BREEDERS' CUP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

October 25, 2003

Michael Kinane

Richard Mulhall

MICHAEL KINANE: I saw the replay after the long wait. I knew it was very very close. I was just on my way back down. I was on my half stride. Yeah. I thought the judge was on a tea break, but I knew it was very close. And then the longer it went, well, I said, half a loaf is better than no fish, you know. A dead heat.

MICHAEL KINANE: I've been involved in a few. No, not in that sun and in that intensity, no. It was a lot -- it felt like forever.

MICHAEL KINANE: Yeah, I was surprised that they had said to me that they had called number 3. And I said, are you sure? And they said yeah. So I took it as if I had the result. I felt myself pulling up. I said to Alex, I thought he won. But then when I got back in and that long wait had to come true, I was getting a little bit tentative.

RICHARD MULHALL: Well this horse, he kind of does that. He just gets up there and if you notice him on his form, he's been beaten ahead and wins by ahead quite a few different times. When I first saw it I thought we were second. I didn't think he got up. After I watched the replay over and over and over, then I thought we did win it. The more I watched it, the more it looked like he won it. And then when it was taking so long, I was thinking, well, it has to be a dead heat. It has to be. Because they were taking so long. But I'm happy with a dead heat. It's no disgrace to dead heat with High Chaparral. He's an awful good horse.

MICHAEL KINANE: Well, I really didn't think that much, not at that point, no. No. I did think we had a big chance in the race. We only got beat a half a length the other day to Storming Home. That wasn't our kind of race when we were on the lead like that. As you saw today, we came from dead last. Because there was some pace today. There was no pace the other day. But I really didn't think too much about it. I said something to Richard earlier before they went out on to the race track about winning three. And he's done a heck of a job with this horse. He's done a great job with all of them.

MICHAEL KINANE: Yeah, most definitely. Like we knew he was going to be very tough opposition, the other horse. But once we got into stamina, I knew I would have the upper hand. And I know that he always has something to offer, he's very tough and you got to drag it out of him sometimes. But he's always there. But Storming Home, and so like they would have a bit to find if they're at home on him, you know. Maybe not. But like Storming Home would have a bit to find on European form to beat High Chaparral.

RICHARD MULHALL: No. No, I said I didn't really expect him to be quite that far back.

RICHARD MULHALL: Yes. No, I thought he was a little bit too far back. But it worked out all right. He's pretty versatile. He's pretty versatile. He showed the other day he could go to the front, even though it wasn't the best. But he did go to the front if there's no speed. Today he came from last. He has come from in the middle of the pack. So he's pretty versatile. He's a lot like Windsharp was. He runs a lot like his dam.

RICHARD MULHALL: He had run and he had come out of the race just a little bit off the next morning. We couldn't find anything wrong with him. We did a nuke scan on him and he had a little spot on his shoulder just heat up. So we just took it for granted that he probably had a little stress fracture maybe there. So rather than take a chance, we just gave him the time. And then he came back and we got one race into him at Delmar that was basically just to kind of tighten him up. Then the one race here was the race that we wanted to put a little pressure on him. And we were hoping that he would peak coming into this race. And hoping to get a little hotter for the European horses so they would have a little more melt down, but it didn't work.

MICHAEL KINANE: No, it was just for a shade down the back. But then the inside horse on the lead started weakening so I was able to filter my way through behind The Tin Man. From then on I was happy. Darrell had to force his hand and make his move. And off a strong pace then I felt I was going to could possibly come up to second.

MICHAEL KINANE: He's had two disappointing runs, downhill, right-handed for whatever reasons. Everybody seems to think that this horse needs self soft ground to be at his best. And it's far from the truth. Sometimes he doesn't come out of it as good as he might. But at Ballydar everything, his training, everything is left-handed and Ballydar horses are definitely better left-handed than right-handed.

MICHAEL KINANE: No, I think that we brought a very strong team of Europe answer come this year for the turf races. And not every year you're going to have that strong a contention. But just fortunately this year we were very strong. The Breeders' Cup is a very very special event. We love to come and try. I'm sure that's going to continue.

RICHARD MULHALL: Well we raised a lot in Europe too. So we have been back and forth. I don't think that's quite as big a concern as it's made out to be. Horses are tough. They can take the heat. They can take the cold. We people can't handle it as well as the horses can. That's the thing. They showed now that when they bring their top horses over here, they're tough. They're tough. They're top horses are very very good horses. It showed today so far. They have certainly won they're share here. I wouldn't think they would bring any more than what they have brought now. Because they brought quite a few. I think they will continue to bring them. And they would probably much prefer New York or con tuck key or even in Canada like we raised that one year in Canada, because it is cooler and it's a different type of grass. It's a little closer to what they would be used to. But they certainly were handling all this. They didn't seem to have too many problems here. So I don't think this would slow them up too much for all this money.

MICHAEL KINANE: Yeah, we did.

MICHAEL KINANE: Well he's very tough and lazy. You got to be pretty tough on him. He's just pretty idle.

MICHAEL KINANE: It's not that. You just got to make him do everything. You just got to drag it out of him a little bit. He is just tough.

RICHARD MULHALL: He never hesitated.

MICHAEL KINANE: No, no.

RICHARD MULHALL: That I'll have to talk to Richard about it. And then we'll see. I'm not sure right now.

RICHARD MULHALL: I can't say for sure right now. We'll see.