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BREEDERS' CUP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

November 2, 2018

Churchill Downs, Louisville, Kentucky

THE MODERATOR: We're back live in the interview circle. Can I just ask you gentlemen to scoot over one seat each. We're joined on the left by, obviously, jockey William Buick, and on the right by the trainer of Line of Duty, Charles Appleby. Charles, congratulations. These Breeders' Cup races, obviously, far too easy for you. This is your third win in just five starters at the Breeders' Cup, a remarkable percentage. What, other than tremendous good luck, can you chalk up your success here at the Breeders' Cup to?

CHARLES APPLEBY: I think it's something we sort of stated right from the get-go, me being in the very fortunate position I am is just bringing the right horses. To do all this traveling, you don't come all the way over here for the fun of it. I was very fortunate the first season with Outstrip winning, and we purposely didn't turn up for two years because we didn't have the right horse.

I was confident in this horse. In his last start there, when he won in Chantilly, we both spoke immediately afterwards and said he's probably got the right profile to come here and be very competitive. He's a neat horse, and he seems to enjoy getting squeezed up there and being in the battle. I think all those attributes have come to the fore today, along with William's great ride (indiscernible) two people said, he's far enough off the pace with the fractions.

Knowing the horse, one thing we knew, he was going to stay strong to the line, and that's what he did. It's great for the team, and great for Godolphin.

THE MODERATOR: William and Charles have been joined by Hugh Anderson, the managing director of Godolphin stable. Congratulations, Hugh.

Charlie, you won this race a year ago for Charles. So congratulations on Breeders' Cup victory number two for you. Can you take us through the trip and expand on what may have been noteworthy incidents, either in deep stretch or at the top of the stretch just leaving the final turn?

WILLIAM BUICK: Yeah, I mean, obviously, this year at the Breeders' Cup, the turf, the grand way turf is riding is playing a big part today, and it might still do tomorrow. So our horses by rule they jump slower than the American horses, but this horse, he really jumped well and gathered his stride very quickly. I was in a position where I didn't have a cover for my horse, and I was too close to the pace. So I had to just rein him back and restart the race and just get him in a rhythm where we were going forward gradually and doing it more gradually because he's a horse that when he hits his top gait, he's got a good turn of foot, like I showed.

To be able to do that, he had to work harder, and he had to -- you know, it wasn't straightforward for him at all. That's another sort of plus point to his performance really. Credit to the horse. Of course, when you pull that in the stretch, and he just slightly hung right, he just got a bit lonely where he was and lost concentration for the stride. The combination of the outside horses slightly coming out as well, but it was sort of late in the race. When he quickened, he really put the race to bed. He was very strong at the line.

I was impressed with his performance. It was a very mature performance from a young horse.

THE MODERATOR: Very much so. William, I assume you were talking to the stewards at some point. They wanted your take on the situation. Were they asking you just about the bump at the end or about the top of the stretch?

WILLIAM BUICK: They asked me about both. At the top of the stretch, I was riding the hedge, and I had a horse on my outside, and I mean, that's how I recalled it. That's how I read the situation. And they obviously agreed. And the bump late on, I thought that was a case of that being a 50-50 situation, and it was so late in the race, it was sort of right under the wire. So that didn't make any difference to any of the results.

THE MODERATOR: Mr. Anderson, I'll ask you a two-part question. One, can you share with us your nerves during what, even by American standards, it was a fairly long inquiry process? And also, had you had a chance to communicate with Sheikh Mohammed and tell us what this win means for Godolphin?

HUGH ANDERSON: Answering the first question, it was a long wait, and I guess we got a bit more nervous as the time went by. Someone helpfully mentioned the dam of this colt, Jacqueline Quest, and the story of her and the Guineas a few years ago, so that made us even more nervous. Actually, looking at it, William's explained it much more clearly than I can, it was clear the bump at the end was pretty late in the race.

So we were just absolutely thrilled, and there's a lot of people here who put their heart and soul into Godolphin, and we're just so pleased to see this particular team, Charlie and William, who have really had the most brilliant year on top of a very good year for the whole organization.

I haven't spoken to Sheikh Mohammed. It's the middle of the night in Dubai. I'm sure that Charlie will be in touch before long. I'm sure he'll be thrilled. We've had four 2-year-old winners in the last six or seven weeks in Ireland, France, and now here. I think that's a testament to what a great year we're coming. Still got tomorrow, still got the Melbourne Cup, still got more races in Australia. So it's been a wonderful 2018, and well done to these two and well done to his highness.

Q. Charlie, you run a future Derby winner in this race last year. It was a very strong staying performance out there. Would you say this horse has been aimed at that sort of race next year as you start campaigning?
CHARLES APPLEBY: He's a horse that, you know, stepping off he's hopefully going to see improvement. To be brutally honest, it's a bit early to be putting out those sort of potential races to look at. But he's got -- you know, he's out of -- he might have been disqualified, but he's out of a Group 1 there and obviously out of Galileo. Obviously, going into this race, we felt he'd do his best work towards the end. That's one thing I said, was put William up in the saddle, and this will take us out and beyond.

These races for sure, they're going to be up there as races. Hopefully, we're making entries for them and looking at that into the spring. I suppose on the back of this race, I suppose I don't have to be taken before we come out to Dubai, but go down the alabaster here like we did with (indiscernible). He's an exciting colt to have around, and it's sort of reiterating what Hugh Anderson said there. It's great for the team. It's great for Sheikh Mohammed. We all know how much he puts into this game. With William and the team behind us, we're all very fortunate to be in this business, to be able to deliver the goods.

Q. Charlie, would you say this is an especially brave young horse, just having watched his races, even the last time too -- and you can answer too, if you want, William. Just he came between horses there, I thought really bravely, through a small hole. And he did some things today, he just seems like a horse with an unusual amount of courage. I wonder if you could speak to that.
CHARLIE APPLEBY: I'm sure William could answer better than I can as the rider. That's one of the attributes we noticed with this horse early on in his career. He sort of enjoyed tightening up. If he's got half a gap, he'll go for it. William would be better to answer those questions. I'm just a viewer.

WILLIAM BUICK: He's very brave, like you've seen. Even on his third start at good wood, he -- I did my best to try to confuse the horse as much as I possibly could, and that wasn't by design. It was a tricky race, and he ducked on the inside, and when he won his race, he's a high-class horse, he's a very good horse.

Today was a good one because we always felt he was a Group 1 horse in the making. Today with everything, he proved he was the best horse in the race.

THE MODERATOR: Well, it was Breeders' Cup win number 2 for William Buick, Breeders' Cup win number 3 for Charlie Appleby, and Breeders' Cup number 8 for Godolphin. Congratulations on a very exciting performance and victory today by Line of Duty. Thank you very much.

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