November 1, 2014
An interview with:
CHAD C. BROWN
KENNETH RAMSEY
SARAH RAMSEY
JOEL ROSARIO
THE MODERATOR:
Ladies and
gentlemen, the winner of the Breeders' Cup Turf
Sprint was Bobby's Kitten. We're joined by Joel
Rosario and Chad Brown. Mr. and Mrs. Ramsey
are making their way here, but we'll start with these
two.
Congratulations, gentlemen.
Just an
incredible finish. Joel, why don't you talk to us
about the trip. I mean, you went 10 wide and then
came flying. Just describe it to us.
JOEL ROSARIO: Yes, he broke fine out of
the gate. I was having a little bit of trouble in the
beginning because he showed more -- he broke
well, and then a couple horses were in the way,
and I kind of took a lot of time to really work it out,
exactly where I wanted to be.
Then after like a half of the race, I was on
the inside. I was in hold. I could have been a little
closer, but I can't. Then I just let it after everybody
goes and coming around, then he showed a really
good turn for home, so I was happy with this race.
THE MODERATOR: Chad, your third
winner on the weekend. Were you surprised to
see him drop back that far?
CHAD BROWN: Yeah, surprised and
concerned. That wasn't really our plan. But as we
know, horse racing when the gate opens,
oftentimes it doesn't go to plan.
A big key to getting Joel on this horse was
thinking about this race down the hill. We put him
on this horse at Woodbine last time out so we
could get a feel for him with this race in mind. He's
ridden this hill so well, I knew I wasn't going to
have the advantage of having to race over the
course, and I at least want a jockey that has
experience down the hill and has won as many
races as he has, and it all worked out.
I was worried until about halfway through
the race, I kind of figured out what he's doing, and
he's going to try to make that one move and nail
everybody, and he did. It was a little closer than I
thought. Watching it live, I thought he was clearly
the winner. And I just watched the replay right
there, and I'm glad I didn't have to sweat out the
photo. I would have been worried about it.
JOEL ROSARIO: Yeah, I was going to
say thank you to Chad for letting me ride him, and
giving me the opportunity to ride. I was really
happy about that.
Thank you very much,
appreciate it.
THE MODERATOR: Chad, it's amazing
not only because the quirkiness of the downhill turf
course, but this was his first time sprinting. Can
you just talk about coming to the decision to try this
race?
CHAD BROWN:
Really just out of
frustration because we think this horse is a miler
and a really good miler. We've tried him farther
than a mile, and obviously last year, right here at
the Breeders' Cup, heavy favorite in the Juvenile
Turf. We brought 12 horses here last year, and I
clearly thought this was our best chance to win.
The disappointment when he ran off in the race
and was really uncontrollable, it's taken me the full
year really to get over it until this win. I just thought
that was one Breeders' Cup that got away with us.
So rather than fight with the horse
anymore, I figured let's just cut him back in
distance and maybe they'll run away from him a
little bit and he won't be fighting the riders so
much, and it worked out well.
THE MODERATOR:
So everybody
knows, this was Joel's third Breeders' Cup win, and
Chad's fifth. Though, of course his third on this
weekend. Chad, can you just talk about -- there is
still a chance we might see you again. You've still
got two live horses. But can you talk to us about
winning three Breeders' Cup Races, just what
you're thinking today?
CHAD BROWN:
I tell you, it's an
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unbelievable feeling. I'm here doing the interview
right now and getting the trophies and all of that.
But it's really my staff. They work around the
clock, and they're working right now getting these
horses ready. Without them, and the patience of
the clients, it's impossible.
It's flattering, the question, but I'm just a
front man accepting all of this.
THE MODERATOR: We're waiting on Mr.
and Mrs. Ramsey to join us here, but can you talk
about their support of you over the last couple
years and the success you've had together?
CHAD BROWN: I tell you, it's my whole
career. Because my very first winner as a trainer
was at Churchill. My second starter, first winner
ever was for Ken and Sarah Ramsey. And in this
game right now, to be as loyal as they are to a
trainer and through the ups and downs, they've
been with me since the start and they've supported
me all along, and I'm grateful.
THE MODERATOR: Mrs. Ramsey has
joined us, and Ken, we presume is on the way.
But we have questions while we wait for Ken.
Q. Do you envision him going back to a
mile in 2015?
CHAD BROWN: Yeah, at some point. We
thought this year as well, but the mile race for a
3-year-old that gets older, even with wise being
out, it was going to be a little too much for him.
Hopefully by this time next year, and of course with
the Breeders' Cup not being here and having the
access to the downhill, I'd say we'd be working
towards the mile next year if he's healthy. That
would be my hope.
Q.
Can you talk about riding the
downhill turf course in general? Chad was
saying how important it was to have a rider
with experience and success over it?
JOEL ROSARIO: Yes, absolutely. They
say the first time is a little bit trickier because you
come out of the gate, and if you go left, you know,
you're going to land in the -- you have over there.
So you have to really exactly know where you're
going. When you've been there a couple times, it
makes it a little easier.
Q. After last year, when you had 12
horses in here, and you were pretty optimistic
going into last year's Breeders' Cup, coming
into this one with 11, after what happened last
year, do you think about that, the failures that
didn't win? How does it affect you going into
this Breeders' Cup?
CHAD BROWN:
You've got to keep
looking forward. Last year we ran 12 horses and
we didn't win any, but we had a lot of them run real
well.
Santa Anita has been good to us. We
shipped out. We haven't won a Breeders' Cup
every time we've come out, but most of the time
the horses ship well and run well coming out here.
We went back home after not winning one
last year, and we just started to work on it the next
day, working towards 2014. Again, with the help of
the clients and my staff, month by month, we just
started to gain more and more candidates to make
it to championship day, and I'm lucky I have a big
roster of them.
Q. Do you have any race in mind, the
Royal Ascot? And what will you be doing with
your lovely Lady from yesterday? We hope to
see her in Europe.
CHAD BROWN: Well, potentially they're
both candidates to go over there. I'll speak to the
Ramseys about that. He knows the races better
than me over there, so we'll just see how the horse
comes out first. We're planning on giving him a
little break. This horse has been steady with me
since he's two. He's never left my care. So now
might be a good time to give him a well-deserved
break right now and just plan into the future. He's
only three years old. Ascot or not, he's got a huge
career ahead of him, if he stays healthy.
But beyond that, really, like I said, the
Breeders' Cup Mile right at Keeneland in the
Ramseys' backyard, that would be the big goal for
me.
THE MODERATOR: Joel, congratulations
to you.
JOEL ROSARIO: Thank you.
THE MODERATOR: Mr. Ramsey, thank
you for joining us and congratulations. This is your
third Breeders' Cup winner. We've already had a
chance to talk to Chad about how this race was
run, but I'd like to hear your impressions, especially
of the way this horse finished?
KENNETH RAMSEY: Well, I was very
disappointed when I saw him dead last. I thought,
oh, my gosh, another Breeders' Cup nightmare.
Then I saw him kicking it on the outside, and I
looked at him, and I didn't know. When he hit the
wire, I didn't know if he got it, and I looked around
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and said, Did he? Did he? Did he?"
And they said, "Yes," and took off to the
Winners Circle.
THE MODERATOR: Your trainer is having
an amazing weekend. Can you talk about your
relationship with Chad over the years and the job
he did with this horse?
KENNETH RAMSEY: Well, I tell you what,
Chad, the very first winner was owned by me. I
don't know if he told you that or not. He did. I'm
not too modest, you know. Anyway, he worked a
long time with Bobby Frankel, a Hall of Fame
trainer and that's where I got acquainted with him.
When he went out on his own, we gave
him some horses. He said if I give him some of
those good Kitten's, he'd get in the Breeders' Cup.
And I did, and he did. A promise made is a debt
unpaid, so he's paid his debts.
But this Breeders' Cup has been especially
gratifying from the depths that aspired yesterday
when we lost -- I shouldn't say lost, but our horse,
Vicar's in Trouble, who challenged for the lead
briefly for a while, ended up pulling up lame, and
he's back. We flew him back last night, so he has
a condyle fracture and will have surgery in the
morning and probably put two describes in.
The good news it's not career ending, so in
another six months, we'll probably be able to put
him back in training if all goes well.
But the Kitten's Joy have done amazingly
well. I got a second in the one where Chad won,
and I got a second one yesterday where Wesley
won. So each of my two trainers or stablemates
beat me. So today, for this one to come from
behind like he did, that made everything just -that's a sundae with the cherry on top, I should
say.
THE MODERATOR: Chad gets to keep
training for a while?
KENNETH RAMSEY: Yes, yes, yes. I got
to talk to him about taking it over to Royal Ascot
and running for the Queen. We discussed it
briefly. But anyway, we're on top of the world, very
ecstatic.
THE MODERATOR: This was a very
interesting path to winning a Breeders' Cup Race.
Can you talk about a horse who has never sprinted
before and then going and winning a Breeders'
Cup Race?
KENNETH RAMSEY: Well, Chad's very
good to getting them to do something they've
never done before. But the contrast last year, this
horse was on the lead, and Blazing Fractions,
:21.44 and change. Then to come from dead last
today shows you the versatility. And he had to kick
in the stretch. That's what's typical of those
Kitten's Joys.
So I made my stallion proud. We're not
going to raise the stud fee. We're going to keep it
$100,000, just like it was last year. But for the
people that can't $100,000, we've got, trained by
Chad Brown, the multiple Grade I winner Real
Solution, so he's been retired from the farm to
stand for $12,500. So I had to put a little
promotion in on my stallion.
THE MODERATOR: I think you've earned
the time, that's all right. Gentlemen, thank you for
joining us ask congratulations.
CHAD BROWN: One last thing, the guy
that brought us together really was Bobby Frankel.
Ken met me in the barn working for Bobby. He
had a lot of good horses for Bobby, that's how we
met. Ken, it was his idea last year when I got the
group of the Kittens in, and he said I gave you the
best ones and we reserved one name: Bobby's
Kitten.
You don't have to use it this year. I saved
it forever. So when you call me and tell me there is
a horse that's worthy of that name, we're going to
use it. But it's up to you. And the first crop after a
couple months, I called him. I was between two
horses. And one day I told him, he said don't get
in a rush. You don't have to use it this year. I said
all right. But I put them together, and this Bobby's
Kitten beat the other horse by 20 lengths and I
never work horses that way. I called him up. He
wasn't even pulled up yet. I called him at the farm
and said this is the horse. Put the name in before I
change my mind, and he named it.
KENNETH RAMSEY: And this is probably
the very best Kitten's Joy I ever raised. We bred
him on the farm and raised him, but he has the
making of a stallion. All he needs is that Grade I
behind his name.
I also want to make recognition to Bobby
Frankel's number one man for 30 some years,
Umberto, who Chad invited to come to the races
today, and he's in the Winner's Circle with us. It
was an inspiration having him out there, because
the horse was named for his mentor, Umberto.
Unfortunately, like my wife, he's had a stroke, but
he's in pretty good shape.
CHAD BROWN: He's doing terrific.
THE MODERATOR: Umberto, Bobby's
long-time assistant.
CHAD BROWN: He's the man, I tell you.
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KENNETH RAMSEY: Umberto taught him
a lot of what he knows.
CHAD BROWN: Yes, I learned just as
much from this guy as Bobby, and that's the truth.
THE MODERATOR: Umberto just said
Bobby's around here today.
KENNETH RAMSEY: Yes, he is.
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