BREEDERS' CUP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

October 30, 2026

Brendan Walsh

Antony Beck

Andrew Rosen

Emphatic

Keeneland Race Course

Juvenile Fillies

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations. Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies going to Emphatic. Brendan, I'll start with you. Congratulations on your first Breeders' Cup win. This filly obviously an advantage having had a nice race over this track, around two turns. Take us through the lead up to this race and everything going through it.

BRENDAN WALSH: It was about as perfect a prep as we could have had. I must say I was a little concerned about the balance factor because she had run so well in the Alcibiades. I thought that was the only thing that could beat her. This week she's worked so good and done so well. This week she was really, really good.

She was great in the paddock. Got a little wound up on the track. Tyler did a good job. He took her away from everybody else and got her to relax. I thought he did a fantastic job in the race as well. No, it's a dream come true for us.

THE MODERATOR: For you, Keeneland has been a longtime place where you've stabled and raced for a long time. So to win your first Breeders' Cup here?

BRENDAN WALSH: Keeneland's been very good to me. I've had a lot of luck here. It's our home base, so it's extra special to win one here for sure.

THE MODERATOR: Now to the ownership, Andrew Rosen and Antony Beck. A little bit of a new partnership for the two of you.

ANTONY BECK: 15 years. Not quite as long as you would think. We've been very lucky. Had a lot of good horses with not buying that many horses. Andrew is an amazing partner and a really good friend. We've won some nice big good races together. This one definitely number one.

THE MODERATOR: Andrew, 42 years since your first Breeders' Cup association and now back here with such an amazing partnership.

ANDREW ROSEN: It's an amazing feeling to win this kind of race. Brendan and his team have done a great job all the way through this filly.

We were fairly confident coming into the race. She'd done everything right, and she showed us how good she really is.

Q. Many options with your horses. You took kind of what I would think is the conservative route or not a real typical route for you to bring her up with the Colonial race. Could you talk about your thinking in the path you took to get here?

BRENDAN WALSH: I don't know. I think it was just the way they fell really. First time out, I believe, in July, she ran kind of early for -- she came to hang quick. She's a non-Kentucky bred, so we decided we'd take her to Colonial, give her the first run there, ran really well.

Then the Monmouth race came up kind of four or five weeks after. It was like the obvious next step. Of course, when we won that, then there was only going to be one race after that, which is the Alcibiades. Maybe a little, but it's just kind of the way the race fell really. Thankfully it all worked out.

Bringing her out and the way we shipped her, I think exposed her to a lot more, and I think that might have helped her in the long run too. No, I'm just glad it all worked out.

Q. For any of you, when she just burst to the lead and then just opened up by open lengths, what are you thinking? Are you thinking here we go or thinking --

ANDREW ROSEN: We thought we were in good shape at that point. We were super happy. I remember the first breeze they sent me when she broke out of the gate, and I was blown away because like five steps out of the gate she was five lengths in front of her work pace. So she's very quick and very talented. I think she showed that today.

Q. Brendan, you and Tyler have had a special relationship. He's been your go-to rider. Here's another big win with you two. Talk about that.

BRENDAN WALSH: He's a brilliant guy. We have a great association we've had for quite a few years now. He's so professional. He comes in and works a lot of horses for me. He knows the horses inside out. I drive his agent crazy from time to time because I feel sometimes that I've got first call on him, which he doesn't always agree to. No, he's brilliant. He works hard. He's very smart.

Like I said, he did a great job today. He knows what I want, and it's almost like -- Tyler comes out to ride a race for me, and he says -- I'll ask him and he'll tell me what I'm thinking 99 times out of 100. And I think that's just a great way to have the relationship. Hopefully it will last for many years to come.

Q. Can we talk about the Ashland? Is it too early to talk about that?

BRENDAN WALSH: You never know. Everything's on the table right now. We'll see what happens in the spring.

Q. Can you talk about coming close to a Breeders' Cup victory in the past? You've had a lot of close calls, you had the Marathon wins with East Avenue. How does this change your Breeders' Cup journey?

BRENDAN WALSH: It's nice to win one. I don't feel that it's been a long time to not win one. I think out there at the gate, they said I was 0 for 13. 13 isn't an awful lot.

I had two really live ones. One didn't make it to the gate, and the other didn't make it out of the gate.

It's nice to win one. This is a race that, as a trainer, this and the derby is what every trainer in the United States wants to win. It's just a great ending.

Listen, I just want to say, I need to thank my team as well. They did some work on this filly because she hasn't been the easiest the whole way along. None of them are easy. The guys have done such a fantastic job with her the whole way through. It's as much a tribute to them as it is to me.

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations to all of you on Emphatic's very nice win in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies and look forward to what's to come for her in the future.