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BREEDERS' CUP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS


October 30, 2004


Bobby Frankel

Frank Stronach


GRAND PRAIRIE, TEXAS

THE MODERATOR: Okay, we are back live in the interview room with the winning owner and trainer of the recently Breeders' Cup Classic Powered by Dodge Robert J. Frankel and Frank Stronach. I am sure we will be joined by Javier Castellano. First of all, Frank, great day for you, great day as he won the juveniles and with the sire Ghostzapper. How does it compare with the first Classic?

FRANK STRONACH: Anytime you win, it's great to win a Classic. Especially the second time around, it's unbelievable. I consider myself extremely blessed, extremely blessed. The horse industry, horse racing, has been very good to me, and I hope I can give something back. (Inaudible) I feel very blessed.

Q. You two gentlemen have been around an awful lot of good horses in your day. Bobby, have you ever run into a horse with just not versatile but outstanding versatility, if you sprint him, he is the best, beats the best sprinters, if you run a mile and a quarter, he breaks the state record in the Breeders' Cup's Classic.

BOBBY FRANKEL: I have told everybody, he has to come out and show it. That's why I didn't go out publicly (inaudible) but in my mind he was the best horse I ever trained.

FRANK STRONACH: I recommended to Bobby you should blow them out in the (inaudible) and put him right in the Classic. He doesn't listen to me.

Q. Obviously, the performance speaks for itself this afternoon. Bobby, but what are the qualities in Ghostzapper that set him apart from other outstanding horses?

BOBBY FRANKEL: He is just fascinating. He is a unique horse and he can sprint, like I said, and you can drop him back 15, 20 lengths and he can win or lay them right up on pace and win. I am not sure -- we took advantage of the situation today. (Inaudible) but I am sure if you drop him five or six courses, he is just a very, very good horse. Maybe he will be one of the greatest.

Q. Incidentally, we noticed as soon as the gates opened Javier Castellano utilized his gate speed and maneuvered him off the fence into the free path. Was that under your direction, Bobby?

BOBBY FRANKEL: I was listening and watching races. The buzz was -- I said there is a slow horse next to you, so you probably operate real easily and move him out of the path, yes, and he did exactly what you said.

Q. Frank, it's one thing to win the Breeders' Cup Classic, another to do so devastatingly dash (inaudible) among the many thrills you have had in the sport?

FRANK STRONACH: This is the greatest thrill because I own the stallion and (inaudible) and he had the 2-year-old colt that won the race today. Again, what can I say? I say a silent prayer, a silent thank you, you know. It's just amazing.

Q. Frank, do you have future plans for the horse? We know where he will stand eventually, Adena Springs. It does raise the question what can he do for an encore. What could possibly top that? Have you made a decision already?

FRANK STRONACH: I believe a horse, if he is sound (inaudible), I mentioned to Bobby, look, Bobby, as far as I am concerned, we will run him next year, but I told Bobby, "I don't want to ship him away. I don't want to ship him to Japan or Dubai. He should stay here." Bobby will map out the strategy and we will race him one more time (inaudible).

Q. Somebody is bound to ask it so I will ask the question now: I know, Bobby, now you were one of the first to admit empire maidens, Empire Maker. How do you handicap the Horse of the Year title after today?

BOBBY FRANKEL: The handicap Horse of the Year and Horse of the Year. It's simple.

FRANK STRONACH: (Inaudible).

Q. Something to think about. Is it a little ironic Ghostzapper wins on Halloween?

FRANK STRONACH: I don't want to be a smart guy, but I kind of kept saying I planned this all the way along because I knew Halloween was coming up that day.

Q. Bobby, you mentioned on TV you thought the inside was a little deeper, and you gave the jockey instructions to move out. Did you arrive at that conclusion after watching a couple races it had or walking around this morning or what?

BOBBY FRANKEL: Just spoke to people. They said the rail was really dead yesterday, the handicappers. Then I was listening to Cheryl and I am hearing the rail is not maybe the best part of the race track. We weren't taking any chances. I just stayed in the 2-3.

Q. Smarty Jones did some big things earlier this year and you're saying Horse of the Year is a no brainer. Can you elaborate on that?

BOBBY FRANKEL: Because I think this is the best horse in the country by far. They should give the Horse of the Year to the best horse. I don't think there is any doubt in anybody's mind this is the best horse in the country right now, by far.

Q. Mr. Stronach, you mentioned having the stallion and owning this horse. What is it like to have it happen at a track that you own and how do you feel the day went here at Lone Star?

FRANK STRONACH: I think management has done a great job here. The weather held off and the rain held off so it was a perfect day. Sometimes a guy is lucky to have a perfect day all the way through. So I consider myself lucky to a certain extent.

Q. Bobby, do you feel that today's performance in some ways puts to rest all those quibbles that training a horse up to a major race like the Classic is not the way to do it?

BOBBY FRANKEL: Yeah, I mean, I think I have proved that for two years now. The way I train, I get my best results if I bring them in fresh and in my training and that's where they run the best training and the best number. That's why I ran him in the Woodwind, coming off a fast race from the time before and now giving him 7 weeks (inaudible).

Q. What's the emotion or reaction to you after coming so close to winning this race the last couple careers?

BOBBY FRANKEL: Well, I am going through today, and I have five losses today, and I am thinking that's another (inaudible) so I am not coming back anymore, you know. Mrs. Steiner took off her hat. I remember it was the Belmont race when we were having another bad day and I took off my tie that day. I said, you know what, let me take off my hat. I am not superstitious.

Q. When during the day did you do that?

BOBBY FRANKEL: About 10 minutes before post. She is the one that alerted me.

Q. Bobby, at what point in the race did you feel, okay, this is it, we are going to win?

BOBBY FRANKEL: You know, if I told you (inaudible) I would say he was going to win, but when you are in the race and they are running around there, you never know they are going to win until they are 20 yards from the line. Things happen in a race.

Q. It's one thing to be loose on the lead and (inaudible) you weren't exactly loose on the lead. They were dogging you around the back stretch. How concerned were you about Roses in May that you would be able to shake him off as you did?

BOBBY FRANKEL: That was the scenario I thought (inaudible) they talked about Azeri, I said she is not fast enough to beat these horses. It worked out exactly the way I wanted it to.

Q. Frank, you bred the horse and one of the best offspring to date was essentially a precocious sprinter, best of 2, pretty good at 3 also, and it's kind of a stretch, or would have been a stretch, to take the half brother to City Zip and eventually win the Breeders' Cup Classic. What were some of the factors that caused this?

FRANK STRONACH: Well, (inaudible) is a great horse, but to an extent he has strengths. Austin won the mile and a quarter race, so we wanted to get some distance and some stamina and speed back.

Q. When you first got the horse, Bobby and looked at the pedigree, did you develop any negotiations --

BOBBY FRANKEL: To be honest, I didn't know there was a half of City Zip. City Zip was a clumsy horse I really wasn't that impressed with, I will be honest with you. He never (inaudible) fast or anything like that. The first time I ran the horse, you could see he went out 11-1 and he never really impressed me. The whole 3-year-old career he didn't impress me. This year he was a different horse. This year he (inaudible) as fast as you want him.

Q. Since we are in the business of speculation, tell us your thoughts on the older female, Eclipse Award.

BOBBY FRANKEL: Well, that's a touchy situation. You know my feelings. We are equally as good as her. I am not saying we are better. We are equally as good. She is America's darling. When she gets beat, nobody remembers when she gets beat. When Azeri gets beat, everybody forgets the race she gets beat in. When I get beat, everybody jumps on it. I think she is equally good, if not better. She has had equally as good a year if not better.

Q. You think it's a toss-up?

BOBBY FRANKEL: I think it's a toss-up. (Inaudible).

Q. Anything further? Bobby, was (inaudible) as a 4-year-old in the Breeders' Cup Classic, he did not get Horse of the Year. Do you feel like this horse can take care of unfinished in this business? What did you think about him not getting Horse of the Year?

FRANK STRONACH: We didn't dodge anybody. (Inaudible) we beat everybody. Anyway, horse racing is a -- I let the chips fall the way they fall. So (inaudible) proved he is not only a good race horse, he is a great stallion.

Q. I am not sure, I guess apparently we are not going to be joined by Javier Castellano.

FRANK STRONACH: He is riding a horse of mine.

Q. We will get Javier in after this race coming up. Frank, I am sure you want to watch the race. What did Javier say after he dismounted?

BOBBY FRANKEL: Javier has been working the horse all the time and it is, obviously, the best horse he ever rode. He loves the horse. What can he say? It's the horse of a lifetime for him or for any jockey.

Q. Tell us about the decision, Bobby, to use Javier. So many people thought Jerry Bailey was your go-to man. Who knows how much longer Jerry Bailey is going to be riding, number one, but getting to the point at hand, the horse you knew was so good or you knew it eventually, what caused you to stick with Javier?

BOBBY FRANKEL: I don't want to tell the story. I might as well. When I first brought him back, I told you he was a lazy horse after the 2-year-old career. Jerry was working with the horse, (inaudible) it was a fast horse. He couldn't hardly keep up. So I had a call with him on the horse. His agent comes to me and says, you know, we are riding 5 today and he is not crazy about that horse, so you might have to take over. Fine. That's how Javier -- if you speak to them, it's a different story.

Q. We want to let Frank watch the race. Where does this rank? Each of you, where does this victory rank among in your own minds?

BOBBY FRANKEL: Well, I think he is the best male horse, handicap horse, I have ever trained, so he has to rank number one.

FRANK STRONACH: And it's my second Classic and so I am proud of him and (inaudible).

Q. Gentlemen, congratulations and thank you very much. Continued success with Ghostzapper.

End of FastScripts...

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