Talismanic interview with Godolphin's Osborne and Barzalona

Talismanic won the Breeders' Cup World Championships Turf Lasix-free
Here is the post race interview provided by the Breeders' Cup.
Below, he is ridden by

Mickael Barzalona 

coming in on the inside with the blaze and four white stockings. 

Saturday, November 4, 2017

Joe Osborne

Mickael Barzalona

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: All right, the winner of the Breeders' Cup Turf is Talismanic, and we're pleased to be joined by Godolphin chief executive Joe Osborne, as well as winning jockey 26-year-old Mickael Barzalona. Winner of the Dubai World Cup, couple of English Classics, and now a Breeders' Cup. Congratulations to you both. Mickael, I'd like to start with you, if you could just tell us about the ride?

MICKAEL BARZALONA: Well, I've got a lovely position. I always break well from the gate, and I could follow around very easily. We were a little worried before the race if we were fast enough for this kind of track. But we just had a good race and a good horse to win.

Q. Joe, could you elaborate on how you saw the race unfold?
JOE OSBORNE: Yeah, exactly. Beautiful ride by Mickael, and the horse was beautifully trained by Andre Fabre. Just great results, so well done.

Q. You mentioned Andre Fabre. So I'd like you to elaborate a little bit on him as a trainer as well as maybe a little bit on how you all determined which trainers will get which horse?
JOE OSBORNE: Well, I mean, it's hard to elaborate on Andre Fabre. The man is a living legend. He's got Breeders' Cups, Classics, Group 1s. He's just a master trainer and trained this horse perfectly. So, it's just a great result for us by our stallion, and bred by us and everything. So it just ticks all the boxes.

Q. Could you tell us the promise of firm grounds, whether that played a large role in deciding whether to bring the horse here today?
JOE OSBORNE: Yeah, it certainly helps. He's by Medaglia d'Oro, so you have to figure Medaglia d'Oro would do well over here, so that certainly was a factor. But I know Andre has always regarded this horse quite highly. So, yeah, I think we're certainly more concerned about fast ground. You could see today, he loved it.

Q. What does it mean to you to win your first Breeders' Cup?
MICKAEL BARZALONA: Well, it means a lot. It's my first time I come over, first time I ride in America, to come here for Andre Fabre, for Godolphin and have a horse to have a chance to finish in the first three before the race, it's a huge honor to ride for this team. Now with age I appreciate a lot more the race than before. I was very young. So now I can understand what it means the big races for the trainer, owner and even for myself.

Q. Joe, Cloth of Stars came out of the Prix Foy and would finish second in de l'Arc, and now you have Talismanic coming out of the Prix Foy and finishing here. Both were pretty long priced, do you think both horses were quite obviously underrespected?
JOE OSBORNE: Probably. But certainly not by the trainer. I know we were there at Chantilly for the Prix de l'Arc, and Andre and the team were pretty keen on his chances. Again, today, probably sometimes maybe just the betting public may overlook these horses. But as I said earlier, if Andre Fabre trains them, I think you have to pay respect.

Q. Do you think this race was a target recently or a target long time ago?
MICKAEL BARZALONA: It was a target since he won his race in St. Cloud, the mile and six race, and we know how Andre Fabre is when he fits a target to a horse. We could see with Cloth of Stars this year, and Talismanic now in the Breeders' Cup.

Q. What are you going to do next with him?
JOE OSBORNE: We're going to have a chat next week with His Highness Sheikh Mohammed and Andre and see what the plan is. Today was the day, and we'll just discuss what next year's targets are.

Q. He'll be a 5-year-old. Good chance he stays in training?
JOE OSBORNE: Yeah, I'd imagine. I'm sure that is the case. The fact he performed so well here, it just opens up a lot of international options for him as well.

Q. Could he still go to Hong Kong?
JOE OSBORNE: I think everything's possible at this stage. We haven't ruled anything out yet.

Q. Dubai?
JOE OSBORNE: Yep, Yep.

Q. Could you talk about the homebreds versus buying at sales and what the philosophy is? I know Sheikh Mohammed has kind of gone back and forth through the years. This is obviously a homebred. But is there a concentration one way or the other?
JOE OSBORNE: Not particularly. I think every year we buy foals at public auction, yearlings at public auction. So not particularly. But it's particularly gratifying when you have a homebred win because you just think of all the people that have had involvement in this horse's life from the day it was conceived to today. So it's great satisfaction to that. But we buy yearlings and then obviously that's part of our plan as well.

Q. Where was he raised?
JOE OSBORNE: He was born in Britain, and he was raised in Ireland.

Q. This was a very -- with three turns for the 2400 meters and it's a pretty narrow track, I suppose. Did it seem narrow? Did it feel narrow and tight?
MICKAEL BARZALONA: Well, yeah, it's completely different than in Europe. But like I said, Talismanic is a great horse to ride. He's beautiful action and I'm sure the horse could sometimes be struggling, but for him, it's just very easy.

Q. What did you think of the last three furlongs? You were behind a little bit and then you came out in the stretch. Describe the stretch run, please?
MICKAEL BARZALONA: I was just behind Highland Reel. So I knew if I could pass her, we'd have a chance to win the race. When Highland Reel came out and I found my gap, I just knew it was my chance to win it. And he kicked home very well, and he stayed until the line.

Q. For socks -- they say that a horse with full white legs you should never run because there is a saying that they have weak legs because it's white?
JOE OSBORNE: I think he looked beautiful coming past the winning line there.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
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Dr Gustafson graduated from Washington State University as a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 1979. He is a practicing veterinarian, animal welfare journalist, equine behavior educator, and novelist. The application of behavioral science to the husbandry of horses enhances optimal health, performance, soundness, contentment, and longevity. Behavioral, social, locomotory, and nutritional strategies enhance the prosperity, vigor, and health of stabled horses. Sid offers veterinary care, training, husbandry, and conditioning from the horse's perspective to achieve willing and winning equine partnerships with humans.