Edited Churchill Staff Release — Rafael Bejarano (jockey, West Saratoga, winner): “I just let him get comfortable after seeing a lot of speed in the race on paper and then the outside horse (Patriot Spirit) went really fast early. I thought I’d just let my horse settle and start to get going around the turn. I could tell at the three-eighths pole I had a lot of horse beneath me and I was seeing the horses in front of me still going fast. I figured the y would come back to me a little bit. I got a great trip into the stretch, and had a lot of horse still beneath me.”
Larry Demeritte (trainer, West Saratoga, winner): “We’ve been just trying to let him progress naturally. He went a mile last time and we were confident today going the same distance. We’ll decide in the next day or so what’s next. I’m based in Lexington and run at Keeneland a lot so that could be a good option (in the Grade I Breeders’ Futurity).”
Harry Veruchi (owner, West Saratoga, winner): “It’s very special to get started on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. We ran a couple times here in the spring and so we knew he’d like the track. After he broke his maiden last time at a mile we were confident he’d like stretching out in distance as he got more experienced. He’s a very nice horse.”
Steve Asmussen (trainer, Risk It, runner-up): “It took him a little while to get settled off a fast pace.”
