2006 Travers and King's Bishop Stakes

Second place finisher Bluegrass Cat

Trainer Todd Pletcher said, "We were still in the race at the 1/4 pole. They had the horse to beat, and I am sure they wanted to stay out of trouble. He went to the first turn and we got a good stalking trip on him. We had to take every run at him. The way we had to ride him - aggressively the whole race to soften up the favorite - you just wish you had another week between starts." Jockey John Velazquez added, "There was really no speed in the race. Bernardini was going to be on the lead or near it. He got away with slow fractions, and that was it. It was easy for him. I was chasing him from the three-quarter pole and on. I didn't want to overdo it. My horse was fighting right up to the end. Bu the sixteenth-pole, I was making sure I didn't screw up for second."