sprint reaction

Garrett Gomez (jockey, Midnight Lute, 1st) - "He settled in really well. He actually settled better without the blinkers on, and I had to ask him to stay up with the pace. He waited on my commands, which has been unlike him, even last year in the Sprint, which makes him that much better. I'm very happy with his performance. He got into that long stride. After he went past the wire, his ears went up and he began looking at everything. He enjoyed himself, taking it all in like an old pro.

"He's a big old colt. He's something else. Without the blinkers, I wanted to get the jump on (jockey David) Flores (on Street Boss). I knew if I could do that, we'd get there."

Bob Baffert (trainer, Midnight Lute, 1st) - "Winning this race twice shows what a great horse he really is. He is a freak. He had a hock injury after he won last year, and we thought we were going to have to retire him. We X-rayed him after 60 days and it had healed. We tried to get a race into him at Del Mar, and it didn't work out (10th in Pat O'Brien).

"We took the blinkers off. He is getting old and he doesn't need blinkers. I've always been bragging on him, but today he showed what a great horse he is. I've never seen a horse like this. He's the best horse I've ever trained.

"(Owner) Mike (Pegram) is like a brother to me. He's the one that talked me into coming over to the thoroughbreds and has been a big boost to me."

Eurico Da Silva (jockey, Fatal Bullet, 2nd) - "He broke real well. He was running comfortably and was running strong, and I didn't want to get him boxed in. He ran his best race ever, and this is the first time he has ever run in this kind of heat."

Reade Baker (trainer, Fatal Bullet, 2nd) - "You run in seven-and-two (1:07 2/5) and get beat. He couldn't do any better. We might have gone a little early, but what the heck. He's a really nice horse."

David Flores (jockey, Street Boss, 3rd) - "When I got to rolling (on the turn) there was all sorts of traffic in front. I didn't want to take a hold of him -- he's such a big horse you don't want to do that -- so I looked for the best hole I could see. I had to ease out and ease around. When I did I saw that big horse (winner Midnight Lute) outside me. He was running free and easy. Then he was gone."

Bruce Headley (trainer, Street Boss, 3rd) - "He ran well. We had the inside, which is a little disadvantage, and those other jockeys worked it to him. Then he seemed to be just trapped. But Midnight Lute ran a great race, 1:07 flat. He's a Breeders' Cup champion before and he showed it again today. This horse ran a good race, but just didn't win."

John Velazquez (jockey, In Summation, 4th) - "He ran well. He just needs everything to be perfect if he's going to win. At the quarter pole, we got surrounded and he sucked back out of there. I knew I couldn't win then. But those three in front of us are all good horses. That's for sure."