Quotes from the $200,000 Myrtlewood

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

Brad Cox (trainer of winner Key of Life)

“She really has put it together over the last month or so. Her win at Churchill she ran big (maiden special weight Aug. 13), but she came back here and I thought really showed who she is opening weekend (when she won by 6¼ lengths). We took her back to Churchill and she was training well, and this race came up with a big field so (we decided to) give it a shot. We liked the (post position) she drew. She broke well. Very happy with her performance today.”

On whether she will stretch out to routing as she turns 3:

“If we were to stretch her out, we would gradually do it. I’m not certain she will go long. Her pedigree says she wants more ground, but she’s very well built and she’s fast, so we don’t want to take her speed away from her, trying to do something she’s not comfortable doing. We’ll let her tell us over time. She could stretch, maybe, as she gets older, but right now we’re pretty content with the way she’s performing.”

Florent Geroux (winning rider)

“She broke super sharp today and I thought since she got a little bit of a head start, why not take advantage of it? From there she set some very nice, honest fractions. I was able to slow down a little bit the second quarter. She relaxed very nice for me. I love the way she finishes her races. It’s like she’s waiting for my call all the time, and as soon as I shake my hands a little bit and ask her for more, she always gives me another gear.”

Julien Leparoux (rider of runner-up Lady Radler)

“She stumbled a little bit out of the gate, but she recovered very quick. I had a nice spot in the race but was just second best today.”

Irad Ortiz Jr. (rider of third-place finisher Baby Got Backspin)

“Perfect trip. I missed the break a little bit, but after that I went to Plan B and let her settle and relax. She did great. Top of the stretch, she came with a good run at the end.”