhere.”