Tom Albertrani, winning trainer of Empire Dreams (No. 8): "We always thought that the 1 1/8 miles might've been a little out of his realm, but he was so much the best today. It worked out perfectly. He came into the race doing really well, a little time off helped him as well. Manny [Franco] gave him a perfect ride, just nice and patient. There was a good pace in front of us and he just reeled them in. He's always run well at Belmont and we got what we needed today. We got the right pace. He loves this track, so it just worked out."

Manuel Franco, winning jockey aboard Empire Dreams (No. 8): "There was a good pace; it set up for us. At the three-eighths pole I tried to follow [Royal Posse] because I knew he could win, too. I waited a little bit more because [the race was] a mile and an eighth. When I made my move, I knew I had a lot of horse."