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BREEDERS' CUP WORLD THOROUGHBRED CHAMPIONSHIPS

November 6, 2010

CHURCHILL DOWNS, KENTUCKY

ERIC WING: Okay. As the connections of Big Drama take place up on stage, just want to give everybody the margins in that recently concluded Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Sprint. The winner, of course, Big Drama by 1 1/2 lengths. Second was Hamazing Destiny, who was a neck in front of the third place horse Smiling Tiger. And Smiling Tiger was a head in front of the fourth place finisher Supreme Summit. So the margins were 1 1/2, neck, and head.
Now indeed we are joined by the winning team of Big Drama, left to right, we have rider Eibar Coa, co-owner Jean Queen, trainer David Fawkes, and owner Harold Queen. Congratulations to everybody.
David, I'm going to pose the first question to you because you audibly, during the post position draw, let out quite a groan when the name "Big Drama" came out just after the No. 1 slot was offered. Obviously, you're wearing a much different expression right now. What, if anything, did you and Eibar do in an attempt to counteract what, not only that day, but perhaps even more so as we got closer to the race, seemed like a disadvantageous position for you?
DAVID FAWKES: We talked this morning and made a decision that, if he made the lead or very close to the lead, if Eibar could float him off the rail a little bit to get out of that being down against the rail where it seems to be a little more tiring.
ERIC WING: Eibar, you obviously got those first few jumps out of the way successfully. Take us through the rest of your trip.
EIBAR COA: Actually, that was our first plan, our plan "A," just to try to break as sharp as we can and just be off the rail if we can. So when he broke that sharp today, that I was extra happy for that. That helped out a lot. And I didn't see the speed that I thought was just going to come in the beginning next to me. So that was a big help. And I know that was a big release too.
So I was able to place myself in the position that I wanted to, be off the rail in the part that we planned to be off, and everything worked out the way we wanted today.
ERIC WING: And just incidentally, this is Eibar's first win in the Breeders' Cup as a rider from 18 starts. As a matter of fact, the first time you've hit the board.
David Fawkes, perfect record, 1 for 1 in the Breeders' Cup.
Harold Queen, I know you were here with Burning Roma -- in fact, yes, here at Churchill with Burning Roma back in 2000. Obviously, this has to be the pinnacle of your career. But you've been in the game a long time. Can you tell us what it's like to have that first Breeders' Cup winner under your belt?
HAROLD QUEEN: Exciting.
ERIC WING: Now, this is a horse who started out with perhaps some Triple Crown dreams. It seems like David and you all have unlocked what it is that Big Drama does absolutely best. Was it frustrating at all when you were kind of knocking on the door of the big two-turn races before you got to the point where you're at now?
HAROLD QUEEN: We really never intended to start him in the Triple Crown races. We nominated him with the idea that we would only run him in Preakness because of the turns at Pimlico and speed, and it was a little shorter than the other races.
ERIC WING: Jean, I know you're from Ohio. Love the game. Any ideas what the plans are for Big Drama in the future?
JEAN QUEEN: I don't. I think we'll maybe keep racing him for a while.
ERIC WING: Any questions down here or in the main press box for Big Drama? We'll start with Mike.

Q. Can you talk about what this victory means to you? You've been in the business a while, and to win a Breeders' Cup race, what kind of emotions are you feeling right now?
DAVID FAWKES: Happy emotions. He's -- this has been a great opportunity. You know, everybody wants to win a Breeders' Cup. It helps your career as a trainer, and it certainly puts you in the limelight.
ERIC WING: David, Eibar got the first part of the job done getting him in a good spot, getting him clear. Down the lane, when you've got some pretty fast competition trying to run you down, is it possible that some of that foundation that he got last year, or maybe even from the seven furlong races, or what really made the difference and allowed him to keep that safe margin going for home?
DAVID FAWKES: I'll be honest with you. I think the foundation comes from Calder. That surface, you saw Stanley Gold's filly win yesterday -- that surface is just -- it's safe but a tiring track. It gets horses ultra fit. You see a lot of horses come out of there and go on to win all kinds of races. Blind Luck, for example. There's a lot of horses that come out of there. Vineyard Haven. Those are just recent horses. That's a great track to get a foundation on a horse.
ERIC WING: Jockey Eibar Coa, Jean Queen, David Fawkes, Harold Queen, common thread, Breeders' Cup victory number one for you. And a great one it was with Big Drama.
HAROLD QUEEN: For all three of us.
ERIC WING: All three of you, yes.

End of FastScripts

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