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

John Velazquez (winning rider of Romagna Mia-GB)

“I knew she was not going to break. I rode her already, and she is very slow from the gate. I didn’t want to be too far back. On the other hand, I didn’t think the pace was going to be as hot as it was. I know I was comfortable enough where I was. As soon as we got past the wire the first time, she got into the bridle. I was following (jockey) Brian (Hernandez Jr. on Lovely Princess). She was one of the horses to beat and he still had ahold of his horse, so I got to the outside of him on the backstretch. 

“I was like, ‘Let me force the pace a little bit maybe. I can force the pace a little bit with (Hernandez).’ I know my horse takes a little bit to get going, so I wanted to put her in the clear and keep her going forward. (Owner) Barry (Irwin of Team Valor International) kept telling me, ‘She stays all day. She stays all day.’ So I just had that in my head. She’s going to stay all day, so I’m going to put the pressure on and hope she keeps going that way. When she came to the three-sixteenths (pole), she straightened and she went on and ran away from the horses.”

Tyler Gaffalione (rider of runner-up Transient-GB)

“My trip was good. I got a nice stalking position, the filly relaxed good for me. Coming into the stretch, she kicked on. The ground got to her a little bit, but she fought hard to finish second. She had every opportunity – it just wasn’t our day.”

Julien Leparoux (rider of third-place finisher Loved Reiko)

“It’s big to get her first stakes placing. She is a one-pace filly, so I got her to relax the first part of the race. I had to make my move wide, but that’s the way she wants to be to get going pretty early in the race. She kept going, and she fought to the end and ran a big race.”