Calidoscopio became the oldest winner of a Breeders' Cup race with his powerful victory in the Breeders' Cup Marathon.
The 9-year-old son of Luhuk was bred in Argentina and punched his ticket to Santa Anita in the Clascio General Belgrano, a G2 race in Argentina that is part of the "Win and You're In" Breeders' Cup Challenge races. The Argentinian had been training at Santa Anita since June.
Trained by Guillermo Frankel, Calidoscopio was ridden by jockey Aaron Gryder.
Calidoscopio went off at 17-1 and paid $36.40 for the win.
Grassy was second and favorite Atigun finished third.
Quotes:
Guillermo Frankel (trainer, Calidoscopio, 1st) – “So, so
exciting. I had a lot of confidence in my horse.”
Aaron Gryder (jockey, Calidoscopio, 1st) – “I had a
wonderful trip. They told me to detach myself from the field at the beginning;
that he wouldn’t be in it at all. They said you can close your eyes for the
first mile then pick them up. At about the three-quarters pole he began to pick
them up and I started feeling good. He was rolling. By the time we reached the
half-mile pole, I started to be very confident. I’d seen this horse’s races and
I knew he could make up seven or eight lengths easy. I thought that if he could
duplicate what he’d done in the past, I’d be sitting good. He just got to going
and it was all over from there. It was some ride.”
Garret Gomez (jockey, Grassy, 2nd) – “I rode him
several times on the turf when he was with (trainer Christophe) Clement in New York. The question was
would he handle the dirt. I thought he would get the mile and three-quarters
and get over the dirt OK, but didn’t know how he would handle the dirt coming
back and hitting him in the face. He handled it fine and this gives him some
new options.
Ken McPeek (trainer, Atigun, 3rd) – “He tried real
hard. (Jockey) Mike (Smith) said he hung in the last eighth of a mile.”
Mike Smith (jockey, Atigun, 3rd) – “I was in good
shape on the backside the second time around; I thought I was going to be doing
well. My horse ran a big race, but those other two (Calidoscopio and Grassy)
got me on the outside, The winner was so far out I saw him, but had he been in
a little closer, it would have given my a horse a little bit more fight.”
Dermot Weld (trainer, Sense of Purpose, DNF) “Some go on it
(dirt), others don’t.”
Patrick Smullen (jockey, Sense of Purpose, DNF) – “I got her into a
good position, but once the dirt was in her face she hated it.
Jamie Spencer (jockey, Fame And Glory, DNF) – “After one furlong he
showed me he didn’t like the track at all. I tried to get him outside past
Frankie’s horse (Juniper
Pass), but he just
wouldn’t respond.”