Kiaran McLaughlin Quotes

"I hope this gray horse, like Giacomo, keeps improving with each race and is headed for a big performance on the first Saturday in the May. Of course, we're hoping for an equally good performance in the Florida Derby."

"I opted to give him a break after the Manhattan. He didn't have any major problems. I've been pointing for this race for a long time. I figure he runs well fresh, and he wants to go the distance. Naturally I'm a little nervous bringing him back off the layoff and asking him to go this far, but I think he should run well."

"It means abundance. I'm just hoping to hear it called in the race, no matter how they say it."

"He's not moving as well as we know he can, and we're having trouble figuring it out. He's going to have a nuclear scan. It's one of those things where he could be back to us next week or in three months."

"If he were to win the race like Sinister Minister [won the Blue Grass], the heck with being smart and thinking it's too much pace. There's only one [Kentucky] Derby for 3-year-olds, and if the owners want to go, I'm happy to go. If he were to win by five or more, it's hard to tell the owners they can't run in the Derby."

"No doubt there will be a mad dash at the start, but for us it's a matter of how quickly some of them stop. There will be several of them backing up at the 3/8th pole, and hopefully they don't get in our way when we're running from the back."

"He's doing very, very well. Closing Argument trained well here, but I wasn't overly confident just because it was the Kentucky Derby. It was an imposing race. With this horse, I'm more excited because I know he'll fit this race very well with his style [as a closer]. And he's doing great."