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THE HASKELL INVITATIONAL MEDIA CONFERENCE


August 4, 2005


Bob Baffert

Bill Bianco

Patrick Biancone

Lincoln Collins

Marianne Hesse

Greg Norman

Jim Ryerson

George Zoffinger


LARRY COLLMUS: Good morning, everyone, and welcome to the Post Position Draw and press conference for the $1 million Haskell Invitational. I'm Larry Collmus, track announcer here at Monmouth Park. Glad to have you all along, some familiar faces here in the room. Looking forward to another big race this year. The Haskell producing 10 champions in the past 15 runnings, it's one of the best races in the country and we're certainly looking forward to another terrific race on Sunday. It remains the richest Invitational on this continent. We are certainly looking forward to a great Haskell. To start off proceedings, I'd like to introduce the president and CEO of the New Jersey Sports and Exhibition Authority, George Zoffinger.

GEORGE ZOFFINGER: It's always a pleasure having this press conference. Every year I think the race is slightly different. This year we have a number of very exciting things. I think actually as one of the people said, this should turn out to be a pretty good betting race. But we have some local flavor to it. Charlie Hesse I know has a horse in the race. We have now Sun King signed up, Roman Ruler. I think it's going to be a very exciting day. That's part of the weekend that we have. As everybody knows, we had the Hambletonian on Saturday. More people will attend racing on this weekend, we hope, than have ever attended races in New Jersey ever. We're excited about it. This is going to be a great day. I just want to recognize some work that has been done by the chairman of our racing committee, the Board of Commissioners, Jerry Zaro. You've done a good job of working with our staff here. Also, we have great management here at Monmouth, up at the Meadowlands Raceway, in Dennis, Chris and Bobby, all of their staff. Have a good day. This should be very exciting. Hopefully we have a crowd that's going to be excited, too.

LARRY COLLMUS: One of the things I do well is be short. We're going to do that here at the press conference and go right away with Post Position draw for the race. I'd like to bring up our racing secretary Mike Dempsey and Mike Melendez. Before we get started, just a couple of things of note, a couple of jockey notes. For those of you who have the bio notes, Papi Chullo's jockey should be listed as David López. One other thing, on the draw sheet, the jockey for Golden Man, which is unlisted, is Chuck López. With that in mind, let's get right to it. Gentlemen, let's do it. Eight horses are in the box. No. 3 is Papi Chullo. Joey P will be No. 7. No. 8 will be Chekhov. No. 5 is Sun King. No. 4, Roman Ruler, Morning Line favorite in the race, No. 4 Post Position. Palladio will come from Post Position No. 1. Golden Man will be No. 6 in the race. Park Avenue Ball gets Post Position No. 2. Here are the Morning Line odds as well: Chekhov will be at 6-1. Next on your sheet is Golden Man, Chuck Lopez is the jockey, 15-1. Joey P, No. 7, with Aaron Gryder, 15-1. Palladio, No. 1, Richard Dos Ramos, Morning Line 10-1. Papi Chullo, Post Position No. 3, jockey David López, 15-1. Park Avenue Ball, Post Position No. 2 with Chris DeCarlo, third choice in the Morning Line, 3-1. Roman Ruler, Post Position No. 4, the Morning Line favorite, the odds 9-5. And Sun King drew Post Position No. 5, Javier Castellano, his Morning Line odds, second choice at 5-2. So that's the field of horses and their Morning Line odds for The Haskell. The next order of business is to talk to some of the people that aren't here in the room but will be joining us over the phone lines. We will be talking to various people in the race. The first person we're going to talk to is the trainer of the Morning Line favorite in the race, Roman Ruler. That is Bob Baffert. Bob, can you hear us okay?

BOB BAFFERT: Yeah, fine.

LARRY COLLMUS: First of all, for Roman Ruler, you Drew Post Position No. 4, middle of the pack, in an eight-horse field. What do you think of that post for him?

BOB BAFFERT: Yeah, that's fine. I'm fine with it. You know, we never want to be in the 1 hole. But, no, that's fine for him. He's a good gate horse. The most important thing is that he's doing well and he's on his way right now. There's no turning back.

LARRY COLLMUS: We're glad to hear that. It's always good to know they're on their way. This horse has had two starts so far this year leading up to The Haskell. Any concern on your part that two starts is not that many?

BOB BAFFERT: Well, I mean, he had a pretty good foundation. He had a good foundation, he had a good two-year-old season. He's doing really well right now. We're really excited about it. He showed his brilliance last year. He's coming back to that form. His Dwyer race was fantastic off of a layoff, beat a really nice horse. That horse came back and won. He's doing better now than he was for that race, so we're really excited.

LARRY COLLMUS: How are his feet doing? I know that's been an issue in the past.

BOB BAFFERT: The feet are behind him. They're no problem. They're not an issue any more.

LARRY COLLMUS: How about the distance? A mile and an eighth a concern for many horses in this race. This horse seems to have the breeding for that. Do you think that's a good distance for him?

BOB BAFFERT: Yeah, I think he'll be able to handle it. He handled it in the Dwyer. He was wide the whole way in the Dwyer. He probably ran a mile and an eighth that day. The main thing about this horse is that if he's sound and healthy, he's a very good horse. If he gets the right kind of trip, he needs racing luck. That's half the battle right there. I feel really confident that with the right trip, he should get the distance easy.

LARRY COLLMUS: You've had so many good three-year-olds over the years, Bob. Of course, you've won The Haskell a couple of times. We know it's hard to compare one horse to another. How would you say Roman Ruler stacks up against some of these top horses you've had over the years?

BOB BAFFERT: Well, I think he stacks way up there. He had Point Given, I've had Vindication. I'd rank him about third right now just on his -- talent-wise.

LARRY COLLMUS: You've always seemed to be able to find your way back here to Monmouth Park. You're one of our best guys that keep coming back each and every year. What is it about Monmouth Park that appeals to you so much?

BOB BAFFERT: Well, I mean, it's a good race. It's grade one. It's $1 million. They treat us very well there. It's a little hot, but I get to get in there. The fans are fantastic. It's such a great event for the fans. They really appreciate a really good horse running there. You got Max's Hot Dogs to go to. Always make a stop by there when I run. It's just a nice place. It's easy to get to, go in there. I've always had a -- win, lose or draw, I've always had a nice time there.

LARRY COLLMUS: When are you coming?

BOB BAFFERT: I'll be there Saturday night.

LARRY COLLMUS: How about the horse?

BOB BAFFERT: The horse is on his way. He'll be there this afternoon around 4.

LARRY COLLMUS: Thank you very much, Bob. Appreciate your time. We look forward to seeing you on Sunday for The Haskell.

BOB BAFFERT: Thank you.

LARRY COLLMUS: Bob Baffert, the trainer of Roman Ruler, Morning Line favorite at odds of 9-5. The next person on the phone line is the racing manager for the Tracy Farmers stable. The connections of Sun King. This is Lincoln Collins. Mr. Collins, how are you?

LINCOLN COLLINS: Very well, thanks. And you?

LARRY COLLMUS: Glad to be able to talk to you. Very well. Sun King has drawn Post Position No. 5, right next to Roman Ruler in the starting gate. You'll be the second choice at 5-2 odds. What do you think of Post 5 for Sun King?

LINCOLN COLLINS: Oh, I think we'd be perfectly happy with it. He's a versatile horse. Sort of in the middle of the field is where you want to be. I guess Javier will be able to keep a good eye on Roman Ruler (laughter). I think we'll be happy with it.

LARRY COLLMUS: He has two wins at two turns. Both of those wins came on the lead. Would you prefer to see him on the front end or where do you think he'll be?

LINCOLN COLLINS: I don't think he necessarily needs to be on the front end. But I think in both cases, where he went to the lead, he went to the lead more because that's just the way the race happened than any specific plan. But I think he'll lie within striking distance and then we'll see where we go.

LARRY COLLMUS: Last time out in his race in Delaware, blinkers were added for Sun King. What prompted that equipment change? Do you think it made a big difference?

LINCOLN COLLINS: I don't actually attribute it to the blinkers. I think just after -- he ran to us, an unaccountably poor race in the Kentucky Derby, then obviously a much better race, although he never came close to Fleet Alex, in the Preakness. I think as one does, one is just looking for something to change a little bit. I'm not sure I'd put it all down to the blinkers. I think the horse was just doing better and happier and hopefully is back on the right track and improving.

LARRY COLLMUS: His rider the last couple of times, Rafael Bejarano was injured in a mishap at Saratoga. You're going to have Javier Castellano aboard. What prompted the decision to go to him?

LINCOLN COLLINS: He's a rider that Nick uses a lot. We have a lot of confidence in him. He's had a lot of success for us. So we're delighted to ride him.

LARRY COLLMUS: Are you going to be able to join us here in New Jersey for the race?

LINCOLN COLLINS: I may or may not. I'm not quite sure. We have runners at Saratoga. I'm 99% sure that Mr. and Mrs. Farmer are going to be there.

LARRY COLLMUS: Terrific. Thank you very much Lincoln Collins. Good luck in The Haskell.

LINCOLN COLLINS: Thank you so much. We greatly enjoyed it last year. Thank you very much.

LARRY COLLMUS: Now we are going to go back to the phone lines and talk to a fellow who knows a little about winning this race, Patrick Biancone, who will be sending Chekhov to the starting gate. He won The Haskell last year with Lion Heart. How are you?

PATRICK BIANCONE: Very good. Good morning.

LARRY COLLMUS: Good morning to you, as well. Chekhov in an eight-horse field has drawn the far outside Post Position in the race. What do you think of that?

PATRICK BIANCONE: I think the speed (inaudible) inside of him. I am just teasing you. But, I mean, he drew outside (inaudible), he drew outside last time he run in your place (inaudible).

LARRY COLLMUS: You won the race last year with Lion Heart. Certainly you're going to try to win here again with Chekhov. In the past you said this colt has been a bit of a slow learner, just coming around. How has he been doing since he won the Long Branch?

PATRICK BIANCONE: He was second at Long Branch. We decided to aim him for The Haskell. I followed the program I followed last year with my other horse. He ran a good race in the Long Branch. He's improving now. Hopefully he'll do great on Sunday.

LARRY COLLMUS: The Long Branch certainly was a good prep for Lion Heart. Do you think the race or the track angle is an important help for a horse going to a race like this?

PATRICK BIANCONE: I don't try to be too smart. It worked well last year. Hopefully will work this year, too. You know, it's certainly a good thing to run on the track and see the horse appreciate the track. The track is so good anyway, we say any horse would like the track.

LARRY COLLMUS: When is Chekhov going to be arriving here at Monmouth?

PATRICK BIANCONE: Sunday morning. Each time we run, we ship them in the morning.

LARRY COLLMUS: Patrick, thank you very much. Congratulations on your win last year. Good luck with Chekhov this year as well.

PATRICK BIANCONE: Thank you very much.

LARRY COLLMUS: Let's go to Greg Norman. Greg Norman is the owner of Papi Chullo, a horse with a very cool name. Mr. Norman, how are you?

GREG NORMAN: I'm doing well. How about yourself?

LARRY COLLMUS: Very well. How did he get his name?

GREG NORMAN: Papi Chullo means 'handsome daddy', but in the Spanish vernacular, it translates into like a Playboy, very, very handsome, a guy who gets all the women. In the Spanish culture, when someone says Papi Chullo to a young man, that means he's handsome, attractive, a man about town.

LARRY COLLMUS: Would you say that fits this animal pretty well?

GREG NORMAN: It fits him to a T. Once you get a look at him, he's a tall, really good-looking animal.

LARRY COLLMUS: Any filly races near The Haskell? Might have to be concerned about that.

GREG NORMAN: That's right (laughter).

LARRY COLLMUS: You've had a lot of confidence in this horse all along, put him in a stakes race right away. What gave you the confidence that Papi Chullo would be a top-quality horse?

GREG NORMAN: Just the way he trained in the morning even before his first race. First couple of breezes, he really wasn't focused. But once we started to put him into company with some of our better horses, he was basically outworking them in the morning. And we felt that it wasn't a far reach to put him in that minor stake race as his first race. He did very, very well.

LARRY COLLMUS: And even when he was a maiden, he beat a horse named Giacomo who ended up winning the Kentucky Derby. When you saw Giacomo win the derby, did that give you more confidence in Papi Chullo?

GREG NORMAN: Yes, it did. Like you said, we've had confidence in this horse all along. When he finished second in the Sham and Giacomo finished third, we felt we should have won that race with a little bit better racing luck. Yes, it was somewhat of a feather in our cap that Giacomo came back to win the Kentucky Derby.

LARRY COLLMUS: How about two turns? This horse has done well at two turns, but hasn't won a two-turn race. Is that a concern for you?

GREG NORMAN: No. He's definitely a two-turn horse. The further the better with him. His forte is two turns. This is right up his alley.

LARRY COLLMUS: What about post position No. 3 for Papi Chullo? What do you think of your post?

GREG NORMAN: Perfect. He loves running on the inside of other horses. It makes him very competitive. We're hoping to get in a good position going into the clubhouse turn, track the leaders down the backstretch and swing to the outside and see what we have turning for home.

LARRY COLLMUS: David López, the jockey of this horse. Not a really familiar name to folks here in New Jersey. Tell us how David López ended up getting the mount on this horse?

GREG NORMAN: Well, David was Papi's pilot for his first race at Golden Gate Racetrack in Northern California. He rode him very, very well. He was flying at the end. He seemed to have the ability to motivate Papi Chullo. That's pretty much the only concern with Papi, is that he needs motivation. Certain jockeys fit him well. So when we were looking for a jockey for this particular race, I know that Rafael won with him, Bejarano won with him at Belmont, they were going to ride Nick Zito's horse even before he got injured. We went back to some of his previous races and thought, hey, let's give David López a try. When we called his agent, they were very, very enthusiastic and looking forward to coming and riding such a prestigious race.

LARRY COLLMUS: Greg, are you going to be joining us here for the race?

GREG NORMAN: Absolutely. I will be driving behind the van tomorrow morning. Papi will van from Saratoga to Monmouth approximately around 9:30 in the morning and depending upon traffic, we'll get there, I'll be a couple paces behind him.

LARRY COLLMUS: All right. Thank you very much. We'll look forward to seeing you on Sunday and good luck with Papi Chullo in The Haskell.

GREG NORMAN: Thank you very much.

LARRY COLLMUS: That's Greg Norman, not the golfer, the owner of Papi Chullo. Hopefully he will have a good trip in The Haskell as well. I believe that's all we have for the phone line people. Pretty soon we're going to talk to some of the participants who are joining us in the room. Before we do so, The Haskell is a race with so much history, and Monmouth Park is a track with so much history. One of the best parts of the history of New Jersey racing is a man who is sitting right over here. We cannot have a Haskell without recognizing a man who has won it three times, a Hall of Famer, and Mr. Monmouth Park, Mr. Jimmy Croll. Everybody give him a big hand. So good to see you here. We're going to talk to some of the folks here in the room. Let's bring up, first of all, the fellow that will be saddling our local hopeful in the race, Park Avenue Ball, Mr. Jim Ryerson, why don't you come up and say hello. A big hand for Jim Ryerson. Jim, glad to have you along here. Of course, you're here all the time, so it's good to see you. You were second in this race with Meadow Flight. This guy over here beat you. Have you forgiven Jimmy Croll for that day?

JIM RYERSON: Absolutely. We actually thought we had a -- our horse was doing great. But, you know, to beat Holy Bull, it wasn't in the cards that day. We were very proud of our horse that day. It's great to be part of the race.

LARRY COLLMUS: You're certainly a big part of the race with Park Avenue Ball. The horse just absolutely dominated the Long Branch leading up to this race. It was his first win around two turns. There's been concern, I've heard a lot of people say, a mile an and eighth for this case. Why not Park Avenue Ball? He can do a mile and an eighth?

JIM RYERSON: I think the mile and a eighth races he ran in Florida, he had too much to do. He didn't get off great. Got in trouble. The Florida Derby he broke terrible. It wasn't just the type of track you can make up that kind of ground. I think part of the reason for his races was he didn't get any position. He still, though, has to answer whether he can win a mile and an eighth. He hasn't done it yet. Based on his Long Branch, he sure looked like he could do it the other day.

LARRY COLLMUS: He certainly did. He totally dominated the Long Branch. Speaking of position, you're saying position is definitely a key here. Post Position No. 2 for Park Avenue Ball for this race. What do you think of that post?

JIM RYERSON: Well, it's not a huge field. I think he has a Post 1 I think the other day. I'm not even sure. But he was inside. He was able to get out the other day. I don't think it will be much of a concern. The other speed horses will be to his outside. But he's run inside and outside on a number of occasions. I don't think it will bother him.

LARRY COLLMUS: He's a lot closer to the pace in that race than we've seen him in the past two. Is that something you would expect to see on Sunday?

JIM RYERSON: Yeah, we hope he lays up a little bit. I think The Withers is the race that kind of showed how he could run if he did lay up. The mile and an eighth races in Florida, he had a short run into the first turn, that really hurt him. Here he'll have little more run into the first turn and I think he'll be able to get the position he needs.

LARRY COLLMUS: Now, The Haskell certainly is a race that I'm sure you've been thinking about all along with a horse of this talent. One of the things that he has going for him is he really likes Monmouth Park. Do you think that's going to help him? He's got a really good record here.

JIM RYERSON: He loves Monmouth. That's evident. But I think not having to ship him is a big help to us. He shipped to some races and competed well. The Withers was a good race. He won (Inaudible) last year. What it takes out of him is a concern of ours. I think he's better off being here at Monmouth and not having to ship, more than the surface. I think he can run on anything. I think it's just more that he doesn't have to ship. It's a little stressful to him.

LARRY COLLMUS: You're a Jersey guy, live right down the street here from Monmouth Park. What would The Haskell victory, if you could do it, what would that mean to you?

JIM RYERSON: Well, I mean, as you said, if you grow up down the street, you do this for a living, the owners are from Jersey, they raced here forever. We trained here forever. Chris has ridden here. I mean, this would be a great race to win.

LARRY COLLMUS: New Jersey through and through, the horse, the owners, trainer, jockey. We wish the best of luck to you. We appreciate you running Park Avenue Ball in The Haskell.

JIM RYERSON: Thank you.

LARRY COLLMUS: Speaking of the owners of Park Avenue Ball. Charles and Marianne Hesse are here. We'd like to talk to you a little bit about your horse. Marianne Hesse, owner of Park Avenue Ball, Ladies and Gentlemen. You've been around this track a couple of days, you've been here before?

MARIANNE HESSE: I've been here too long. No, I've been around Monmouth Park for 46 years. I used to be chairman of the Monmouth Park charity ball committee, which is how this horse actually got his name. It goes all the way back to Ms. Charity Ball which, Charlie, I named after myself. I wasn't allowed to name horses after myself, so one day what I did with Ms. Charity Ball, then Road to the Ball, and now Park Avenue Ball.

LARRY COLLMUS: Last year Park Avenue Ball in its first start wins a big maiden race. At that point were you thinking in the back of your head or even in the front of your head, "We might have a Haskell horse"?

MARIANNE HESSE: Absolutely. We're always thinking Haskell. That's been our dream for years and years. I've even stood at this podium before and said it means more to me than, really, winning the derby.

LARRY COLLMUS: That's quite a thing to say. I know that winning the derby is a huge thing. You and Charlie won the Buddy Reins award for all you've done to help New Jersey racing over the years. A Haskell, that would be the tip of the iceberg, wouldn't it?

MARIANNE HESSE: It really would. It really would. I mean, we have great faith in the Jersey-bred program. We always have supported it. This would be even a wonderful thing for Jersey-breds to win this. We're looking forward to this. I know Jimmy and Chris and everyone is trying real hard. We're going to be trying, everybody.

LARRY COLLMUS: Thanks, Marianne. Good luck. Marianne Hesse, Park Avenue Ball, one of two horses in the race trying to be the first Jersey-bred to win The Haskell, since Thanks to Tony won it way back in 1980. We're going to now bring up to speak with us Bill Bianco, who is part owner of Roman Ruler, who just joined us here. We're glad to have you here. Morning Line favorite. How are you, Bill? Have you been to Monmouth before?

BILL BIANCO: I used to live out here in the summers 45 years ago. My dad and mom used to come. We used to live in Westchester County, New York. We used to come out for the summers. I always remember taking the ferry out rather than driving in those days. It feels like I'm coming home being here because it's 45 years the last time I stepped into the grandstand area.

LARRY COLLMUS: We're glad to have you here. What do you think of the chances? You're the Morning Line favorite. Do you think you're going to win it?

BILL BIANCO: Well, I hope every horse runs to its capabilities. We picked this race number one because of Afleet Alex, I'm sorry he's not here, but there's some quality horses here. I just hope everybody runs up to their best capabilities. I think we have something that we think is special and we'll find out.

LARRY COLLMUS: We're happy to have you here. Thanks for coming and good luck. Appreciate it. Bill Bianco, one of the owners of Morning Line favorite Roman Ruler. Now we want to bring up a couple of jockeys that are going to be riding in the race. They are the riders of Park Avenue Ball and Joey P. Chris DeCarlo and Aaron Gryder. Why don't you come up and say hello to the folks here. How about a big hand for Chris and Aaron. Hard to get these two together. They don't like each other. We'll separate them a little bit. We've got two guys here. First of all, I want to talk to Aaron first, two guys that have been riding here at Monmouth Park all summer long. Aaron, certainly you've had a lot of success over the years. I believe if you have the numbers right, you won five great ones?

AARON GRYDER: No, I've won more than that, but I don't know what the numbers are. Get your numbers straight, Larry.

LARRY COLLMUS: We have a department for that. I can't take credit for that. What would a Haskell win mean to you?

AARON GRYDER: It would be great for my career. This is one of the main reasons I came back to Monmouth Park not necessarily just The Haskell, but to get opportunities and chances at quality races. I'm happy that my services were called upon in this race. I was very happy the other day when Joe Rosen called me and said he spoke to Mr. Petrini and Frank Costa. I'm looking forward to it.

LARRY COLLMUS: You haven't ridden the horse yet in a race. Have you been on him in the morning?

AARON GRYDER: No, I haven't. I watched him train, watched all his races, like everybody has. He has a lot of positive things. He's obviously shown he's got quality, talent, speed, durability and a lot of toughness. I think the question everybody's asking is: Can he go the distance? Nobody's going to know that till we run a mile and an eighth on Haskell day. As soon as I found out I had the mount, I picked up the phone and called Joe Bravo. I think he knows the horse as well as anybody. He assured me he's got the utmost confidence he'll go a mile and an eighth with quality horses.

LARRY COLLMUS: When you have a horse that hasn't gone a mile and an eighth, has had a lot of success in sprint races, do you ride them certain ways or are they just individuals?

AARON GRYDER: They're all individuals, but you definitely want to throttle them, just see if you can get him in a high gallop. The less energy they spend the first five-eighths of a mile, the more you are going to have the last part of it. He did have a good race going a mile and a 16th against older horses that were tough older horses. A lot of people look at it and say it was an option claimer. It was tough older horses in the race. He got beat a half length, three-quarters of a length to two nice horses. But he showed a lot of courage that day. He broke, looked like he was a little bit anxious that day. If he can settle a little bit better, maybe even stalk a couple horses, I think he can have some turn of foot that could be reckoned with down the line.

LARRY COLLMUS: What about the 7 hole? What do you think of that?

AARON GRYDER: I think it's perfect. If it's a horse you're wanting to stalk horses with or even if he happens to make the lead on his own natural speed, I think it gives him a chance to break out of there and not be committed to anything. Just get in stride, get comfortable. If somebody makes the lead, he can just stalk behind them, that's great. But if you're in on the inside, sometimes your hand's forced a little bit. This gives him a chance to do whatever he needs to do.

LARRY COLLMUS: Thanks, Aaron. We're going to bring Chris over here, too. Chris, been a long time. This guy has won The Haskell. He won it with a horse called Wise Times a long, long time ago. You were 17 years old at the time. Do you remember it at all? Do you have certain recollections about that day?

CHRIS DeCARLO: Yeah. It downpoured I think two races before. Everything that day was -- speed was holding that day prior to that. I knew this horse loved the mud. When it started to rain, I knew I had a good chance to win it. During the race, I was about 15 lengths behind the leaders when we hit the five-eighths pole. I reached down, hit him one time, stayed on the fence, wound up getting through till about the quarter pole. I angled out, made the lead, just hung on.

LARRY COLLMUS: What does a 17-year-old do after he wins The Haskell to celebrate? You were awfully young at the time.

CHRIS DeCARLO: I think I went to one of the restaurants right here on the corner, I forget the name of the place, right over here.

LARRY COLLMUS: The Wharf Inn?

CHRIS DeCARLO: There you go. I think we went there.

LARRY COLLMUS: The Long Branch was your first ride on Park Avenue Ball. Were you surprised how easily he won that race?

CHRIS DeCARLO: Yeah. I knew he was a nice horse. Jimmy said his race prior to The Withers he had broke slow. He thought he might have had too much ground to make up in those races. The other day he ran like he belongs in this race.

LARRY COLLMUS: When he drew Post Position No. 2, what were your thoughts?

CHRIS DeCARLO: You know, going a mile and eighth in a short field, it doesn't really matter. I guess play it off the break. Had it within a 12-horse field, I might have had to use him a little earlier. But I think pretty much the way the race is going to set up, everybody is going to break and see what happens, take it from there. I have enough speed to where I can either be on it or sit off a bit.

LARRY COLLMUS: You're a Jersey guy. Everything about this horse is New Jersey through and through. You were a young guy when you won The Haskell the first time. You're a veteran, age 36 I believe right now. What would it mean for you to win The Haskell?

CHRIS DeCARLO: Oh, it would be put a cap to a great season I've had here so far. It would be nice to win the Molly Pitcher and The Haskell in the same year and a few others (laughter).

LARRY COLLMUS: He's doing pretty well this year. Thanks to Chris DeCarlo and Aaron Gryder. Two of the classiest people you'll meet in racing, these two guys right here. Let's now talk to a man who has been at Monmouth Park for a long, long time, certainly a fixture here for decades. He's going to be saddling Joey P in The Haskell. How about a big hand for Frank Costa as he comes on up, Ladies and Gentlemen. How are you, Frank?

FRANK COSTA: Fine.

LARRY COLLMUS: You've been here a long, long time. When did you first get here?

FRANK COSTA: Oh, 1953.

LARRY COLLMUS: 1953?

FRANK COSTA: Yeah. Used to work for Kelly. Then I came in 1972. I went to California for 20 years, been here ever since.

LARRY COLLMUS: You've been doing pretty well, but not doing as well as you're doing now. This is the best horse you ever had, right?

FRANK COSTA: Yeah, this is the best horse I ever had, yeah.

LARRY COLLMUS: I know right away he started winning races as a young horse. When did you feel that you had something special?

FRANK COSTA: Well, I know last year she run. Ran twice, win twice. Ran three times, win three times. Then he got a little tired. But he tried hard. He's a nice horse. He like to run.

LARRY COLLMUS: When he won the Jersey Shore Breeders Cup race, did you think at that point he really hadn't raced against that type of competition, top level horses before? Were you surprised he was able to beat those horses as easily as he did?

FRANK COSTA: That horse, you know, he liked to run. He love to win. He didn't want to get beat. You know, even in the morning when I train him, he always want to beat the horse he run with. So, you know, I told him to lay off the pace a little bit. When you see a horse in front of you, he run. He run really good.

LARRY COLLMUS: He ran really well, that's for sure. When you ran him last time around two turns for the first time, do you think that was effective in getting him ready for The Haskell?

FRANK COSTA: Yeah, that's why I put him in there, you know. I didn't really want to run against the horse, but only chance I had to try him in that race.

LARRY COLLMUS: Now, The Haskell is going to be a difficult task for sure for everybody. You get Post Position No. 7 in the race. What do you think of that post for this horse?

FRANK COSTA: It's good. He got enough speed to go anyplace he wants.

LARRY COLLMUS: Do you think he can win?

FRANK COSTA: I think he got a shot. You never know, you know. If he can go that long, he'll win it. If he don't, then he don't. I don't know if he can really run that far. We're going to try.

LARRY COLLMUS: We'll find out on Sunday, right? Good luck, Frank. Thanks.

FRANK COSTA: Thank you.

LARRY COLLMUS: Frank Costa, Ladies and Gentlemen. I think that just about wraps things up here. We want to remind everyone some of the particulars about the race. The gates are going to open at 10:00. The first race is at 12 noon. It's going to be live on ESPN-2 from 5 to 6:30. The Haskell will be 12 of 14 races on the card with a post time of 6:10. Of course, we'll have the official Haskell drink this year, the Summer Breeze, to be served today in the room and on Haskell Day, featuring Level Vodka. We certainly invite you to have a Summer Breeze and have a great lunch. We appreciate you joining us. Thanks, everybody. And hope to see you all on Haskell Day. Thanks.

End of FastScripts...

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