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

Manny Franco (winning rider of favored Colloquial)

“First of all I want to say thanks to (trainer) George (Weaver) and the owners (Starlight Racing and Harrell Ventures) for having me here today to ride this great horse. (Being on the lead going 7 furlongs and taking pressure) is difficult because you’re riding the favorite and you know the pressure is there, but at the same time I was confident in my horse. My horse was the best horse in the race. He broke so good. I didn’t take anything away from him. I just let him roll out of there and see what the guys outside me wanted to do. Nobody cleared me, so I held my position and after that he took me all the way to the wire.”

George Weaver (winning trainer)

On training a son of Vekoma, who won the Toyota Blue Grass for him in 2019

“We’re always eternally grateful to Vekoma and what he did for us and our barn. To see him carry on as a stallion and come up with all these runners – it’s a lot of fun. I’d say (Colloquial) is really good. It’s his first time against winners today, and there were some nice horses in here. It was a change of tactics – I didn’t really anticipate being on the lead – but I trust (jockey) Manny (Franco) to make decisions that he needs to based on how things are unfolding. He put him on the lead and the horse ran great.”

On whether he will continue to focus on one-turn races this spring

“No, I would like to run in the Woody Stephens (G1 at Saratoga). I need to talk to the ownership. Obviously I want to do what we all think is best for the horse together. I’d like to make the Woody Stephens from here; it makes sense to me. After that I’m game to stretch him out.”

Brian Hernandez Jr. (rider of runner-up Smoken Wicked)

“We chased the favorite the whole way around. We tried to put as much pressure as possible on him and unfortunately he was just a little better horse than us today.”