Elliott Walden (President/CEO and Racing Manager of WinStar Farm, which owns Carpe Diem with Stonestreet Stables)

“He ran great at Saratoga and then to come here in a Grade 1 like this and put it all together like that around two turns, it’s very exciting. This horse is a beautiful horse, he’s got a great pedigree and we hoping to make a stallion. I think we did that today.”

On handling the ship to California and new surroundings to prepare for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) “He went from Saratoga to here. (In March), he was in a 2-year-old sale. Everything that’s been thrown at him he’s handled so far.”

John Velazquez (winning rider)

“He was a little difficult in the gate. I tried to settle him behind horses and teach him a little bit. He got a little aggressive and I didn’t want to fight him so I just let him be what he wanted to be in the backstretch and then he settled very well. Once he got head and head with that other horse, he got on the bit again. He was going good the whole way.”

Jon Court (rider of runner-up Mr. Z)

“The winner made his winning move on the backside. He was out there all alone and wasn’t coming back to anyone. I had a good trip, but we weren’t going to catch the winner.”

Rose Napravnik (rider of third-place finisher Bold Conquest):

“My horse didn’t break very sharp then the speed came back and slowed down on the backside and he made a huge run. It was a kind of a weird race the way it set up. They ran out of the gate real fast and then they slowed it down right in our face on the backside. My horse was kind of stop and go. It wasn’t a real smooth trip but he made a heck of a run around the turn.”

Shaun Bridgmohan (rider of fourth-place finisher Tough Customer)

“I thought he ran hard. (He’s) a young horse that’s learning. He drew the inside post (that) he had to overcome and I thought he stayed on pretty good.”