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BREEDERS' CUP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPSOctober 24, 2008Chad BrownJose LezcanoKaren N. WoodsARCADIA, CALIFORNIA ERIC WING: We're here with the winning rider of Maram, Jose Lezcano. Congratulations, your first win in your first Breeders' Cup mount. We'll be joined shortly by trainer Chad Brown and the winning owners. Jose's English is somewhat limited so we're fortunate enough to have John Hernandez from the radio program Thoroughbred Connection to help translate for us, should Jose have any difficulties. But, Jose, first of all, could you describe your trip out there? JOSE LEZCANO: Well, my filly felt so good, and put in the position I want to be, like five, six lengths behind the speed. And I asked, can you go out a little bit, and looking for my spot, and then she gave me a big kick. Q. Was it intimidating riding out here at Santa Anita on such a big day as this for you? JOSE LEZCANO: Not really, you know. It's my first time I come to Santa Anita, you know. I got a little nervous, but, you know. My first time in the Breeders' Cup, you know, like it's a little nervous. Q. And did you know you had the race won at the wire, or were you unsure? JOSE LEZCANO: Yeah, this I got on the last jump, the filly held. ERIC WING: We're now joined by trainer Chad Brown, 29 years old. Two years older than the youngest trainer ever to win a Breeders' Cup race as a trainer, that was Craig Dollase back with Reraise. But, Chad, congratulations. Like Jose, this was your first Breeders' Cup appearance, at least as the trainer of record. You are well experienced at the Breeders' Cup as one of Bobby Frankel's top assistants. Congratulations. I know it's an emotional win for you on any number of levels: a death in your family, your grandfather having passed away earlier this week. Can you just sum up all the highs and lows of the past five or six days? CHAD BROWN: Well, there's been a lot of highs and lows. Losing my grandfather was tough. You know, it was a family decision. He wanted me to be here. And I did get to see him about six days ago before he passed. So it was real emotional. But we were very confident coming in here. That's why we came. She's a good filly. I don't think she gets a lot of respect because I ran her for a tag the first time, but that's only because I can. And we're trying to win every time we run horses. But she's a good filly, trust me. Q. Maram was a Breeders' Cup win, and your end horse, in a race that was washed off the turf originally and postponed for three or four days, did that timing in any way threaten Maram's appearance here? CHAD BROWN: Not really. When the race was first cancelled, I was thinking that. But I guess three days really didn't matter. ERIC WING: Chad, if you could share your microphone with the winning co- owner Karen Woods. Like the trainer and the jockey, this is Karen's first Breeders' Cup horse, first Breeders' Cup start. So you, along with your co-owner Saud Bin Khaled, all broke your Breeders' Cup maidens in your very first opportunity. Congratulations. I know this is the only horse in your stable. What is it like to do so much with so little, numbers' wise? KAREN N. WOODS: It's exactly what her name means. It's a wish, it's a dream. ERIC WING: Her name translates. KAREN N. WOODS: Exactly, it's in Arabic. Maram means destiny, wish, or dream. ERIC WING: Questions. Q. Chad, tell us about -- could you discuss your grandfather, give us his name, and was he involved in the horse industry? CHAD BROWN: No, he wasn't a horseman; he was a big fan of mine, though. He was very proud that I went on my own and started winning races this summer. And his name is Elmer Maynaod, M-a-y-n-a-o-d. And he was laid to rest today, right where he lived, in upstate New York, not too far from Saratoga racetrack. ERIC WING: What horses have you helped saddle on Breeders' Cup day to victory for Bobby Frankel? CHAD BROWN: Well, Ginger Punch last year. And the other Breeders' Cups, I was there, and Bobby was there, too. So he'd saddle them. But I was around a lot of Breeders' Cup starters the last five years. Saw how he prepared them, how he shipped them, you know, depending on where the races were. There's a lot that goes into it, so I really paid attention. Q. Where are you from? How old are you? And how many years have you been riding? And how did you get this mount from day number one? JOSE LEZCANO: I'm in this country five years. I'm 23 years old. It's a little hard for me like this with the English. From Panama. I'm from Panama, so it's very hard to come to this country and to have to speak English and working to the people. I'm very happy to get the chance to ride the horse, you know. CHAD BROWN: Jose rides a lot of horses for me, especially at Monmouth Park. He's a leading rider by many. I think he's one of the top jockeys in the country. I know Bobby started riding him. He got the mount, in the Miss Grillo and Leparoux had a commitment and wanted to come ride here. Immediately he was our first choice, because he's been riding so well, especially the turf. Q. This one gives him national recognition? CHAD BROWN: I know, what he deserves. What he deserves. He had a good meet at Gulf Stream last year, and now I think people are going to realize that in big races they need to consider riding him. Q. Please talk about your breeding philosophy and what went into breeding this horse? And also, Chad and Karen, the future of this horse, exclusively on the grass or do you think there's a future with synthetics going forward next year, and where would you like to point her toward? KAREN N. WOODS: Well, first of all, in the breeding, the mating process, I raised American Dreamer before with Christophe Clement, and it was in partnership with my good friend, Linda Rolles of Georgia. Anyway, the partnership dissolved, and I decided to go ahead and just keep her and try to breed her, because she was very well bred, and she is a turf horse. If you look at your nick ratings, they're pretty bad just in researching them before the Breeders' Cup, everyone was going against her saying she was a D-rating. So you can't go by nick ratings. I don't pay attention to that stuff. I believe in the dams, and I think the dams rule, and Salsibal (phonetic) was one of the best dams ever to race. She beat Quest For Fame, which is also the sire of my filly American Dreamer. So if you just look at the family and you start thinking about women, there's always a woman behind a man, ladies and gentlemen, and the dams rule. So I believe in that bloodline. And in seriousness, I love that bloodline, the Welsh Flame. You can't buy it anymore, so I wanted to breed to it. It was a very inexpensive stallion, Sam. And I have to say a shoutout to Chadwell Farms for putting stock out there, studs that we can breed to at a reasonable rate, because I am not a rich woman by any means. It was a beautiful baby. We weren't that impressed with her as a wingling. We did run her through Keaneland. She was our aid at #500. So I said, I'll make my dam American Dreamer. So, fast forward after all of that, Bill Wofford was a person who originally broke her in Kentucky, did a wonderful job. We then sent her to Penhook or Eddie Woods, who you all know, is really a good man in breaking. Then from there, Chad took over, and Chad said, I think she's an A-team filly. And I kind of freaked with that, really. And he said, I think I'm going to keep her in Saratoga and we'll give her a shot. I said, You're the boss, do whatever you want. So there we go. One other thing I have to mention in the breeding aspect of it. Mr. Khaled, who is my partner, 50% partner, he said it was a mating the same as Carson City. So those who don't study pedigrees well, that was one theory you could have considered, as well. He said not to breed to her because she was not commercial enough. But I wasn't breeding for commercial, I was breeding for brood mare blood stock, and I was lucky I got a filly. The rest is Chad's. He's the boss. CHAD BROWN: As far as her future, I can't imagine running her anymore this year. She's only two. She's done enough. And then I'll speak with Karen and Mr. Khaled to see what they want to do next year. I wouldn't rule out running on synthetics. A race like the Ashland or Keeneland something like that would be on the radar next year. So we'll see how she winters. I'll probably bring her down to Palmettos in Florida, and give her some time and gear up for next year. KAREN N. WOODS: And maybe, maybe we'll consider Dubai? (Laughing). Q. How did you feel the turf course was playing? And did you realize the pace was so fast in front of you? JOSE LEZCANO: Well, I see all the time in California, I see the turf very firm. And I did it be good, you know, I see the horse and the speed as well. And I want to be five lengths behind the speed, you know. Q. Where are you stabled and how many horses do you train? CHAD BROWN: I have 40 horses in training, I have 30 of them at Belmont Park. And I have ten of them at Monmouth Park. And that's where we're based. I also want to say my wife Terrill is here; she travels around everywhere I go, and we have a two-month-old baby girl named Ava. We couldn't bring her along; it's a little too far for her. But she's home kicking and looking at the TV right now. So they're a big part of my success for sure. Q. Speaking of your success, Chad, last question, you obviously worked for Bobby Frankel, but I believe your first job was with Shug McGaughey. Can you tell us how you got that first job from Shug? CHAD BROWN: I believe I wrote him a letter, and I just -- I picked him out. I went to -- I grew up around Saratoga. Going to the track all the time, I didn't have family that worked with horses, but I wanted to. I first started with standard breds because it was a year-round thing up there. I always wanted to be with the thoroughbreds. He's my first thoroughbred job. I wrote him a letter about why I wanted to work for him, saw quality horses and winning big races, and a neat reputable outfit. He took me in right away. And I started hot walking, and that was that. I started meeting people and learning about thoroughbreds. ERIC WING: So it all started with a letter, then, essentially a cold call in letter form, and here you are, all three of you, Breeders' Cup winners in your first attempt. KAREN N. WOODS, Chad Brown, Jose Lezcano, congratulations. And continued success with Maram. End of FastScripts |
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