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BREEDERS' CUP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPSNovember 6, 2009Rosemary Homeister, Jr.Jonathan SheppardARCADIA, CALIFORNIA ERIC WING: We have with us the rider and trainer of the second placed finisher Cloudy's Knight. On the left is jockey, Rosemary Homemeister, Jr., who is just a lip away from becoming the second woman ever to win a Breeders' Cup Race, and a man who needs no introduction, Jonathan Sheppard, member of the Hall of Fame. And if you weren't in the Hall of Fame, Jonathan, perhaps people would consider it based on that performance alone by Cloudy's Knight. Coming back in just 15 days, facing an English classic winner and mastery, you defeated him. Not quite good enough at the end to defeat Man of Iron. But first of all, your thoughts on bringing this venerable nine-year-old to such a big performance on racing's biggest day. JONATHAN E. SHEPPARD: You hate to think you're asking a horse to do something that -- you don't want to feel you're being greedy. It was only 15 days. He is nine years old, and he's never run on synthetic in his life. And I would hate to see it be, you know, something less than good. Whether he won or not wasn't foremost in my mind. I just wanted him to get a clean trip, and I was sure Rosemary would give him a good ride. But I also thought it was conceivable, and maybe after man of an unfamiliar surface and show people what he can do. But it all came together beautifully, and at least all but the last jump or two. But we're proud of him. He ran a great race. ERIC WING: Before we get to Rosemary, it looked like she had broken the race open on the far turn. But could you offer up a comment on Rosemary's ride. JONATHAN E. SHEPPARD: I actually was very happy when she did let him gallop up to the front. It didn't look like it was under a strong urging to do it. He just took her there, basically. I could see horses started to jump up a little bit inside of her. I was confident of how this horse handles the track, he would get the trip, so stamina wasn't a problem. And he doesn't have a big burst of acceleration, so in actual fact I think it was the correct thing to do, and he almost pulled it off. ERIC WING: Tell us about the experience of riding in your first Breeders' Cup Race, and then take us through the trip. ROSEMARY HOMEISTER, JR.: The experience here has been incredible. Everybody, the public, the press, everybody has been wonderful. Jonathan, and Shirley, and Jerrold Schwartz have been absolutely great. Giving me this big opportunity to ride this horse in the Breeders' Cup. Jonathan has done an exceptional job with a 9-year-old. It is amazing. The horse came out of the race beautiful from Kentucky Downs to Keeneland and to here. He warmed up very relaxed, comfortable. Sometimes I feel when I'm walking into the gate I'm like come on, Cloudy, wake up a little bit because he's just so like, all right, you know. Whenever the gate's open. But when the gates open, he lets me place him wherever I want in the race. I was telling Jonathan about the race, I was just talking mastery around the track, just wanted to make sure they didn't get a jump on me too soon. And I was just following their pace, and when I was coming to the half-mile pole, they were getting bunched up a little bit. I didn't want to get stuck down on the inside with his big stride. If he would have gotten stopped, I think it would have made him drop back too far, and he wouldn't have been able to pick up the pace. So I took him to the outside and I never even asked him. He was just galloping by pretty easily. And I happened to take a peek back to see if anyone was flying behind me. He was moving along nice. I came to the quarter pole, and I asked him, and he just gave me everything he had. He accelerates. His stride gets bigger with every stride. One horse was coming up to his outside, and he kind of accelerated off because he didn't want him to pass him. And, unfortunately, we couldn't see the inside horse coming on the inside quick enough because I know if he would have felt him coming, he would have accelerated again, he's that aggressive, like he was doing very well. He wasn't even blowing that hard, and he did handle the surface great. Q. Does this race speak to the fact that Americans minimize horses that can run this distance? And what does that say about this horse in particular? JONATHAN E. SHEPPARD: I do think that's nice, because it is sort of another dimension, and obviously that's the why the Breeders' Cup decided to put on the marathon race at several other tracks early in the year. And that's an important part of the breed, and should be in the world racing scene. And I think we got a little bit too much speed here. Maybe with horses, they don't just happen to be sprinters, an opportunity to show what they can do. I do think it's important. If the Europeans came over here and wanted everyone, we'd probably sort of take a step back and say, well, they're just better than us at this or something. So we showed that it's certainly an American horse is capable of winning it, and should get people encouraged for the future. Q. The fact that you came within a whisker of winning the Breeders' Cup, the impact of which you'll realize in the days to come. But let me ask you, if this had not been a Breeders' Cup Race, would you have made this move? Were you under some kind of extra pressure because this was the high priority event? ROSEMARY HOMEISTER, JR.: I really didn't push the button until the quarter pole, and I would have rode the same exact race, Breeders' Cup, Kentucky Derby or allowance race. Because he's such, like I said, he's a horse with a big, long stride. I couldn't get him bunched up in there and stopped because he wouldn't be able to rebreak again. Like I said, I came to the outside, and he was moving on his own. I took a peek back as he was gliding past easily. When I ask him at the quarter pole, I gave him another acceleration, so I would have rode him the same way. Q. Did you think you had the race won in mid stretch, and then when you got caught at the end, you're very cheerful now, but was there a moment of inner deflation just past the wire for you? ROSEMARY HOMEISTER, JR.: I never thought the race was won until I got to the wire. When I did get to the wire, you know, you look in your peripheral vision when this horse is coming. He was trying, trying, and when we hit the wire, me and the rider both looked at each other. I'm like did you get it, and he goes I don't know. We really didn't know, because when you're that close, it's really hard to tell. You know, my horse has such a long neck, and a long nose. I wish it would have been just a little longer, but it kind of like I didn't want to get excited because I wasn't sure. And when I was coming back with Radar, I was like shoot, shoot, shoot. I hope I got it. But when I didn't get it, yes, you get deflated. The horse gave such a gallant effort and for him not to win, it just kind of, it just brings you down just a hair. But you know what, the horse was still happy. He had his ears up. He came back great and there's always another race. ERIC WING: Well, that was a tremendous performance by horse, rider and trainer even in defeat. Jonathan, it's 1 to a million that you'll be back next year, and Rosemary, we all sure hope that you're back next year as well when the Breeders' Cup goes to Churchill. Great job by both of you. And Jonathan, good luck with your horses on the rest of the card. JONATHAN E. SHEPPARD: Maybe Cloudy will be back, too. ERIC WING: Maybe Cloudy's Knight will be back, too. Thank you. End of FastScripts |
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