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BREEDERS' CUP WORLD THOROUGHBRED CHAMPIONSHIPSNovember 1, 2014Alan CooperH. Graham MotionMaria NiarchosElectra NIarchosARCADIA, CALIFORNIA THE MODERATOR: Ladies and gentlemen, the winners of the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf is Main Sequence. On the left is Alan Cooper, the racing manager for Flaxman; of course, trainer Graham Motion. We have Maria Niarchos, and her niece, Electra, correct? Congratulations to you all. Graham, maybe I'll start with you and the usual question, if you could just take us through the running of the race from your perspective? GRAHAM MOTION: Quite honestly, I couldn't believe how well everything worked out. He broke a little better today than he has done. Johnny had him in great position coming down the hill, which I thought was important, and I didn't want him to lose too much ground. Everything just set up beautifully. You know, he didn't have to move too soon. He didn't have to lose too much ground on either turn. When he started making that last move around the turn, I felt pretty confident, to be honest, that he was going to get there. THE MODERATOR: He did go a little wide, though. Take us from the top of the stretch. GRAHAM MOTION: I wasn't overly concerned about that. He's done that before. He needs to get into that right, and once he gets rolling, he's tough to beat every time. THE MODERATOR: Once again, when he did get the lead, it looked like he might have waited on the other horse a little bit. Johnny had to give him a little bit. GRAHAM MOTION: Yeah, perhaps a little bit. When I watched the rerun again, he was still drawing off in the end. THE MODERATOR: His tendency to just make these close races, I don't think he's won by more than a neck since he's been with him. GRAHAM MOTION: No, but that's all it takes. For a horse to win four Group 1s in a row, that is pretty remarkable. THE MODERATOR: Could you tell us the story of how he came to you? I know the previous trainer is the one who had recommended that he come to the States. If you could tell us why that was and why it seemed like the states might be good? GRAHAM MOTION: Yeah, Adam might be able to explain better. But David had suggested that he lost his form a little bit, and perhaps sending him to America would ‑‑ a change of scenery would really help him. It certainly did the trick, and David deserves a lot of credit for that. THE MODERATOR: Alan, do you care to comment on that? How did Main Sequence end up here? ALAN COOPER: Graham is absolutely right. David thought that the change of scenery for him having a regular routine on the same training track every day would be good for the horse. He was second in Epsom Derby to Camelot. He lost his way a little bit as a 4‑year‑old. We gelded him. They just didn't quite bounce back to the top form in his 3‑year‑old career. But he's still got some‑‑ if you look back through the paper, there is some very good form there. David and Graham have a great synergy of teamwork, and they've both communicated a lot about the horse. Animal Kingdom stayed with David when he came to England, and I think that teamwork factor has been very much a part of the key to today's success and the previous three successes. THE MODERATOR: This is the fifth Breeders' Cup win for Flaxman Holdings. Maria, if you could just comment on. MARIA NIARCHOS: Sixth. THE MODERATOR: Sixth, sorry. Thank you. GRAHAM MOTION: Who is counting, right? THE MODERATOR: Yeah, who is counting. If you could comment on your impressions of the race as well as what this win means to you. MARIA NIARCHOS: This win means a lot because, as you know, we bred the stallion, Aldebaran, and we also bred the mare. So this is a kind of pure family homebred horse. And the good teamwork between David and Graham makes it unique to see how teamwork works. I'm overwhelmed and would like to thank everyone here. And I'm very glad that my family was here, my children, and my nieces and nephew, because they're the future of the sport, and we've got to get the young interested. Thank you very much. THE MODERATOR: Graham, there are a few interesting stories with your riders here. Rajiv was out and not able to make the race. If you could talk about Rajiv and also Johnny, not just his ride today, but this is a significant win for him since he was injured here a year ago? GRAHAM MOTION: Yeah, I think the way Rajiv rode this horse up until now, he never made a mistake, and he was the one that suggested earlier this week we have a conference call. Johnny, the three of us got together, and we just really talked and hashed out all his little idiosyncrasies, and I think it really helped for today. I think Rajiv, again, has been a big team player. He's a jockey I admire a lot. This time a year ago, I was sitting about two miles away from here in the hospital with Johnny Velazquez who was in critical condition, so it's quite a turn of events. THE MODERATOR: Indeed it was. This is a significant milestone for you as well. Ten years ago, you won your first Breeders' Cup Race, the Breeders' Cup Turf at Lone Star Park with Better Till Now. In light of winning today, reflect on these last ten years and how far you've come in a short time? GRAHAM MOTION: Yeah, Better Till Now is the horse that put me on the map. He was the reason I was able to attract horses from Europe, perhaps. And when you start winning Breeders' Cup Races, that puts you at a different level. I'm just so fortunate to train for Maria and the family. I grew up watching their horses run as a kid. It was something that was a name that was very special. I think when I first started training for them, quite honestly, I had to pinch myself. It's amazing. I just can't say enough about this horse. What he's accomplished in a very short space of time here is remarkable. THE MODERATOR: What do you we think the future holds for Main Sequence? GRAHAM MOTION: Obviously, we'll all talk about it. I'm not in a big rush to do anything with him. We've been invited to go to Japan. That's on the table. We've been invited to go to Hong Kong. There is a pretty nice race in Dubai in March. So there are a lot of options, I think. THE MODERATOR: Alan, any impressions or maybe talk about the future? ALAN COOPER: Well, I think Graham has summed it up very well. Those are the immediate options, and Graham has good international experience, so Graham will be the good advisor on that. THE MODERATOR: Electra, we haven't gotten a comment from you. Tell us about your experience here at the Breeders' Cup and what did you think today? ELECTRA NIARCHOS: It's exceptional. It's great to have a winner here, and especially the Breeders' Cup that attracts so many people. I mean, he really proved himself because he didn't just beat the Americans but the Europeans, so he really proved himself above everyone else, so it's an honor. THE MODERATOR: That's an excellent point I forgot to bring up. Could you talk about the success of the American horses on the turf? Just this whole weekend, the American based horses? GRAHAM MOTION: Yeah, the Americans have done very well. I've got to say, I guess I need to start putting his name out there, because I didn't want to talk about it before the race, but I think he should be Turf Horse of the Year perhaps. But I didn't want to talk about it before the race, but I think what he's accomplished here is incredible, and he deserves strong consideration for that. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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