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BREEDERS' CUP WORLD THOROUGHBRED CHAMPIONSHIPS

November 6, 2010

CHURCHILL DOWNS, KENTUCKY

ERIC WING: We are now live again in the interview room with the winning connections of Dakota Phone. Jockey Joel Rosario is booked in this next race, the Emirates Airline Turf, so we'll probably get to Joel later in the day.
Before we get to the interviews, want to give the media the margins. The winner, Dakota Phone, finished first by a head over the runner-up Morning Line. He was 1 1/4 lengths ahead of the third place finisher Gayego with 3 lengths farther back to fourth and Cool Coal Man. So the margins are head, 1 1/4, and 3.
Also, today's attendance -- today's attendance on Championship Saturday, 72,739.
With us is the happy team of Dakota Phone. Left to right, George Todaro, and Jerry Hollendorfer, the trainer, of course, and part owner, I should say. And Ted Aroney of Halo Farms is on our far right. Gentlemen, congratulations.
Jerry, it looked like your horse was always knocking on the door, didn't always pull his way through the door this year, a lot of close finishes. Tell us about the decision, first of all, to come here to the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, where you probably knew you were going to be a high price.
JERRY HOLLENDORFER: We got eligible to get in this race for winning the San Diego handicap, so that was a consideration earlier on in the year. And then he came back and ran real well in the Pacific Classic, going a longer distance.
We always thought that, if we could get our horse in a race where there was a very fast pace, that he would have a chance to close them down no matter what the distance. I was pretty much in favor of running in The Mile, and there was some question if he could do it on dirt. The last time we ran him on dirt, I tried a new tactic and tried to send him to the front. That was a mistake that I won't make again.
So he redeemed himself today from that first dirt race.
ERIC WING: George and Ted, did the -- that win and you're in provision associated with the San Diego handicap help convince you to press forward to this day?
TED ARONEY: No.
GEORGE TODARO: I would say yes.
ERIC WING: George, move the microphone a little closer to you and tell us again what you just said.
GEORGE TODARO: I would say yes. It was in by virtue of winning that race, and he showed in several races that he could close very well. He came very close in a couple of other races.
I was really very pleased when I saw him dead last at the beginning because that's how he runs best. There's another horse we'll see shortly, Zenyatta, who has a similar style.
But anyway, Ted, you would say no?
TED ARONEY: Well, I said no because next year win and you're in, they pay your money to enter next year. It's a great thing for racing. Plus they pay expenses, limited expenses, to come out here. So win, you're in. You're not in. Next year you will be in.
So if he'd had ran in second, he still ran good going 1 1/4 mile, and dropping back to a one-turn mile has always been my key.
ERIC WING: Obviously, a little dissension in the Dakota Phone camp. Obviously, they'll be able to settle their differences at the victory party perhaps.
Jerry, Joel obviously not here, but can you comment on the trip -- on the ride that he gave Dakota Phone?
JERRY HOLLENDORFER: You know, I have a lot of confidence in Rosario, and he's fast proving that he's going to be one of the better riders in the country. He's a young rider and very strong finisher, and that helped us today.
I've had a lot of confidence in Joel, even though we were beaten yesterday on our favorite in the Ladies' Classic, and we plan to use him on quite a few of our horses out in California or wherever we might happen to run.
ERIC WING: Any questions either upstairs in the main box or down here for the Dakota Phone group?

Q. To Ted and George, the owners, and Jerry, when he was making his move down the stretch, could you please tell us what your emotions were during that?
TED ARONEY: When you get Marty Wygod right behind you screaming in my ear when he was eighth, I knew we had a good chance.
GEORGE TODARO: I would say, when it was clear that he was going to be free on the outside and not get boxed in, that we had a good chance. And the long stretch here at Churchill, I think, favors that kind of style. So he made one big run, and that was enough.

Q. Your emotions as they were coming down the lane, how big a win is this for you guys?
GEORGE TODARO: It's certainly a big win. I thought -- I didn't know if he was going to make it, and unlike Marty Wygod, I couldn't tell for sure until it went up on the tote board. I couldn't tell.
TED ARONEY: I was just thinking of Dubai.
ERIC WING: He said he was thinking of Dubai and dreaming of next year?
TED ARONEY: In March, going to Dubai for $10 million.
ERIC WING: Oh, $10 million.
Jerry, you've had a couple of close calls, but what's it feel like to finally get that first Breeders' Cup win under your belt?
JERRY HOLLENDORFER: Of course, it feels very nice. I'm very grateful to have a couple or three horses that can compete out here in the Breeders' Cup, and so I'm very, very pleased.
ERIC WING: All right. Looks like it's a wrap. So congratulations to George Todaro, Jerry Hollendorfer, and Ted Aroney.
Gentlemen, we do have a question from upstairs in the press box. Sorry for my premature wrap-up. Let's take that question now.

Q. Question for Mr. Aroney. I wonder if you could comment on Sidney's Candy's effort in the mile. What's the future for that horse?
TED ARONEY: I think the horse has a big future. I think the track was a little slick from the different weather situations, and it wasn't playing kindly to speed at all. I think she ran a credible race, you know, going against some of the best one-turn -- or not one-turn, but miler, turf milers in the world, especially the winner. Twelve Grade 1s, when you put a 3-year-old against it, maybe next time, but wasn't ready yet.

Q. This question is for Jerry. When we talked earlier in the week, we -- Crown of Thorns was still in the race. The fact that he came out, that kind of boost your confidence, so to speak? He was very competitive with you certainly on the West Coast.
JERRY HOLLENDORFER: Well, yeah, he was competitive on paper too. My thoughts, when he came out of the race, was that that would take some of the speed out of the mix. You know, I didn't know if it would hurt us, but I didn't think it helped us any.

Q. Jerry, I know what you're talking about the last dirt race, but in previous seasons, does he have dirt form that indicated that he had this performance in him, or has he been on synthetic his whole life?
JERRY HOLLENDORFER: Well, he's been on synthetic a lot, but, you know, when a horse is doing very well and he's been running very well in graded races, you know, whether the conditions are ideal or not, you kind of have to get him in there and run him.
I just wanted to bring this horse back East and run him because he's just been doing so well, and he's improved so much in the last three months, starting with that San Diego victory. That's when he really -- he really turned his career around, as far as I'm concerned.
ERIC WING: All right. The questions in this interview session came on strong late, just like Dakota Phone. George Todaro, Jerry Hollendorfer, and Ted Aroney, congratulations on an exciting win today in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile.

End of FastScripts

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