Ken McPeek (winning trainer of Lawn Ranger)

“I felt like he needed to go to another level. His race at Kentucky Downs (a 3¾-length maiden victory Sept. 13) was a pleasant surprise. He seems like a horse that’s maturing, and I think he’s gonna be even better as a 3-year-old. Our fingers are crossed that will happen.

“I’m happy for the Ricker family. Scott Ricker passed away. He bred this horse. His ashes are actually here on Keeneland grounds, which I think is a mojo thing. We had a special angel.”

On whether Lawn Ranger will race in the Breeders’ Cup “I imagine. That’s a pretty easy one. As long as everything goes smooth, and I think it should. I’m a little concerned about the speed of the race track out there in California. You get one chance at this, right?”

Chris Landeros (winning rider)

“I had a beautiful trip. It set up just the way I thought. He handled everything great. I give all the credit to him. He really punched in at that quarter pole. Kenny did a great job getting him prepared.”

Julien Leparoux (rider of runner-up Danny Boy)

“We had a nice trip. He relaxed. When I came to the winner, I thought we would go by him but (the winner) never really stopped. My horse ran great.”

Jerry Crawford (of Donegal Racing, which owns Danny Boy)

“Julien says we should go to the Breeders’ Cup and he would like to ride him if we do. That’s a pretty good testimonial.”

Irad Ortiz Jr. (rider of third-place finisher Can’t Happen Here)

“He missed the start and kinda got out of position. At the three-eighths pole I had to swing out a little wide because some horses were stopping in front of me. (We) just got beat a length, and if he breaks better he would have a better performance, for sure. He’s a nice horse.”