INDIAN SUMMER STAKES QUOTES

Wesley Ward (winning trainer of Kimari)

“She broke well in the race in England (Queen Mary-G2 at Royal Ascot in June) – and that’s the only race she broke well in. That’s really what I was concerned about. Julio Garcia has been breezing her from behind horses, knowing today that she’d probably break slow. Julio has been sitting back and coming around horses with her and kind of been teaching her to rate. I really didn’t think she was going to be that far back but thank God (jockey Mike Smith is) a cool sitter and a go-getter, and he rode a beautiful race. Everything came through today and we’re looking forward to Breeders’ Cup.”

Mike Smith (winning rider)

On not panicking after the slow start

“A lot of it had to do with what Wesley told me. He told me although she’s extremely fast, she breaks horrible every time. Being in the 2 hole, I thought, ‘Wow, that could be bad.’ But he said she’ll be OK if that happens. ‘Don’t worry about it. Just ride her with confidence.’ I take my hat off to him. I did exactly what he told me to do. I rode her with a lot of confidence. When we came off the top of the turn, I just had to show her the stick a little and she just took off.”

Jose Ortiz (rider of runner-up Chimney Rock)

“I had a perfect trip. He tried and ran very good. They took the winner, Kimari, out of her game today, and she came from off the pace and made a hell of a run.”

Adam Beschizza (rider of third-place finisher Axiomo)

“I had a beautiful trip. He’s had quite a good campaign. He’s won on both dirt and turf and seems to be going the right direction. He seems to be getting faster. I worked him a couple of times, and he's definitely a horse going in the right direction. There's a nice stake in him somewhere. The winner (Kimari) just got beat at Royal Ascot, so she’s probably a Grade 1 2-year-old. He’s up against the best at the moment.”