130TH BELMONT STAKES

June 6, 1998

Bob Baffert

Kent Desormeaux

BOB BAFFERT: Well, I feel, like I said, it's another letdown, but I know it was a great loss. We got to clear all the way to the wire. That's what made -- last year I knew we were beat like 50 yards. Everything fell apart. People came for a great horse race. That's what horse racing is. It's an entertainment sport. We wanted to win so bad or everything. I feel worst for Mike Pegram. It's a thing I'll be fortunate to have a lot of nice horses get back here some day. For guys like him, it's too hard to find one like this. Hard to get one for the Derby. That's why I feel bad. I didn't think I would be back last year. Here I am. Hopefully, next year, like to talk to you again. But after the losing trainer, it's one of those things. They hit the wire. That horse, they weren't going that fast when I saw the fractions. He made that big move. That's that horse's style. Lot of people, they're going take say he moved too early. That's that horse's style. You cannot take that away from that horse. That's the way he won all the other races. He put in his run. He flattened out at the end. The Fish floundered, that's it. Kent did it job. He didn't fall apart. I thought he rode a great race. Gary Stevens' horse fired. Only two horses. That's the way it was. It was one of those things. This year I could taste it. At the eighth pole, I thought we're home free. I could tell Kent's riding. He was on the horse. You know that horse dug in. I mean, the Fish really dug in. So, maybe, you know, maybe the blinkers, had those blinkers on, that might of have cost it, didn't see the horse coming at the end. I'm not going to look back. That horse was ready to run. He got beat, that was it. That's it.

BOB BAFFERT: We talk about it every day. That's the horse we got to beat. Preakness, that was the horse to beat. Gary got to know him the last time. They tried to beat us to that run like that. Today you don't understand. This is a pressure race. These jockeys, what they go through. Kent, believe me, the pressure was on him today, moving the horse, going to steal away. It's going to go back. Maybe I should wait. Sometimes the horse wants to go you hold him back. He's not going to have that same punch. I'm not going to second guess. I told this to Gary, told Kent, whatever you do, win, lose or draw, when the race is over, it's over. We don't talk about it. I never talked about Gary after their loss last year. We don't even bring it up. It's one of those things. He got beat. He's still a great rider, still two good horses. Those horses put on a great show. That's all you can ask for. They showed up. The fans, they had something to cheer for. When he turned for home in the lead, I wanted to cry. It's my voice. I'm not crying. It's just happened. One of those -- I was so emotional watching that horse come down the stretch, but you get beat, you get beat. You take it, don't look back.

BOB BAFFERT: First of all, it's so hard to watch a racer. It's so big. I need a monitor in my box the next time. I couldn't tell. I was watching the colors, you know get back. I'll get back and look at that thing. It was just one of those things, you know, and gees, I feel bad for them. They did a great job. They should be commended. They're the ones that fill this place up. They put it out there and, like I said, Mike Pegram, it was a hell of a role. You win the Derby, that's the prize. The Preakness it was gravy, and this we were going for history. The five million, he would have paid five million to buy a horse to do this. That has nothing to do with it. It's one of those things, he got to live with it. A lot of people can be in this business for a lot of years, and they don't get to enjoy it.

BOB BAFFERT: As a matter of fact, by the time he got there, I couldn't even be with him. I was in the box and the crowds. There must have been more people than last year. The crowds were really tough to get up here. He saw the race and Mike's the kind of guy that he just drifts off by his own and gets over it and, you know, so it's one of those things. I'm proud of my staff, my groom and everybody. We did a great job. We just got beat. It's just one of those things. You just gotta take it and get back, get my two-year-olds ready to have come back here next year. Eventually, I'm gonna win this thing.

BOB BAFFERT: That's the hardest part. That's the easiest part, to take care of all the media and everybody. It's great. The turf. All you riders, you're the ones that fill up the stands. You guys put great stuff out there. A lot saying, was he worthy of it? Whatever. Those two horses were good horses. You're going to hear about the horses down the road. You got a good rivalry going. Lot of people say it was a Triple Crown, even he hung on by the nose. He distanced the field. That's a sign of a good horse.

BOB BAFFERT: I never saw a monitor. I didn't see anything. I'm glad they didn't take him down, didn't want to see that.

KENT DESORMEAUX: ABC reported they talk, they were going to take him down. Had he won the race.

BOB BAFFERT: He was tired. He was beat and he just got caught and that's it. I mean, there's not a whole lot to say he ran his heart out.

BOB BAFFERT: He has hill holes. He could see. He was dead, he was tired, you know.

BOB BAFFERT: I thought he might have, the head bob. I sort of had that feeling for a little bit. Everyone around me said, you got the money. I even asked Lukas in front of me. I said, you think? He said, you got it. I didn't swallow it. I wasn't sure, went through with Cavonnier. I sort of felt what it was like winning the Triple Crown and it was a good feeling, but it doesn't beat the Derby. The Derby is the race to me. Like I said, it's something that it's great and, hopefully, we'll get it done some day and I just like to be back. I hope I can be back just to be in these races are getting. I think they're just the last years that I've been. These last two years have been unbelievable. Silver Charm, Real Quiet, Touch Gold, Free House, then we had Real Quiet, Victory Gallop, racing fans all over America. I'm sure, you know, but I mean, that's what our sport is about. The underdog came in. Two of these horses that came from, you know, humble beginnings. They turned out to beat all the last ones to stand. I think it's great for racing, and I just congratulate the winners. They did a great job, I just got beat fair and scare.

BOB BAFFERT: No, they were busy.

BOB BAFFERT: You know, what? Gary is such a competitive guy. He's the kind of guy, he goes to show you. Gary is a friend of mine, rides a lot of horses for me. A lot of people wereing asking, you're not going to ride Gary again? It has nothing to do with it, we just got beat.

BOB BAFFERT: Kent Desormeaux joins us.

BOB BAFFERT: By the way, your ride was good. You ran out of horse and that was my fault, should have put one more hard work into him. I should have worked him 2 miles.

KENT DESORMEAUX: Honestly, I think the whole world saw him gawk a little bit. Turning for home in Maryland. I think that it had worked in the past, and it seems like the right thing to do. But I know what happened three strides after the gate and he finally saw the horse in front of him and he back-seated me like the first two strides leaving the gate. I know it sounds like a cliche, I don't think he saw him coming. The moment change was too drastic, and I saw him coming and tried to show him to him. You know, it just didn't work out. I think the horse was three links the best and will probably do what it takes to make him see him coming in the future and this crowd will never beat him again.

KENT DESORMEAUX: No, he didn't. Anyhow, how about the crowd? Thanks. They said they would have taken your number down. What did I tell you? Do not get your number taken down?

KENT DESORMEAUX: I was trying to help Real Quiet see the horse that was closing, and I pulled his head out a little too hard, instead of just, you know, turning his head a little bit, he moved out of the path a little bit, and whatever, he did come out a little bit, and that's what the inquiry was about.

KENT DESORMEAUX: Yes, I did. I really did. When I was at the 1/4 pole and he was pricking his ears and saying, where did they go again? I really did taste it and that's what makes this so difficult, because you come so far and get so close, and then -- now, it's all gone. It's a tough pill to swallow.

KENT DESORMEAUX: Excuse me?

BOB BAFFERT: Tastes like shit.

KENT DESORMEAUX: Chris, the professional and pulled me aside. You're going to feel horrible for the next week. Don't worry about it. It is absolutely just another horse race. I was still a champion, don't worry about it. There will be more to come and yours has got its name on it down the -- he was consoling me.

BOB BAFFERT: Could I have the interest on that five million for a couple of weeks?

BOB BAFFERT: Let's give a hand to Carl for putting this on. He does a great job.

CARL PASCARELLA: CEO, VISA.

BOB BAFFERT: I have more expensive I horses.

A man of disappointment. He did not give away $5 million

CARL PASCARELLA: I think we had one heck of a run at it in the last two years. And Real Quiet ran like a champion. He ran like a champion today. We wanted nothing more than to write that $5 million check. The whole Baffert team, Kent, Bob, Mike Pegram, I think they've done so much for this industry. As you know, Bob and Beverly Lewis, Bob **Lasier it's been wonderful for us to be affiliated with this industry. It's done an awful lot for VISA. We hope we've been able to reciprocate to thoroughbred racing. It's a wonderful, wonderful sport. I don't think you get people. I don't care. The athletes that would give as much and leave as much on the track as Real Quiet and Victory Gallop did today.

KENT DESORMEAUX: I got what?

BOB BAFFERT: When you heard Stevens chuckling when he went by you.

KENT DESORMEAUX: I thought I was in trouble at the eighth pole. That's when I looked blck to see if maybe someone was coming, because my momentum was changing. It was starting to -- I know he was starting to slow down being lost on the lead, and I was afraid if there was someone aiming at a target and trying to catch it, they might just do that.

KENT DESORMEAUX: Perfectly. I folded into the first turn and him right between horses. He didn't get a grain of sand in his face, and down the backside, as they continued to slow it down even more, I just slowed down with him and when we got midway down the backside, I moved him to the outside. He started cantering. He was in an absolute canter. And as you saw him turn for home, he was full of run. He didn't have anymore targets.

KENT DESORMEAUX: He responds to a target and he'll have some in the future.

KENT DESORMEAUX: As easy as I was going, all I had to do was to rope anyone home. I wasn't worried about anybody in front of me. At that point, I think when he did make the lead I let him slow down and let him just gallop with the leaders. As you see him breeze up to the front runners, he's doing it under a canter and I slowed him down. How much easier now is he going? He galloped along for another 100 yards when he was eyeball-to-eyeball, when we straight and away, I pushed a button. He hit it. He hit it hard. He took off. After 70, 70 yards, there's nothing else to run for. He gawked a little bit on me. I do feel like it was a little bit premature. I would like to do it again, I can tell you that.

BOB BAFFERT: You got beat.

KENT DESORMEAUX: Yes, it is.

BOB BAFFERT: Got beat, got beat.

KENT DESORMEAUX: Somewhat, yes.

BOB BAFFERT: Not his fault. If he waited, that horse wouldn't have had that punch. That's his style. He did it. Last year I was devastated because Silver Charm did not see that horse. I know this horse, he ran his guts out last year. It's one of those things. Today, we just got beat. That's all there is to it. It wasn't him, horse just got beat. That's it.

BOB BAFFERT: They've been great to have me here. I've been lucky. It was a funny deal though. I was going up to the box, in a way. There's always a group of the hecklers down there waiting. They were pounding on the window and they had in the newspaper: Bob, not today. He saw that they were yelling, giving me this. Right, I go up and all of a sudden when my kids got there, my seven-year-old Forest says, hey, dad, these guys had a sign that said: "Not today." He was very worried. He did not like those guys. We just laughed about it.

CARL PASCARELLA: Absolutely. As I said, I don't think we can be affiliated with a greater industry or sport. As I said, I think that Real Quiet and Victory Gallop gave it everything they had today and it's wonderful. I think we all take a step back. Nobody, I think, makes any excuses. But we congratulate Elliott and Victory Gallop for the great job they did, and I think you just thank God if that's the right thing to do for a sport for having Silver Charm and Free House last year, as Bob said, and Victory Gallop and Real Quiet this year, who put on a tremendous show and just are true champions, both of them.

BOB BAFFERT: Come on, loser.