My horse was getting a little bit tired. I was really asking him going to the quarter pole, but Alex was just cruising and we just couldn't quite make up that much ground. |
My horse was getting a little bit tired. They quickened at the half-mile pole and it looked like maybe Alex got a little breather around the turn. My horse is so big, I was really asking him going to the quarter pole, but Alex was just cruising and we just couldn't quite make up that much ground. |
She handled the track OK, but she wasn't skipping over it. I let her settle and took my time. I knew there was a lot of speed and when I dropped her in at the three-eighths pole, it was just a matter of finding a spot for her. I did and she did the rest. |
She wasn't quite all there for me today. She wanted to do too much early. If I could have kept her bottled up early on, she would have had some more punch for the lane. |
That's not the way I wanted the race to shape up. He was getting late, but so was everyone else from chasing him. |
The other morning I worked him and he didn't do anything wrong. I thought I went fast enough that as long as I had him going, I wouldn't give anyone a chance to even get close to him. |
There wasn't anybody going to beat Sinister Minister today. No one. Bob had him sharp and ready to roll, and he was much the best. … I thought I went fast enough that as long as I had him going, I might as well keep him going and not give anybody a chance to get close to him. |
This is icing on the cake. I couldn't ask for anything more. I feel like crying right now ... I wondered if I'd ever ride again. To be in this position, I can't explain it. |
This was the first time he was running against these kind of horses, and he had been off for a while. With the combination of the two, I really didn't know what to expect. He acted like he was getting a little tired at the top of the lane, but he switched leads and found another gear. |
To picture him doing what he just accomplished? No. From 5½ to a mile and an eighth in a short period of time and beat the kind of horses he did, that's asking a lot. |