May 12, 2016 – NTRA National Media Teleconference

Guests (with Preakness probables)

  • Doug O’Neill, Trainer (Nyquist)
  • Kent Desormeaux, Jockey (Exaggerator)
  • Mark Casse, Trainer (Fellowship)

Click below to listen to the Teleconference

 

 

 

 P R E S E N T A T I O N

 

Operator:

 

Good day, ladies and gentlemen.  Welcome to the NTRA Communications Road to the Triple Crown previewing the Preakness Stakes.  At this time all participants are in a listen-only mode.  Following the presentation, we will conduct a question-and-answer session.  At that time, participants are asked to press star, one to register for a question.  As a reminder, this conference is being recorded.

 

It is now my pleasure to introduce your host, Mr. Jim Gluckson.  Please go ahead, sir.

 

Jim Gluckson:

 

Thank you very much, Michelle, and good day, everyone, and welcome to the National Thoroughbred Racing Association Triple Crown Conference Call previewing the 141st running of the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore on Saturday May 21.  We’ll be joined today by Kentucky Derby winning trainer, Doug O’Neill of Nyquist; Hall of Fame jockey Kent Desormeaux, rider of the Derby runner-up Exaggerator; and trainer Mark Casse, who has Preakness starter Fellowship for this year’s race.

 

I’m sitting in today for Jim Mulvihill, who regularly has this slot every week for you over the past few years, and Jim is currently on maternity leave.  I’m happy to say his wife, Miranda, delivered a beautiful baby boy, Francis Mulvihill just a couple of days before the Kentucky Derby, so we extend our best wishes to Jim and his family.

 

Now, in addition to your Preakness coverage that many of you this call will be providing, NBC Sports Group will also be televising the Preakness on NBC, a live telecast at 5 p.m. on that Saturday the 21st, and they’ll also be providing coverage on Friday, Black-Eyed Susan Day, and, of course, on Saturday for the undercard races on NBC SN.  The Horse Racing Radio Network will also be providing live coverage of the Preakness from Pimlico, coverage on Friday and on Saturday, and, of course, the race itself.  During the week you can also catch the latest racing news and guests on Sirius XM Radio “At the Races” with Steve Byk.

 

So, I’d like now to bring in our first guest.  Our first guest, of course, is Doug O’Neill, the two-time now Kentucky Derby winning trainer.  Doug has won three Triple Crown races; two with I’ll Have Another in 2012.  He has guided Nyquist to an undefeated campaign with the two-year old championship and now the Kentucky Derby, which was previously done by the great Seattle Slew in 1977.

 

So with that, please let’s bring in Doug O’Neill.  Doug, good afternoon to you.  How are you doing today?

 

Doug O’Neill:

 

I’m doing great, Jim.  Thanks for having me.

 

Jim Gluckson:

 

Great.  Thanks for being here with us today.  Let’s get right to it.  You’re in Baltimore.  How is Nyquist doing today?

 

Jim Gluckson:

 

He’s doing great.  Actually, I flew in on a red eye, got in this morning with Johnny.  Johnny Garcia and I both went home for a few days and spent some quality time with family and I got to check in on our horses back in LA as well.  Got to Pimlico this morning, went over to Nyquist; he looked great.  His appetite’s great, his coat and weight looks well.  Elias, his main guy, was all smiles.  We tacked him up and Johnny got on him and jogged him 2 miles and he was full of energy and loose and looked fantastic.  So, very happy with the way the morning went.

 

Jim Gluckson:
Great.  This is one of the few times in a horse’s career where he’ll be running in a major race of great magnitude on just two week’s rest.  What kind of schedule have you mapped out for Nyquist over the next eight, nine days or so?

 

Doug O’Neill:

 

You know, a lot of just maintenance stuff; nothing major.  No ‘speed’ workouts.  He’ll gallop—starting tomorrow he’ll go every other day starting tomorrow and then he’ll visit the gate crew on Wednesday of Preakness Week, and, you know, just maintenance mode.  Right now we’re just trying to keep him healthy, happy, keep him in the feed tub, keep his appetite strong, and really, like you say, coming back on short rest, you know, that Kentucky Derby was equivalent to about three or four workouts, so he should be ready.

 

Jim Gluckson:

 

Just touching back on the Derby for a second, I know you have to move on and you’re focused on the Preakness, but just in the days that you went home to reflect, I mean it’s tough enough to win one Derby but to win two is pretty extraordinary.  What does it mean to you personally to now have done it twice?

 

Doug O’Neill:

 

God, I just feel like the luckiest guy in the world.  It’s such a privilege and it’s such an honor, and it’s hard to put it into words of being able to work alongside of a horse like Nyquist who is undefeated and has done what he’s done, and to have done strategizing with Paul and Zillah Reddam and the rest of the Team Reddam, you know, back after the Breeders’ Cup and just have everything kind of fall into line is just such a credit to Elias and Johnny and Jack and Leandro and the whole crew.  You know, we kind of had a plan and stuck to it, and with Nyquist being injury free it’s just been an incredible journey.

 

Jim Gluckson:

 

Excellent.  Well, Doug, we have a number of media on the line that are interested in talking to you.  So without further ado, Michelle, let’s turn it back over to you and set up the call for the media that’s on the line.

 

Operator:

 

 

Our first question comes from Dana O’Neil of ESPN.com.  Please go ahead.

 

Dana O’Neil:

 

Thank you.  Doug, you’ve been down this road before obviously.  I just wondered if you could kind of compare and contrast the pressure of kind of going into the Derby—well, obviously I’ll Have Another was not a favorite—but with the favorite?  Then now going forward into the Preakness with the Derby winner and with all the expectations on the horse now, how do you kind of compare those two situations?

 

Doug O’Neill:

 

Yes, it’s definitely a lot different, Dana, and it’s one that I take great pride in, and you know, I really—on a daily basis, the whole team just tries to represent Nyquist in a first class way because he deserves that, and it’s a real honor.  It’s hard to explain.  As much as it seems like it should be more nerve-wracking, it’s actually more calming and enjoyable being around a special horse like Nyquist because he just does things so professionally, and he handles all the pressure and all the cameras and the fans that want to just see him, he handles that so well that it rubs off on all of us, and that relationship that everyone in the barn that all of us are so blessed to have with Nyquist makes us all more calm and it makes it enjoyable to enjoy the journey.

 

Dana O’Neil:

 

Thank you.

 

Operator:

 

Thank you.  The next question comes from Louisa Barton of Florida Sports Talk NBC Affiliate.  Please go ahead.

 

Louisa Barton:

 

Yes, first of all I wanted to say congratulations to Doug O’Neill on a wonderful win this weekend.  I wanted to actually mention something that you had said that I thought was very interesting, which is comparing Nyquist to a human.  You compared him to a very well dressed, to bed early, in the gym every day, sleeping and resting when he needed to, and having great energy on the track of course.  When you compare him to I’ll Have Another, more of a bulldog personality; a little bit of a tougher horse although still a fantastic horse, when you compare those two, do you feel that Nyquist’s demeanor, gentlemanly type of demeanor being more laid back is going to play much more into his success as far as going forward with the Triple Crown challenge there for you this time, and do you feel that’s a big advantage for him?

 

Doug O’Neill:

 

I think it is.  It’s a great question.  I think it is.  I think him, you know, having five Grade 1 wins on five different tracks, him shipping to Florida and to Kentucky, and, of course, being based out of California, he’s displayed just unbelievable calmness with getting on planes, getting off planes, getting on a van, getting off a van, and, you know, that really can take its toll on the average horse.  So, yes, I think his demeanor and his love of competition and his being perfectly okay with traveling and not having to stay in one stall or on one track is a huge advantage, and I, you know, him being (inaudible) it really—he shows in the afternoon that it doesn’t matter what state, what track, you know, if he gets a semi-clean trip and he gets any chance whatsoever to get to the wire first he’s going to give everything he has to get it done.

 

Louisa Barton:

 

Fantastic.  Thank you and all the best to you, Doug.

 

Doug O’Neill:

 

Thank you.

 

Operator:

 

Thank you.  The next question comes from Ron Flatter of RSN Australia.  Please go ahead.

 

Ron Flatter:

 

Hi, Doug.  We missed you Sunday morning.  Have you—what happened that got you to go back to California so quickly?

 

Doug O’Neill:

 

Ron, it’s called a wife and kids, which—no we had, my wife Linette and my two children, we had already scheduled a flight to leave Louisville early Sunday morning.  We looked in to trying to change it and it just it was impossible with the alternative plan.  So, we just stuck to it.  I got there bright—I got there super early and I had a hard time sleeping.  I just couldn’t wait to check in on him and see how Nyquist was doing, and you know I just could’ve have been more proud and more excited to see the bright-eyed champion look as good as he did after winning this year’s Kentucky Derby, so that was really what happened.  But we had a—the rest of the crew was able to—some of them were able to move their flights later in the day, and I apologized that I wasn’t there to firsthand praise Nyquist, but hopefully the crew did a good job of representing him.

 

Ron Flatter:

 

Awesome speed; Uncle Lino and maybe Loaban coming into the race.  It certainly looks like a lot more speed in the Preakness than we had in the Derby.  Certainly the number—or the ratio of closers won’t be as strong.  How does that impact the race as you see it?

 

Doug O’Neill:

 

Well, yes, I guess it makes it more challenging as far as staying out of trouble early.  But Nyquist has displayed, as he did in the Derby where Danzig Candy was committed to make the lead, and I know for a split second there Mario thought he was going to get the lead by himself, and Mike Smith wasn’t going to have any of that, and Mario was able to take Nyquist off the pace and settle.  So and then you saw in the Breeders’ Cup where he actually got bumped pretty hard at the start and was forced to take back.  So I think the extra speed, though it’s not in our favor, it shouldn’t affect us as long as we get a nice clean break.  Mario and Nyquist, the relationship they have, Mario can pilot him and position him where he wants him, and Nyquist respects Mario enough to wait until Mario asks him, you know, when to go.

 

Ron Flatter:

 

Among the new shooters as you’ve seen them, do you see any—I mean Stradivari seems to be getting the Vegas action, but do you see anything out there that you would say, “Okay, we’ve got to—that could be a threat but otherwise we’re okay?”

 

Doug O’Neill:

 

Well, I think you nailed it, I think Stradivari just, God, he’s won his last two races by 26 lengths whatever and comes from the Pletcher camp and he’s super well bred, so he’s obviously a horse you have to fear.  But I just think as good as Stradivari ran at Keeneland, it’s hard to compare a first initial allowance at Keeneland to the battle-tested, you know, the horses that have won a Grade 1 five times.  So, I think the experience edge goes to us and hopefully that helps us out.

 

Ron Flatter:

 

Thank you, Doug.  See you next week.

 

Doug O’Neill:

 

You got it, Ron.  Thanks, bud.

 

Operator:

 

Thank you.  The next question comes from Art Wilson, Southern California News Group.  Please go ahead.

 

Art Wilson:

 

Hey, Doug.

 

Doug O’Neill:

 

Hello, Art.

 

Art Wilson:

 

Hey, you’ve had some good ones; of course Lava Man, I’ll Have Another, Goldencents.  Have you ever had more—felt more confidence leading a horse up to the gate than you do with Nyquist?

 

Doug O’Neill:

 

Never.  Never, Art.  I never—and I—it hurts me to—I feel like I’m doing something wrong but I never thought I’d ever say it and I ever would’ve been blessed to be around a horse as good as Lava Man, but this—Nyquist is just he’s so unique and he just gives off a vibe like no other, and then he follows up that confident vibe with just amazing performances in the afternoons consistently.  So he’s the best horse I’ve ever been blessed to be around, and, yes, I just—what he is—what Nyquist has given the whole family at the barn and Team Reddam and Team O’Neill, all of us, is just a gift that’s hard to explain.  He’s just a special gift.

 

Art Wilson:

 

As you were standing there Saturday as the horses were loading into the gate, can you tell us was there a difference in your feelings as opposed to when you were waiting for I’ll Have Another to load and your other Derby starters with having the favorite this time?  Was your thought process any different as they were loading?

 

Doug O’Neill:

 

Yes, that’s a good question, Art.  No, they definitely were.  It was one of just clean break.  I just felt so much optimism—I was so optimistic that we were going to see a good result and just wanted a clean break, clean trip, and just give us the best chance we can, give everyone else in the race the best chance we can, and that’s much different than the previous times we’ve been blessed to run horses in the Derby; a) you’re just pumped to be in the Derby and b) you’re hoping your horse fires his best race and hopefully it’s good enough to get a piece of it.  You know, this time with Nyquist, we really were all quietly very confident that we had the best horse in the race.  But, again, 20 horse field, the best horse doesn’t always win.  So, I think seeing him break good and watching him come down the stretch the first time going into the first turn seeing where he was positioned, God, I felt really, really good.

 

Art Wilson:

 

Okay, great.  Good luck in nine days, Doug.

 

Doug O’Neill:

 

All right, thank you.

 

Operator:

 

Thank you.  The next question comes from Tim Wilkin, the Albany Times-Union.  Please go ahead.

 

Tim Wilkin:

 

Hey, Doug.  People say that every horse gets beat.  But saying that, if Nyquist runs his race and it’s a fairly run race at Pimlico, do you see him getting beat?

 

Doug O’Neill:

 

I never—it’s funny because I never like to—it’s so funny, with Paul Reddam I’ve learned, you know, we don’t have many superstitions, but the one thing Paul has taught me is never say, you know, ‘See you in the winner’s circle” or We can’t get beat.”  That always seems like the kiss of death.  So, I (inaudible) the words—kind of our word that we like to use when we’re talking amongst each other is when they’re doing really good we’re really optimistic, and I’m going to stick to that.  We’re just very optimistic that a good clean trip, if he continues to train the way he is and stays injury free, just very optimistic he’s going to be tough to beat on Preakness day.

 

Tim Wilkin:

 

Strategy change at all in this race?  They talk about tighter turns at Pimlico.  They talk, you know, it’s a little bit shorter than the Derby.  Is there anything you’d change?

 

Doug O’Neill:

 

I don’t think so.  You know, we met up, Mario and Mario’s agent, and Paul Reddam, and Dennis my brother and I met up yesterday briefly in the afternoon before I came out to Baltimore, and that kind of came up.  I think the biggest thing really is for Nyquist to break clean, kind of get into his stride and if two, three new Danzig Candy kind of speed horses go, we have the luxury of settling in third or fourth, wherever.  If they don’t go, you know, we can take it to them.  So, kind of like in every sport speed kills, and I think we’ve got the gate speed to put ourselves in a position where we can get the result we want.  So I wouldn’t say that strategizing changes—is going to change much.  It’s still to break, run, and get a position.

 

Tim Wilkin:

 

Great.  Thanks, Doug.

 

Doug O’Neill:

 

Thank you, bud.

 

Operator:

 

Thank you.  The next question comes from Bob Ehalt of Thoroughbred Racing Commentary.  Please go ahead.

 

Bob Ehalt:

 

Thank you.  Thank you, Doug.  Congratulations on the second Derby.  I just want to—in this era when a lot of horses with say a running style like Exaggerator kind of skips the Preakness and place in the Belmont, are you surprised that he is coming back to run with you in the Preakness, and when you look at the field with the new people coming in, in fact, will you really still consider him as the horse you’ve got to beat in this race?

 

Doug O’Neill:
Well, Exaggerator’s such a good horse and he’s so consistent and he hasn’t missed many dances (phon), so he’s been, you know, every time he runs he brings it.  Maybe their thinking is there’s more speed in this race, which could help his style.  But I mean the fact that they’re talking about coming back in the Preakness tells you how good he came out of the race as well, and I would definitely fear him and the rest of these new shooters like the Pletcher horse.  You know, there’s just no telling how good that son of Medaglia d’Oro could be with what he’s done his last couple starts.  So, but if Exaggerator does run, he’d be a serious horse to fear again for sure.

 

Bob Ehalt:

 

Well, let me—as a fellow trainer, how do you kind of look at the emotions something like Keith Desormeaux goes through running second to one horse so many times, and then the kind of pressure maybe does that put on a trainer to maybe change things and try to maybe even just shake things up?

 

Doug O’Neill:

 

Well, I know Keith really well and he’s a super competitive guy whether he’s on the basketball court.  If you’ve ever played basketball with Keith, he ain’t going to give you an easy layup I can tell you that.  He’ll tackle you before you get an easy layup.  So he’s a very competitive guy, he’s a great horseman, and I think—what they have done with Exaggerator has been brilliant.  He won the Santa Anita Derby.  He won the Delta Downs Jackpot.  He won the Saratoga Special.  So I mean he is—he has run second a few times but he’s also won some big races, and he ran a winning race in the Kentucky Derby he just had a lot to do; you know, we kind of got a head start on him.  But I surely—knowing Keith, I wouldn’t think he would change anything up because the horse is running (inaudible)) and goes with him most of the races.  So, he just need things to kind of fall his way a little bit, and, you know, the Santa Anita Derby he was only two back and he won like Secretariat in there, so I don’t think he’ll change anything.

 

Bob Ehalt:

 

Okay thanks, Doug.  Good luck.

 

Doug O’Neill:

 

You too.

 

Operator:

 

Thank you.  The next question comes from Pat Forde, Yahoo Sports.  Please go ahead.

 

Pat Forde:

 

Hey, Doug.  I was just wondering looking back when you went to Keeneland with Nyquist what you think you got out of that to get him ready for the Derby and why you opted for Keeneland to begin with?

 

Doug O’Neill:

 

That’s a good question, Todd (phon).  I think what we got out of Keeneland was it’s a real tranquil setting.  You know, Keeneland, if you’ve never been there, the barn area is just surrounded by amazing farms; thoroughbred farms, so just the whole ambiance is a real calm setting.  Then you’ve got the training track, which is synthetic, so whenever it rained and we went to the training track we never missed a beat.  The main track, when we did go up there, which was a lot, had a really good cushion on it.  The horses get a lot of air training over Keeneland, and I really think our final workout a