Quotes from the $200,000 Woodford (G2) Presented by TVG

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

John Velazquez (winning rider of Golden Pal)

“He was very game. Before the race – I never rode him so I asked Julio (Garcia, an exercise rider and jockey for trainer Wesley Ward). He said, ‘Just put your hands down and he’ll run for you; even if he gets passed he’ll run for you.’ I left him alone and when the other horse (Firecrow) came to him and put the head in front, I was like, ‘Hey, we got to come back and run.’ I got after him, and he gradually got away from the other horse. It took me two or three jumps to engage him back into the race, and after that he was pretty good.”

Brendan Walsh (trainer of runner-up Extravagant Kid)

“We are delighted. We can never be disappointed with this horse. He ran great again. The winner is a very, very good horse. Extravagant Kid is a model of consistency.”

Jose Ortiz (rider of Extravagant Kid)

“(My trip) was perfect. It was where we wanted to be, and kudos to the winner. (Golden Pal) took pressure early on, and he kept going. We were second best, and we had a very good trip. I thought I had a good shot (coming down the stretch) in the last 300 yards. He’s a very nice horse.”