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BREEDERS' CUP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

November 7, 2009

Simon Crisford

ARCADIA, CALIFORNIA

ERIC WING: After that exciting and unexpected victory by Vale of York, we're joined by Simon Crisford, the racing manager for Godolphin Stables. Of course, Saeed Bin Surdoor and Ahmed Ajtebi are both busy getting ready for the Breeders' Cup Mile. So maybe we'll be able to speak to Ahmed later.
But right now glad to have Simon with us. Simon, I don't know to Americans what's more surprising that the horse won, he's very lightly regarded at 30 to 1, or that a jockey that many Americans are unfamiliar with, we hear used to ride camels, delivered just an outstanding ride to get first money.
First of all, tell us about Godolphin's relationship with Ahmed Ajtebi?
SIMON CRISFORD: Ahmed Ajtebi has been riding for our stable for more than six months now. He was riding for our stable throughout the winter for some of our horses in Dubai, and certainly some of them in Europe.
Basically, he's a Dubai national. He's a young, apprentice jockey. You know, he's had some big opportunities, Sheikh Mohammed has given him some big opportunities in some of the big horses we've got in our stable. He doesn't ride all of them, obviously, Frankie Dettori is our stable jockey. We don't even have a retainer with Ahmed Ajtebi.
But he certainly rides some of them. And the ones that Sheikh Mohammed would like him to ride, and this horse was one of them.
ERIC WING: We all know that Sheikh Mohammed makes the final decisions, but might it be reasonable to assume that after the ride we saw today, he might get a few extra opportunities in the Godolphin family?
SIMON CRISFORD: He may well do. But he's had plenty of good opportunities throughout the whole of the year. He was riding Gladiatorus to win the Duty Free in Dubai. He also won when he won the Classic.
So he's had plenty of good opportunities. But Frankie Dettori is our stable jockey, and Ahmed will continue to ride some of the horses, and Sheikh Mohammed will choose which horses he would like him to ride.
ERIC WING: Let's focus on the horse, who deserves the lion share of the credit, Vale of York. Lightly regarded. Seemingly very competitive in all of his races back over in Europe. Despite all that, are you a little bit surprised that he stepped up as big as he did today to deliver the winner's share of the $2 million Juvenile?
SIMON CRISFORD: I think going into the race we felt that he was going to run a really good race, but we couldn't say that we fancied him necessarily to win. But the good thing about this horse is he's really tough and resolute. He takes his racing extremely well.
So he's been running in some really good races, as you know, on turf. When we looked at this race, it was quite a high risk situation, trying to run him on synthetic surfaces against the specialist Californian horses and the other American 2-year-olds.
So it was a little risky, but we felt it was worth taking the chance, and he handled the track really well. Sometimes taking no risk is the biggest risk of all.
ERIC WING: We know that the Kentucky Derby would mean a lot to Sheikh Mohammed. Would you expect the next move or immediate move would be to bring the horseback to Dubai to prepare for the Run for the Roses next May?
SIMON CRISFORD: Yes, I think we've definitely take him back to Dubai, and look at the New Guineas and the Derby there, and the new racetrack that Sheikh Mohammed is building.
But after that we'll look at the Kentucky Derby. But we need to make it through the next stage first before we can make any firm commitments.
But of all of the 2-year-olds we have right now, he would be the one we're looking at Churchill Downs. But handling synthetic surfaces and racing on the dirt surface is two completely different things. So this horse will not have run on any dirt by the time he gets to Churchill Downs if he gets there.
ERIC WING: Is that a concern?
SIMON CRISFORD: It's always a concern. But taking a risk is the biggest risk. But the horse booked his ticket winning today. He's certainly booked his ticket to be given the respect to try to get there anyway. Let's hope he can get there.

Q. Vale of York ran a solid third at Ascot in late September when Joshua Tree won. And you took him to Milan and Italy with the Gladiators, the two of them ran in two Group 1 races. My question is how did that Milan race fit into the overall Breeders' Cup picture? And the second part, you had raced him exclusively on the turf, when did he make this leap of faith and put him in California?
SIMON CRISFORD: I think the first thing is that when he ran so well at Ascot, we were looking for a nice Grade 1 for him to compete in. And the race in Milan was a good run for him. He ran exceptionally well there. He got beaten, but it was a really strong effort. Because he's so tough and he takes to traveling well, that's when we thought about the Breeders' Cup juvenile because, as we say, he's very tough and takes his traveling well. But he had to run well in Milan to book his ticket to here. And he did run well there, so that's why we came here.

Q. Will you now switch him back to turf?
SIMON CRISFORD: He's pretty versatile, this horse. He'll run where the opportunities are. So he elected to be running on a beater surfaces. After that he might could go on turf or on dirt. So we'll cross those bridges when we get to them.

Q. This is your largest contingent Godolphin through the Breeders' Cup. Some would say it's the best ever. You've kind of had a tough time up until this race. In the scheme of things, how surprising is it that this is the horse that broke through for what would be your first win? And is it some sort of sense of relief to get that one win on the weekend after Gayego had the tough trip and everything?
SIMON CRISFORD: Well, I think the second part of your question is it's always a relief to win any race. And winning the Breeders' Cup Race is the icing on top of the cake. We've had a great year, really. It's been a fantastic year for Godolphin. But it wouldn't be quite complete unless we'd won a race here. I think this really does make it a really benchmark year for Godolphin.
I think winning the most prize money. Winning most number of wins we've had throughout the year. I think we're 11 Grade 1's now. But more importantly the stable has functioned really well in all corners of the globe, including the other day when we were second in the mobile cup.
So it's been a really exciting season. The 2-year-olds have been performing really well. And it's been fantastic. So, yes, it has been a relief and it's been great.
Answering the second part of your question, up until now it has been a little bit sticky. We've been hitting a cross bar, but the ball did not go into the back of the net.
Some of them had good chances, and Vale of York wasn't the most obvious chance of the week. But sometimes in life that's the way things workout.

Q. This is, I think, the third first-time Lasix winner of the Cup here. What is the thinking of putting this horse on Lasix when he came over here?
SIMON CRISFORD: We tend to use Lasix on all of our horses when they come to America. It can help them settle them down a little bit. It can help them, and it prevents bleeding.
So anything we can do to prevent any possible bleeding situation with horses, and of course, most horses do bleed a little bit in their races, and this horse certainly had done, plus the others that we've got on Lasix, so that's why we do it. But it does help them.

Q. Had he had a bleeding situation at all before this?
SIMON CRISFORD: Well, not a serious bleeding situation. But it had been noticed, and that's why he was allowed to run on Lasix.

Q. Where would you have ranked him among all your 2-year-olds prior to this race?
SIMON CRISFORD: Vale of York coming today would have been the second top-rated 2-year-old we've got in our stable. I think he came into today's race over 112 or 113. So now he would be the top racing 2-year-old we have by a long way.
ERIC WING: You mentioned earlier that as most people know, Frankie Dettori is your stable jockey. He was open in this race. Did you give any thought to giving this mount to Frankie?
SIMON CRISFORD: No, because Ahmed Ajtebi has been riding Vale of York a lot. He rode them in Milan, and Sheikh Mohammed wants him to ride him. And Frankie understands the situation. There are there will be some horses he will not ride. And as far as Frankie's concerned, he's absolutely fine with it.

Q. Sheikh Mohammed's in Dubai?
SIMON CRISFORD: Unfortunately, he was too busy to be able to attend today. But he's been watching in Dubai, and he was really elated with that performance.

Q. Ted Durcan won the same for you. And increasingly in the past three, four months your horses are being ridden by Ted Durcan, and he's been delivering. Any plans on making him part of your group?
SIMON CRISFORD: Ted Durcan has been part of our group for maybe ten years now, but not in a formal way. But he rides -- a lot work for us in the mornings three, four five days a week. He spends the winters in Dubai with us, he gets on a lot of our horses. Obviously, we use him whenever we can, as much as we can.
We did have Kerrin McEvoy as our second jockey, but he's gone back to Australia, and won with Crime Scene in the Cup. So the best guys that are working with us on the day-to-day basis they get the pick of the rides.

Q. What is the name of the first ranked 2-year-old prior to today?
SIMON CRISFORD: Buzz word.
ERIC WING: Thank you very much Simon Crisford, racing manager for Godolphin Stable, and happy over the win, no doubt, by Vale of York in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.

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