SANTA ANITA SPRINT 2015

JOCKEY QUOTES



RAFAEL BEJARANO, WILD DUDE, WINNER: “Well I knew Distinctiv Passion and Masochistic had the speed so I let them go and I knew Glacken Too would be the cheap speed so I let him go and I was only really concerned about the horse that was going to come from behind me, Kobe’s Back.

“I was waiting to make my own decision. I let him relax and let him finish like he has won before. The last time that he ran seven furlongs (Aug. 22 at Del Mar in the Grade II Pat O’Brien) he finished second and he still ran well but it wasn’t really his style. His style is to come from behind and make one run.

“He’s getting better and he’s been working great in the mornings.”

GARY STEVENS, KOBE’S BACK, SECOND: “Tough beat. He had way more energy today. The break today wasn’t pretty, but it wasn’t horrendous.”

WHEN ASKED IF HE’D LIKE TO RIDE THE HORSE IN THE BREEDERS’ CUP SPRINT: “I’d absolutely love to ride him. There’s gonna be a lot of horses and he likes that track (at Keeneland). The winner got the jump on me, but my horse was like Pac Man. He was eatin’ ‘em up late.”



TRAINER QUOTES


JERRY HOLLENDORFER, WILD DUDE, WINNER: “I saw the fractions a little late, but when I saw the 43 and change go up (43.93 for the half-mile), I thought we had a chance. Then I started thinking Kobe’s Back was going to close, too, and he did.

“I think we will (go on to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint) if he comes out of this good. Nobody knows right now when they’ll ship because of the weather conditions back there.”



RON ELLIS, MASOCHISTIC, FOURTH: “Well, he went a little too fast. Forty three and change is not his game really. He’s not a forty three and four horse really, so . . . ”

         

NOTES: The winning owners are Jerry Hollendorfer of Point Richmond, CA, and Green Smith Jr. of Bryan, Texas.