BREEDERS' CUP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

October 29, 2005

Rafael Bejarano

John Chandler

Bobby Frankel

BOBBY FRANKEL: It was more than that. I rarely never stretched her out. She wouldn't break good and she's very strong. She wants to really get it on. It forces it in front of her. So she wouldn't break good in going short. She getting beyond, the horse didn't pull too hard. I said, I can't stretch her out because the last two times she ran she broke decent, and I thought if she gets to the lead, you know, she'd relax and I know even though it looked like Wend was getting to her the other day. She was actually waiting on Wend the other day. I told Rafael be as quiet as you can making the lead and don't move. He couldn't have rode a better race. If there was a fault to Intercontinental in the past, it was her -- the fact she appeared to be rank in many of her races being held. It looked to the naked eye she was never rank at any point. Was that your take as well? As you saw that, did your hopes start to go up a little bit?

RAFAEL BEJARANO: I saw Wend left there moving up and down the backside. He seemed to ease away from her. I felt pretty good. I didn't feel real good until five jumps to the wire. You never know, you can be five in front and get beat. I was real excited. And it's deja vu, because it was also was a factor that Banks Hill had never been over a mile and when she came here, she won the mile and a quarter for the first time. Same racetrack, full sisters, both of them look like milers, and it worked out great.

RAFAEL BEJARANO: I thought she could handle good ground. The one time she ran terrible, she didn't break good. It was a bog and it was a foot deep so I don't think she handled that. I think on good ground, I wasn't worried too much about her. Even in at the race at Keenland, they had it listed as firm. It wasn't firm. It was good that day, too.

RAFAEL BEJARANO: Yeah, you know, I say like yesterday, I race a lot of horses today, so I try especially follow the instruction he told me no, you want to break good. Don't ask him too much. The horse try to stay comfortable with the horse all the time. Sit. Sit, wait to the quarter pole. When you see somebody is coming, you start, you can ride. So, the horse, he blow really good. I try to stay comfortable with the horse all the time. In the half mile when I see somebody the inside, you know, he try pass, you know, try give a little tension, not too much, and stay with the horse to the quarter pole. And when I don't see no anybody is coming, you know, I try ask a little and little when the quarter pole she's really, really strong, he don't have competition.

RAFAEL BEJARANO: My horse, the first three jumps, he broke a little slow. I try, stay with two horse. Don't ask him too much, you know, if you're asking maybe she's going, you know. So I try and stay with the horse the first three jumps -- little stay in the front, and I try to stay behind take the pace.

RAFAEL BEJARANO: The turf, looked good, I think so, you know. Yesterday I race in Keenland, the turf, he look bad. I try to stay in the good spot, you know, second, third lane, you know, the turf it look good.

DR. CHANDLER: Well, does that work? When her sister won the Breeder's Cup, my friend was the racing manager who was representing the French racing interests then, and he said it's really nice to not only be the breeder of the Breeder's Cup's winner, but be the breeder of both them, and the sire. Sort of been -- it's been -- and it's, you know, the mare has been so good to us, it wasn't time. We sort of with Dan Silly and Banks Hill and Heat Haze, it's just sort of something you come to expect, or you're very grateful when it does happen. The one thing I've been inundated the last 10 days with one question, will the mare get a mile and a quarter? And I final got an answer. She definitely will get a mile and a quarter.

DR. CHANDLER: He was obviously extremely delighted. This is one of his favorite families and fillies and he was absolutely delighted. As you said, he doesn't like to talk much to the press and likes to keep a low profile. But very seldom seen him happier than he was today.

BOBBY FRANKEL: Well, the whole key was, I was a little nervous after she broke and she broke good. I mentioned to him, don't worry about making the lead the first few jumps. Let her ease the lead on her own. She'll take you there, you know. I felt comfortable. Still, she's never been on mile quarter. I felt comfortable five jumps to the wire, then I felt real good.

BOBBY FRANKEL: She'll probably be a mother next year.

BOBBY FRANKEL: Well, I didn't know. I didn't decide till after the win that I was going to run, and I can't blame him for taking the call on Ouija Board. And to be honest with you, he was the first. He's been so hot, Rafael, that he was the first person I thought of to ride her, and you know, I don't think the Prince knew who he was before today, but I think he knows who he is now.

BOBBY FRANKEL: I changed my mind after the Wind Star Galaxy, where she broke good and relaxed good, and I know she weights on horses. Also, when she ran in the Ramona, she was in so much trouble that day and she still tried to finish. That was a mile eight. Usually, horses pull as hard as she does, they give up. I was telling people all week, this is my sleeper. She couldn't have done better. Once in a while you're right. You throw enough against the wall, some of it sticks. This time it stuck.

BOBBY FRANKEL: Well, thing is, he's an aggressive rider and he gets run out of horses. So I thought, you know, he put her on a lead, like we thought he would, and did he get that little extra out of her that we needed.

BOBBY FRANKEL: I didn't like her going in. It's ashame she couldn't hit firm turf. I don't know where she finished, to be honest with you. She likes firm turf. She's got such a turn a foot, she wears herself out that soft turf. It's a shame, she had a great career.

BOBBY FRANKEL: I think she's done, too.

BOBBY FRANKEL: May well be.