"It's a load off my back," said Bailey of getting the record. "Last year, I thought I had it and then I didn't. This year, I thought I would have it a lot earlier, but it kind of floated out there. I give Mike Smith (previous record holder with 68 wins in 1994) a lot of credit. It is very tough to do, but I'm glad it is over with. I have to give (agent) Ron Anderson a lot of credit for picking good horses. Your clients have to have healthy horses and you've got to stay healthy, too. I try not to put pressure on myself. When you are riding for guys like (trainers) Bobby Frankel and Bob Baffert, you're going to win races. When they're strong, you're strong."
What Bailey is hoping for now is that Read the Footnotes comes back strong as well. The Remsen has a history of producing major three-year-olds, and with Read the Footnotes now victorious around two turns and at a mile and an eighth, he has a big advantage going into next year. Read the Footnotes, a son of Smoke Glacken, returned $6 to win and was the third Remsen victory for Bailey, who won this race previously with Scan (1990) and with Go for Gin (1993), who would go on to win the Kentucky Derby in 1994.
"Other than the Champagne, this horse has done everything right," said winning trainer Richard Violette Jr. "He's won from five-eighths to a mile and an eighth, and today, he rated very well. He settled off the other horse, and when horses cooperate with their rider, it's a big advantage. He'll get a little vacation. We'll play with him in the sun for a while and let him unwind. Winning this race is a big advantage for next year because he has already won a mile and an eighth and has two-turn experience. We won't be experimenting going into next year. We could point to where we want to point him and not have to worry about finding out things. Some nice horses have won the Remsen and the Kentucky Derby, but two-year-olds have to graduate and be nice three-year-olds."
