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NTRA Communications National Media Teleconference Previewing the Preakness Stakes, May 7, 2015
Guests: trainer Bob Baffert, trainer Simon Callaghan, and jockey Gary Stevens.
Operator: Good day ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the NTRA Road to the Triple Crown 2015 conference call. 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 Mulvihill. Please go ahead, Mr. Mulvihill.
Jim Mulvihill: Thank you, Nick, and welcome everyone to this Road to the Triple Crown teleconference. It’s our annual Preakness Preview. The 140th running of the Triple Crown’s middle jewel is only nine days away on Saturday, May 16 at Pimlico Race Course. Now later in this call, we’ll talk to the trainer and jockey of Kentucky Derby runner-up Firing Line, Simon Callaghan and Gary Stevens, but first we’re delighted to welcome hall of famer and now four-time Kentucky Derby winning trainer, Bob Baffert. Last Saturday, of course, the Baffert-trained American Pharoah faced his toughest test yet in the Derby, but pulled away from Firing Line late to win by a length. Now, American Pharoah moves on to Baltimore as a relatively fresh horse, at least compared with others who have been in this position, and will try to become Baffert’s sixth Preakness winner. It’s worth noting, of course, that all three of Bob’s previous Derby winners also won the Preakness and advanced to the Belmont with a shot at the Triple Crown, which has remained unclaimed since 1978. Baffert is also expected to saddle the Derby pacesetter and third place finisher, Dortmund, who was undefeated prior to that effort.
Now, four-time Derby winning trainer, Bob Baffert, you’re on with Jim Mulvihill in Lexington. Thanks for being here.
Bob Baffert: Hello.
Jim Mulvihill: There you are. Hey Bob, thanks for joining us. Congratulations on your Derby win. Now only Ben Jones has more Derby victories than you. To start, can you just tell us what was going through your mind when American Pharoah finally put Firing Line away there and you knew you had the race won?
Bob Baffert: Well, it was—all week long, it was I knew it going in. I had the horses that could possibly do it, and watching the races down the back side, they broke well, they were in great position. Down the back side, I really thought Dortmund, the way he was moving, I thought boy, he—you know, we didn’t know how good he was, and I really thought at that time, well, I know we looked at him, he looks like he could win, the way he was moving. I knew Firing Line was going to be right there, because he looked fantastic coming up to the paddock. American Pharoah, he was in a good spot on the outside, but it looked like Dortmund and Firing Line were doing it much easier than he was.
So—and then when they came to about the 3/8ths pole, they started moving, and then I really thought, well, this is what a trainer hopes for, that his horses are running their race. They showed up, and I knew from then on it was going to be a horse race. In terms of the quarter pole, it looked like—you know, I heard the announcer say Pharaoh was under a ride (phon), and it was like, wow, he’s really—usually we’re used to him pulling up there and going on. But he was in—I could tell, he was really in for a—he was struggling a little bit, and so when Dortmund, he was there and he was like, Firing Line looked like—Gary Stevens looked like he was still full of horse for a little bit, and then when he straightened out and he was real wide around there, and then Victor started urging him, like he’s never—that horse has never been—having to been urged because he’s—and I knew there was a problem. Pharaoh’s funny about the crowd noise, because he’s very—he has sensitive ears and that’s why I run him with—I put earplugs in there. He was a little concerned about him coming up—the walk up there, he got really upset because people were running around him, and there was just too many people on the walk and it set him off a little bit. So he used up his energy a little bit before the race, so I was a little bit concerned about that.
But when they turned for home, I thought wow, this is unbelievable. I’m right there, and I know I’m going to run first, second or third, you know? He was edging up, but he just could not put Firing Line away. It was like—you know, waiting for him, that Firing Line just was digging in and it was like for an instant there, I thought well maybe he’s not going to do it, and then at the end I just—he was just urging him away, but he looked like he was running easy but he was just—I think he was just between the crowd or whatever, I don’t know, he wasn’t really—he was running. Those are three good horses that ran, so when he hit the wire, I just felt so relieved. It was something, it was a feeling of gratefulness. It was a totally different Derby vibe than I’ve ever had before. Before, I won the Derby, I was jumping and down for joy, and to me, I just felt like you know what? God is with me. He got me here with these two good horses, and it’s like we did it. I had my boys there, and little Bode was just—you know, it was such an emotional win. Everybody was crying. It was totally different. I was so thankful and grateful that I got to experience this and do it again, because I didn’t know if I’d ever—you know, I haven’t been up there, and I’ve brought some good horses there and I’ve gotten beat. They didn’t run or they just had racing luck or whatever. I thought, you know what? If I don’t win it this year, I don’t think I can ever—you know, it comes to the point where is it worth the pressure. All week long, I was having a good week with him and I knew they were ready, but I was still—you know, you’re never safe, and if a horse scratches, it can happen to anybody, you know? You’re just like pins and needles at your—and we’d had a really great week with him, so it was just a lot of added pressure.
Once I put the saddle on him and I heard the Old Kentucky Home song, it’s like—that’s our two-minute warning, you know, we’re almost there. Then I started to relax. I was pretty relaxed, and I believe in fate. If it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen, so it happened and I was just—it took about two days for it to kick in, to realize that I won the Kentucky Derby. I was pretty wiped out. I got sick a couple days out. I was just—I know one thing. Those stents that that doctor put in in Dubai, they must be really strong. They got tested pretty well, (inaudible).
Jim Mulvihill: Very good. Well, you got it done and American Pharaoh got it done, but I’d like to talk a little bit more about him being tested in that last quarter mile, how hard Victor had to ride him. The big question going into the race was what would happen when he had to be tested? Now he got this hard race, and from your perspective, is that a positive or a negative going into Baltimore, that he had to run so hard in the Derby?
Bob Baffert: I think it’s a—I really think it’s a positive, because he showed that—you know, he got in a fight with Firing Line, and he came out on top. We just didn’t know, because he does everything so effortlessly. I’ve never brought a horse in like him, where I shipped, he shipped. He came up as a layoff, and he’s had that injury during the—after the—the week before the Breeders’ Cup. But you know, he healed up well—I wasn’t worried about that, but then he runs, he ships to Arkansas, he wins that, he ships back, then I ship him back to the Derby, he wins that with ease, then he flies again to (inaudible)—and he still looked great. I mean, this horse has got a—there’s something really special about him, and you can’t do that with very many horses. You have to be a cut above. So he just—he worked, he handled the track, he went over it really well, and he just takes his track with him. It was just a very—like, I kept thinking, man, I don’t know—and Dortmund, what he’s done here, he’s undefeated so I knew I had this loaded gun with these two great bullets. So it was like, I was just thinking, man, I need to win this because if I don’t win this race, I’m just never going to—I mean, why put myself through all this aggravation? It was just really—I’m telling you, I’ve never felt so much pressure in my life leading up to the last few days.
That draw, that was just waiting, not to get the one hole, and it was just—the draw was just killing me. Then there was a scratch, it’s going to be in the 17 hole, I don’t want to be in the 17 hole, there’s never been a winner. There’s another scratch and he ends up in the 16. Sixteen is where I wanted to be. Everybody is asking, where do you want to be? I want to be in the 16, and I remember Jill says, well, you got your hole. I remember Bode was watching, I was getting ready for the Derby and Bode was watching television, and he came in and he says, Daddy, Daddy—there’s been a scratch in the Derby. I said—and they just said, you’re going to be in the 16. You got your hole, your post position. He says, wow, that’s good.
So everything—you know, the stars were lining up. The stars were lining up, it was just a matter of getting it done and—it was a relief, and like I said, I had my boys there with me. They’d never been to a Derby, and unfortunately my daughter couldn’t make it because of her school. I just wish my parents were alive to see that, because they loved—and then the Bode thing, cheering, just shows you he feels what we feel. He wanted it really bad. It was just raw emotion. It was just—it was the greatest day of my racing career.
Jim Mulvihill: Oh my gosh, well Bob, I’m curious why you feel this pressure. You’ve mentioned a few times now, in the post-race press conference and on here, about maybe not getting another chance. But a guy like Wayne is still taking horses to the Derby at 79. Why are you feeling this way? I think most people would look at you and say, Bob is going to be at the Derby more years than not over the next 20 years.
Bob Baffert: Well you know, ever since I had my little heart attack scare, I started realizing, you know what? The body, I’m not invincible, and it’s like you better enjoy what you have. That’s why I really—I enjoyed this more than anything. It was a different—it wasn’t about me, it was about the Zayats, having to endure what they’ve endured running second, looking like they were going to win the Derby and they got their heart just jerked out of them. Kaleem Shaw, he was—you know, he’s been wanting to get there, that’s why they’re all in the business. The Derby is our Masters—it’s the greatest, it’s the top of the mountain. So it was something that I really—you know, I never know how long, when I could just wake up and, you know, not wake up—whatever. But it was like when you get older, you just start thinking, you know what? Let’s take—you know, I might never—let’s take full advantage of this and enjoy it. I really soaked it up. I walked over there. When I walked across the track, I made sure—I stayed back to make sure that everybody got in the winner’s picture, because a lot of time in the excitement, people—security doesn’t let them in, so I’m glad I stayed back because my son Taylor, they weren’t going to let him in; Justin Zayat, they weren’t going to let him in. I was directing traffic that whole time, because I know—when I won with Silver Charm, my sister and my brother-in-law, they didn’t get in because they stopped them there and I didn’t know.
So I made sure the right people got in and matter of fact, all of a sudden—and the horse. I was just so happy for the Zayats, made sure they got in there, and there was so many people. So I wanted them to enjoy it and to see it was for them. It wasn’t for Bob Baffert, it was for my family and my wife. It wasn’t about me. My crew was there, and I wanted to make sure—like Jimmy, my assistant, Danner and Georgie would get—I mean, it was a team effort, the groom. It was about them. You know, they work hard and we—I’ve sacrificed a lot in my life to be in this spot, so that was the payday.
Pat Forde: Hi Bob. I was just wondering if there’d been some discussion of Victor’s ride down the stretch. Some people may be saying he whipped American Pharoah too much. What’s your thoughts on his ride?
Bob Baffert: Well really, I didn’t really—to me, I never noticed it during the race, and then it was brought—I read something yesterday. I went back and looked at it. The horse—first of all, the whips they use now, they’re so light and they’re not really—they really don’t—and he was just keeping him busy, because I think (inaudible) was the horse was not responding when he turned for home. It looked like he was not, I think, ahead a lot, he was just keeping him busy, keeping focused because he knows that—I remember he said in Arkansas when he turned for home, he sort of threw his head up like he could feel him hitting the brakes, and he just had to tap him on the shoulder to keep him going. But this was like, like trying to stand, you know? So he just was keeping him busy, and he was flogging him and hitting him, but he hits him on the saddle towe; He doesn’t really hit that hard, so he was just keeping him busy.
Art Wilson: Hey Bob. I wanted to talk to you a little bit about the Triple Crown series itself. Everybody knows how tough it is to win the Derby. You’ve got the three races in a short five-week span. The varying distances, if you’re lucky enough to win the Derby, then you’re going to have a lot of new shooters in the Preakness and the Belmont. I think arguably you could say that winning the Triple Crown is maybe the toughest feat to accomplish in sports. Would you agree with that?
Bob Baffert: Well, I think it’s getting harder and harder now. I think the times have changed. The fields are larger. They run against more horses. I was reading there were Affirmed ran against 20 horses a hole, whatever, but—and we ran against, you know, a pretty full field. But I really—I just enjoy it now. To me, it’s like if it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be. I’ve been there three times and came up short, but it was—it’s an experience that to me, I don’t even think about it right now. My concern right now is the Preakness, get there and have them run the races, and if they were to win or Dortmund wins or American Pharaoh wins, then he deserves to go on to the third leg. So it’s something that I’m not even thinking about it right now, I just want to enjoy this win and go to the Preakness, and really enjoy it. I’m going to be—there’s less pressure now. It’s more of a—you know, if it happens, I know it’s good for racing. There’s nothing like watching Triple Chrome. I love—California Chrome, it was so exciting. I was so nervous for California Chrome in the Belmont last year, because I know I’ve been there. Those people in New York, they keep buying their tickets and going, hoping it will happen. We’ve seen so many horses—you know, Big Brown, I’ll Have Another, and something comes up, it’s just—. I know what can go wrong, and so you just have to enjoy it and take one race at a time.
Danny Brewer: Whenever you’re planning for the Preakness, do you call on some of your past successes for strategy, or do you just keep it a little simpler and maybe think WWBD—what would Bode do?
Bob Baffert: You know, when we go there, it’s a two-week turnaround. To me, it’s the easiest of the three legs. To me, I think the Derby is the hardest, so once you get through there, you know your horses. If they run well, they’re in top form. You have to be in top form to win the Kentucky Derby, so once they’re in top form, it’s just a matter of just getting them there and—you know, you still have to draw well, whatever. There’s a lot of luck involved, but if you—if your horses are coming off a big effort in the Derby and they’ve run well, and they’re pretty—my horses, they’re tough. They can handle a lot. So I feel good about them. I’ll watch them—I’ll be there Sunday and I’ll watch them train Monday, Tuesday going up there. So, so far, they went back to the track today, they jogged, and Jimmy was telling me they were really—they were just full of themselves, so they were really happy. I was going to jog them the other day, but we’re going to go ahead and (inaudible). They’re keyed up, so I want to—you know, it’s a matter of—it’s a class test. If they’re that good, they’ll get it done.
Danny Brewer: You’ve mentioned your family several times. Is that one of the greatest things about this whole experience, is just the bonding that it is for you and your family, with the Zayats and all that are involved with your whole team?
Bob Baffert: Yes, I mean, I’ve actually been with Bode (inaudible), we went through that, but this was a little bit different. It was with my clients. I’m pretty close with my clients, like Kaleem Shah and his family. His dad was a trainer in India, and he won the Indian Derby three times. He didn’t want his son—he didn’t want Kaleem to be a horse trainer, he wanted him to learn and to study. He didn’t want him to go through—you know, Kaleem has seen what I go through as a trainer, the pressures and everything. I actually tell him, this is why your dad didn’t want you to do this, it’s tough. I really don’t want Bode or my kids to do this, because it’s pretty—it’s nerve-wracking. So it will wear on you a little bit, but if it wasn’t these good horses and the great clients, they keep me motivated. But it was having my boys there with me, and for them to enjoy it. They’re older now and they really enjoyed it, and little Bode, he really—he feels it like we do. He’s been around it, he knows when things aren’t right or whatever, we’re having problems or the horse is this—he’s wired like his mother, so he’s very—a lot of passion. He showed just nothing but raw passion in the video of him jumping up and down. He wanted to be by himself. He didn’t want to watch it with me, he wanted to be by himself, because he was nervous. He was pretty worked up about it, so it was just—. Afterward, he told me—coming back after the Derby, he says, thank you for fulfilling my Derby dream. He’s a 10-year-old telling me this, so it was for those boys.
Tim Wilkin: Hey Bob. You talked about at the barn on Sunday, about running both horses in the Preakness, because that’s what you do for your owners. Does part of you at all wish that Dortmund wasn’t running in this race because of Pharoah’s chance to keep moving in the Crown?
Bob Baffert: No, I was down there with—I went there with Hungry and Point Given, and I think he deserves another chance. He ran well. He ran his race, and so it’s a little bit shorter, maybe he might like that. You can’t really—you know, in my barn, everybody gets an equal fair shot, so Kaleem just told me, look, if you think he’s going to run well, run him. If you don’t think so—he left it up to me, so it’s actually my call. So far, I haven’t seen anything that would make me feel like—you know, as long as I know I feel comfortable, when I lead one up there, I want to make sure that I’m not going to embarrass him and he’s going to run his race. As long as he looks great on Monday-Tuesday, I don’t see why not give him another chance, because he’s a very good horse.
Tim Wilkin: Which one’s better?
Bob Baffert: Well, I mean, everybody said that Pharoah was the favorite and he was the best, and on that day he was the best horse. But you know, I thought (inaudible) couldn’t lose and he ran it—he didn’t fire, he ran a dud. So you never know. These horses, they’ll fool you. I’ve run horses where I thought I couldn’t lose, and they didn’t bring it that day. So—but if they show up, they’re both—they’re going to be tough.
Bill Finley: Hi Bob. I’d like to pick up on that same question that Tim just asked you. I know these are hypotheticals, but you’ve had three cracks at the Triple Crown, you’ve lost them in agonizing ways. There’s some sort of scenarios here where Dortmund could beat American Pharaoh by a nose in the final leg of the Triple Crown, or maybe Dortmund wins on Saturday and then American Pharoah comes back and wins the Belmont Stakes. In any way, shape or form, if you beat yourself out of the Triple Crown, I know you have to look after Kaleem Shah interests, but would that leave sort of a queasy feeling in your stomach?
Bob Baffert: Well I really—I play one race. I’m not even thinking Belmont right now, Bill. I’m just thinking Preakness. They have to run well there and they have to come out of it well for even me to even to go Belmont. So the Belmont, the mile and a half is not really—it’s not a race that if you’re—it’s tough on them, so I think we’ll know more after the race what it entails. But Pharaoh, if you’re going to be a Triple Crown winner, you have to be—you know, the great horses win it and good horses win it, so he’s got to—he’s going to have to beat his stable mate, he’s got to beat Firing Line, and probably some other horses in there. You know, I’m not taking anything for granted. I want to go in there. My job is to try to win all three races and to win every race I’m entered in, so I’m just looking at it, if he wins, it’s great for racing and for you guys, and for all of us, but just one race at a time. My job is to get him there, and you guys figure out—write your stories and do your picks, whatever. I just focus. All I’m focusing right now is getting him to the Preakness, getting him there healthy, and have him run a—racing luck has a lot to do with it, so having two horses like that, it betters my odds of winning the race, and that’s what we’re trying to do.
Bill Finley: I know they asked us to only ask one question, but this will be very brief. The horse in the Peter Pan Saturday, if he runs well, will you appoint him for the Belmont?
Bob Baffert: You know, there’s always possibilities. He’s a nice horse that’s getting better. I think he’ll like this one, so that could be a possibility also.
Andrew Beyer: Bob, how much will you instruct your jockeys about tactics before the Preakness? I mean, will you tell them not to get in a dual with each other early, or if Firing Line should get loose, would you tell them who is supposed to go out and chase them? What do you say to them?
Bob Baffert: You know, I really don’t say very—I don’t think too much about it, because I have Martin—he knows his horse really well. He knows—they’re going to put him in a spot where they feel comfortable, and so I think the break Andy—the whole key is how they break. If they break well, and they broke well in the Derby, let your horses run. If they don’t break well, then it changes the whole scenario. So they’re on their own, really. There is not one watching out for the other. They want to win. They are competitive jockeys and they want the Crown, so they basically—my job is to have them—if they fire, they’re going to run well. If they’re not doing well, then it doesn’t matter what instructions. The whole key—it’s like we watch the Derby, you see these horses, they don’t run their races a