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BREEDERS' CUP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPSOctober 25, 2008Bob BaffertMike PegramKarl WatsonPaul WeitmannARCADIA, CALIFORNIA ERIC WING: The winner this year is the same as the winner last year, Midnight Lute. And with us up on stage from left to right, in blue, in the blue Karl Watson, trainer Bob Baffert, who won earlier today with Midshipman; co-owner, Mike Pegram, and on the far right is co-owner Paul Weitman. Congratulations, gentlemen, an outstanding feat. I'm sure it makes you feel good about the decision to keep Midnight Lute in training. Good things come to those who wait. Was today Midnight Lute's career finale? CARL WATSON: It's pretty good. To win a Breeders' Cup is something really special. But to win two of them back-to-back, I mean, I don't know how it gets any better than that. It really feels special. MIKE PEGRAM: I don't make no decisions, I just bet my money. PAUL WEITMAN: It feels wonderful. Like Karl just said, I think I read last night somewhere that it was the first time that a sprinter has repeated. So I think this is the first time that a sprinter has won twice. So, you know, that's good, and I believe that he might have set a track record to do. So that was good. So, what can you say? You're just so happy to have a horse like that and to be a part of it with these owners and to have a trainer like Bob that got him ready for today. BOB BAFFERT: You know, I want to say something about this horse. You know, everybody talks. There was a time this horse was almost retired this year. He had a problem with the hock, we had to wait 60 days and re-X-ray it. Luckily for us, we gave him plenty of time. The one thing about these guys right here and most of my owners, all of them now, is that when I tell them, you know, Look, we're going to wait. We're going to wait it out and just, you know, try to get a race into Del Mar. It didn't go as planned, but, you know, one race, he needed to get a race into him. It was disastrous. But I knew when I got him back here at Santa Anita, he started to flourish, he got his confidence back. When a horse is coming off a minor injury, I think a lot of it was that. He got his confidence back. I've never had a horse like this horse. This was the best horse I've ever trained. And I've always been bragging on this horse. He does things in the morning. He works 56-and-change like he's galloping. Coming into this race -- when he broke with the field, I knew it was over. I mean, I knew. He had him in a good spot. Turning for home, he got a little tired. He might have been a little short today. I'd like to put one more work into him. But you know what, he is such a great horse, and he came back. And Garret said there's no telling how good he is. He looks green. I took the blinkers off of him. He made the lead and he was looking around, and that is the way -- in the paddock, he was looking scared of the cameras that were going back and forth. But this is a beast. I've never had a horse as massive, beautiful, big horse. And his body is like the perfect thoroughbred, and to be by Real Quiet is amazing. Real Quiet put Mike and I threw the best times of our lives. It's meant to be that we all hooked up together with this horse. This is why Mike and I and all of us are in the business, to compete at the top level. This is the greatest horse trained. Q. Considering the physical problems that he had this year, is this win even more special than last year's sprint win? BOB BAFFERT: Yeah, there's no doubt about it. Last year everything worked out right, this year I was really crushed for time to get this horse ready. And it takes an exceptional horse to do what I did with this horse. You know what I mean? I have a great staff, everybody works hard. But this horse, we had to play the waiting game. Let him get sound and let him heal up. But he was just a tremendous, tremendous athlete. And today what he did, you just don't see horses do what he does. It's incredible. The fans -- this horse, they'll remember this. There are a lot of Breeders' Cup races. People remember them, they'll remember Midnight Lute. I heard all the way back, everybody's yelling, "Lute, Lute." You know, he's an amazing horse. Q. The way you won at Monmouth Park last year, and the way he raced today was pretty much similar. I made a remark last year, he was like a silver rattler racing through a dark sky. That is the way he closed. But did he have an anxious moment there? He might have hit the front a little too soon today. BOB BAFFERT: You know what, he made the lead, that's what Garret said. He made the lead and he was looking around. That's why he had the blinkers on. I took the blinkers off. You know, but he was in a good spot. I saw him turn for home, and I knew he was just going to roll them all down. But Garret said, when -- you know, that's when he was checking everything out. But he just -- I don't know what else I can say about this horse. He's just incredible. Q. But one thing, he is the horse for the big occasion? BOB BAFFERT: But another thing, too. This horse, only certain horse -- I've seen -- the reason I say he's a great horse, he's run this way at Saratoga on dirt, he's done it in the slop, he goes on synthetic, it doesn't matter where you take this horse. That's what makes him a great horse. Because I have horses like Indian Blessing, you saw yesterday, she has trouble, she struggles with synthetic. But this horse, that's what makes him such a great horse. I don't care where. I could run him on the grass, he'd do the same thing. Q. After the Del Mar race, when you start working him back, when did you get the feeling you might make this race? BOB BAFFERT: You know what, after Del Mar, he grabbed the quarter and he ripped a shoe off. It was a pretty nasty grab. When I got here, he was doing okay. I didn't like the way it was healing. My farrier that works on him here, what I did, I flew in a specialist, Curtis Burns. He flew in here, he worked on him, stayed here three, four days, watched him train. He worked along with my other shoer, and believe me, he had a lot to do with it. He held him up, got that quarter crack, fixed it up. Then I flew him back out here. I said, "I don't want to take any chances." He said, "Do you need me to come back?" I said, "I want you to get back there." And he gave me the green light. So a lot of work and time has gone in with my staff on this horse. That foot was holding him back a little bit, but it wasn't bothering him today. No, he will not be going to Dubai. Q. The horse is named for Lute Olsen, and two of the owners are Arizona guys, big supporters of the Wildcats. BOB BAFFERT: Paul is his best friend, Paul -- Q. The question was was Lute Olsen here today? PAUL WEITMAN: No, Lute wasn't here, but he was watching, and he certainly was pulling for us. Q. Can you tell us why he resigned? BOB BAFFERT: He wants to be a horse trainer. MIKE PEGRAM: Wasn't as fast as his horse. PAUL WEITMAN: Yeah, he was jealous of this horse (laughing). Q. How close was the horse to retirement? And what point in the year was it when you were concerned about maybe retiring him? BOB BAFFERT: When was that day I gave you the dreadful call? I want to say it was March. MIKE PEGRAM: Bob don't understand that you cannot retire a horse in March (laughing). BOB BAFFERT: When was that? MIKE PEGRAM: About March. I said, Bob, you've got plenty of time to make the Breeders' Cup. That's the reason why you've got white hair and you're the best. But I will tell you this, you asked the question about whether he'd be retired. None of our mares are booked this year, so I think Midnight Lute will be happy in the support he's going to get in the stud barn. Q. What? BOB BAFFERT: It was the back one. Q. What hock was it that he burned? BOB BAFFERT: It was the back one. End of FastScripts |
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