GRADE I, $500,000, SANTA ANITA HANDICAP QUOTES

JOCKEY QUOTES

KENT DESORMEAUX, STILLETO BOY, WINNER:“I just wanted to let him run out front, but they shut me off and we had to settle back. Everything else, I followed Ed Moger’s instructions. He wasn’t enjoying himself getting hit by dirt, so we moved out and he kept going. At the three and a half, I asked him for his best, but there was nowhere to go. Then at the two and a half, I asked him again and he made the drive. I was yelling at him and pushing him and he gave me everything. I didn’t know until two jumps prior to the wire that we were going to get there. This is my third Santa Anita Handicap. I’ve come full circle. I just have to stay clean. It’s up to me.

“It took a lot of bravado for the owner and trainer to let me ride the horse again. This horse I’ve always known him as a good horse, a great horse. I willed him to win today.”

TRAINER QUOTES

ED MOGER, JR., STILLETO BOY, WINNER: “I’ve been telling everyone that he is the best horse in racing. I really think he is the best horse, the race in the Pegasus was a really strong race and we had him go out of the 11 hole that day, Defunded barely beat us that day, so I knew we could beat him because we had beaten him before, I though he was the horse to beat. I thought he could win, and he’s been training great.

“I wasn’t upset that they weren’t training out here. It’s got to make a difference and I’ll take it. “Once they hit the wire, I thought we had it. I thought he was going to run second then all of a sudden everything changed, and he won.

“I love the horse. It is a great race to win in California, it’s been a famous race for a long time and it feels great to win it. There was no Flightline today, no Knicks Go, or Life Is Good, so here we are. It was a perfect ride.”

OWNER QUOTES

STEVE MOGER, STILLETO BOY, WINNER: “Pretty amazing, it’s been a long ride. Thanks to Kent he did a great job and my brother.”

NOTES: The winning owner is Steve Moger.