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

Irad Ortiz Jr. (winning rider of Rhetorical)

“It was great. Going into the first turn — he broke so good — and he’s the kind of horse that shows speed early. There was speed in the race so we were looking to have a pocket trip and it ended up being beautiful, perfect. Going into the first turn, we already pulled that off. He switched off, and after that I was a good passenger, I guess, because I tipped him out at the quarter pole and he responded. He was ready to run. (Trainer) Will (Walden) did a great job, so I’m happy for him to get his first Grade 1.”

Will Walden (winning trainer)

On winning his first Grade 1

“I’m just happy for the team. This is why we do it, get up and do it seven days a week, for moments like this. Super happy for the horse and the ownership: Adam Wachtel (of Wachtel Stable), Gary Barber, Everett Dobson (of Cheyenne Stable). There were some doubts about whether the horse could jump up. We didn’t know. But he’d been training awfully good and giving us all the signs that we wanted to see going forward. Irad came into the office this morning and we talked about the race. He rode it to perfection. He’s such a clutch rider and makes the right decisions in those split-second decisions. Just happy for everybody involved.”

On winning with a son of Not This Time, who stands at Taylor Made Farm, where Frank Taylor is director of new business development. Taylor created Stable Recovery, a substance abuse recovery program in which Walden participated:

“I wouldn’t have been able to start training if it wasn’t for Frank Taylor. I had burned so many bridges and ruined my reputation so bad that there wasn’t anybody that was going to give me a horse, and rightly so. But Frank saw something and decided to put up his own money, and without those (original) 10 horses we wouldn’t have gotten started. So, yeah, for it to be a (son of) Not This Time, I couldn’t be happier for Frank. I wouldn’t be here without him.”

Flavien Prat (rider of runner-up Program Trading-GB)

“Good trip. Made a good run.”

Jose Ortiz (rider of third-place finisher Brilliant Berti)

“It was a good trip. In the last eighth of a mile, I wish I had been more clear, but I was running through horses with traffic, splitting horses. He finished well, and I had no excuse. Three good horses in the top three. It was a very good and fast race. I was very happy with the performance.”

Frankie Dettori (rider of fifth-place finisher and beaten favorite Diego Velazquez-IRE)

“I gave him a chance to gather himself. I asked him to stay close. I got him going after that around the turn, then he was struggling. It just took him by surprise. He’s been running on straightaways, and it was too much for him. I mean, he ran OK, but he struggled with the track. Happens. We tried. You gotta try.”