BREEDERS' CUP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

October 25, 2003

Julie Krone

Richard Mandella

Alain Wertheimer

JULIE KRONE: Well, I mentioned to Chris earlier about the power that she has in her stride and how, for a big horse, she can quicken so easily and then come back to your hands and like relax. Richard, and especially the other people that get on the horses, teach the horses these habits. And it made my job so easy because she leapt out of the gate with such strength that she put me in 6 paths at least, which put me in the 4 path. And we spoke briefly about where we wanted to be, let the speed build. And we would be very happy being four wide. From then on I can honestly say that I did a lot more pulling than I did pushing. Each time someone like pegged her she's done what she's done in the past, and just keeps at that, tenaciously replying to every question I ask her. Like can we go a little bit more, can we go a little bit more? And turning for home, she put her ears straight up and went like this, and I said it earlier and it made some people chuckle, but she was kind of like, when are we going to start running? And I was like, by then, I said, you can be as cool as you want, but I said, okay, now would be nice. And that's when I started pushing on her and she kind of messed around like holding the horses off. She has a concept of the stretch and what it's for. Once again, they taught her that. She turned for home and just was holding the horses off. And as I was riding her, she put an ear back and one up and whenever somebody came to her, she kept pulling with this beautiful tremendous stride. And Respective Roughian, we have nicknamed her that from the very beginning. We can only say that behind Richard's back. That's what I was calling her. I said, "Thank you, Roughian". So she's just amazing. You can see her there actually put her ears up and I said, no, no, don't do that today. This is very serious. (Laughter.) Look at those beautiful ears. Look at them.

RICHARD MANDELLA: Honestly, as Julie said, we spoke that we would be relieved if we were only four or five wide in the first turn. I think she's an exceptional filly. I think she can be four, five wide and still get the job done. She did that today. I was just glad that nobody was in her way or taking up or having something silly happen. We were a little wide and that was the worst of it. And I think that's pretty lucky today.

RICHARD MANDELLA: I don't want to talk about it. (Laughter.)

ALAIN WERTHEIMER: I think that's a little different. KOTASHAAN we knew it was the end, because he was gone after that. There it's different, it's the beginning of something. When you have racing horses basically you always live in the hope of something to come. And in this case, that's already arrived. If the career would stop there it would be fantastic. The hope of the 3 years old and the 4 years old with a filly like that is really great. If she keeps healthy and sane, we will have a great time.

JULIE KRONE: Well, that's an interesting question stepping back from my life. But when you're me, I stay so much in the moment and the everyday, the everyday of being around the race horses. One morning we were in the barn when I was galloping for Richard before I came back. And it was like 4:30, 4:30, 5. I might have been a little late.

RICHARD MANDELLA: Most likely.

JULIE KRONE: So Richard looked around at his help and he had the same people that had worked for him for years and he said, "Can you believe these people come here and do this every day?" And the sweetness of the victory is to wake up every day and doing something that was just so fun and sharing a relationship with thoroughbreds. And when you even go back to the beginning like when he just spoke of what it's like to breeze her the first time and to wake up the next time she breezes and think this is a possibility. And then to travel this whole distance with her. That's the sweetest victory is to enjoy your life and your job every day. There's no way to consider one single day in your life as compared to doing something that you love so much and sharing a relationship with the special necessary of the thorough bread.

RICHARD MANDELLA: I don't know if you would call it strategy per se. I didn't want Julie to ride her for me. I wanted her to ride her for herself and Halfbridled. But we realized that there was a lot of speed inside of us. None outside. (Laughter.) And a few of them, one filly came out of a 44 hat from Laurel and they looked like they would just blitz off. And we figured that that would spread the field out quickly. And that we may be lucky and slide over and see if we could find a path that was four wide, maybe five at the most. And if we had that, we felt like we would be in good shape.

ALAIN WERTHEIMER: First time I saw the horse was as a yearling. And as a foal. And since I didn't see her again, except today. Or on TV. On computers, in fact. Not on TV.

ALAIN WERTHEIMER: She was raised in Lexington. She was raised in the farm that we own in Kentucky.

ALAIN FRERE: It's called Haggard Farm.

RICHARD MANDELLA: She has from the start. I've said many times the first time I saw her, she struck me just that I had the same feeling just looking at her the first time. Which I'm sure I'm not alone. I'm sure most people that have looked at her have the same feeling. It's like somebody left a gift on my doorstep. She's never been a problem. She's responded to everything we have ever asked her to do. It's really been a very easy journey from training her as a 2 year old into this point. I can only thank Mr. Wertheimer so much.

JULIE KRONE: Richard said something the other morning when the press commented on her slow breathing and he was off by himself and he said, "Don't wake the sleeping giant", he said.

JULIE KRONE: Well at the risk of being redundant I can only say that every day is what I enjoy. And just the breakthrough theme, I think fortunately for me my feelings personally are that there's no barriers or no doubts of any of my abilities on horses. It's a compliment, just like it would be to any rider. And I thanked him just for sitting on her back is such an honor I said, just because of her greatness and how I feel. That she's just one of the best 2 year olds I ever sat on in my life. Just from the first time I ever breezed her. I came back to the barn and I said to Becky, "This is amazing". And she goes, "We know. Just be quiet." And I just left the barn and everybody was quiet. And so the significance isn't isolated I don't feel anyway at this point. Just fortunately I've been healthy and been on the top 10 riding list of all the riders in California. That's the main thing just to be a consistent rider every day. It's nice to be pegged as a money rider. I wouldn't mind that. But just the consistency of every day is the most important thing in this game. It's a unique business. People put in 14 hour workdays. It's just part of the every day and just extra special thing that a filly like this came into my life.

JULIE KRONE: Oh, yes. Oh, positively. Even at the half mile pole when she kept pulling me I was just like, oh, and at the 3/8ths pole I had to peak back because I didn't want to move her too early because I know that she's so aware of what she's supposed to accomplish. So when she kept responding, I kept thinking, "Oh, boy, oh, boy", like this. And yes, I was very relieved. Everybody is. Now I'll get a little bit unrelieved and start over again and hopefully have a couple more today.