Musket Man, trained by Derek Ryan for owners Eric Fein and Vic Carlson, was a game third in the Whitney, despite racing close to the pace under jockey Rajiv Maragh. Ryan is considering both the Woodward and the Hawthorne Gold Cup for the Yonaguska colt as a prep the Breeders’ Cup.
“We’ll probably keep him going long now the rest of the year,” Ryan said. “He ran his race. One of these days, he’s going to get a legitimate pace and the race will set up for him. He was closer than he ever has been in any of his races. It wasn’t by design, but it wasn’t his fault. At least [Maragh] had the initiative and the brains to go on with it.”
Surprised that front-runner Haynesfield opted to lay back rather than challenge Quality Road, Ryan felt the 1-to-2 favorite showed a chink in his armor.
“If we didn’t press him, the other horse wouldn’t have won either,” Ryan said. “Look at it on paper. Quality Road’s on the inside, he’s going to go. The other horse has got to go. They should be up there. If they were going :22 and :45, I’d understand him taking back. But they’re letting them crawl.
“It just goes to show you if you press him a little bit, he’s not as good as they say he is. Just look him in the eye, and he’s counterfeit. Even with those fractions, he’s supposed to win that race yesterday. I’ll buy me a rabbit for the next time.”
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