Click here for a replay of the race and the post-race interview with winning connections.

Todd Pletcher (winning trainer of Up to the Mark)

On what he learned from Up to the Mark’s third-place finish in the Maker’s Mark Mile-G1 here in April: 

“We probably made a mistake that day. (Runner-up) Modern Games (IRE) was a huge favorite, and I think we got caught up tactically in what Modern Games was doing instead of just focusing on how Up to the Mark wanted to run. He got a great trip today. (Jockey) Jose (Ortiz) made a very smart move in the middle of the turn when he decided to follow the 1 horse (Master of The Seas-IRE) and things split. But you gotta give the horse a ton of credit, to come back off a layoff since June and accelerate the way he did. He’s a serious horse.”

On which Breeders’ Cup race he might choose for Up to the Mark: 

“He’s a horse that can probably do anything. He showed today that he’s a Grade 1 horse at a mile. He showed that he’s a Grade 1 horse at a mile-and-a-quarter (winning the Resorts World Casino Manhattan-G1 at Belmont Park June 10), so either race could work: the mile (FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Mile-G1) or the mile-and-a-half (Breeders’ Cup Turf-G1). We’ll just see how he comes out of it, assess everything and make a decision, but it’s great to have a horse that versatile.”

Jose Ortiz (winning rider)

“I was next to (Master of The Seas) almost the entire race. James (Doyle on Master of The Seas) had a good opening at the three-eighths pole and he went to the rail, so I decided to follow him as long as I could, until the eighth pole. When I put (Up to the Mark) outside, he gave me a great run. It was a nice trip.”

Charlie Appleby (trainer of runner-up Master of The Seas-IRE)

“The winner’s a good horse, we know. We thought maybe (with) the (layoff for Up to the Mark, who had not raced since June) we might just have the edge there, but he got us on the line. We’ll get (Master of The Seas) back home and sort of review. We’ll see how it develops over the next 48 hours, really. He plans to go back probably Tuesday or Wednesday, but if he stays for Breeders’ Cup we’ll probably leave him here.”

James Doyle (rider of runner-up Master of The Seas-IRE)

“We had a lovely trip round. He was a little awkward in the stall but relaxed, lovely. Obviously very worried about the winner. He’s the best turf horse in America, isn’t he? Our only chance is that he was cutting back in trip. And he’s (not raced since June), but he’s trained to perfection. Very good horse.” 

Tyler Gaffalione (rider of third-place finisher Set Piece-GB)

“Everything kind of went to plan. I got a nice setup in front of us, and our horse really came running down the stretch. He finished up really well for me, and I was really proud of his effort. He seems like a very versatile horse. He’s going to come with his run no matter the distance. As long as he gets a decent setup, he will come finishing.”