Kent Desormeaux (jockey, Texas Red, 1st) – “I hadn’t even asked him yet and the others started coming back to me at the quarter-pole, so that made it real easy. You know, we were real poor when I was growing up but we always had horses. I don’t know how my family ever fed them, but my education in horses came all together today with this win.”

Keith Desormeaux (co-owner and trainer, Texas Red, 1st) – “The first thing I thought when he was drawing away was ‘How good is American Pharoah?’ You never want to see a defection, but it had to help.”

John Velazquez (jockey, Carpe Diem, 2nd) – “He started far back. Dirt hit him and he went backward instead of forward. Once he got into the clear, he started running and finished good.”

Todd Pletcher (trainer, Carpe Diem, 2nd and Daredevil, 11th) – “It was disappointing with Daredevil for sure. He got hung very wide in the first turn. That might have accounted for some of it. It would have been impossible for him to win from where he was on the first turn, but it doesn’t account for the poor performance.

“The other horse (Carpe Diem) got a big education, a lot of dirt and a different scenario than he’s been in. It took him a while to get untracked. I think he finished really well. He’s a promising horse for the future.”

Jose Ortiz (jockey, Upstart, 3rd) – “"Good trip. I was a little wide the first turn; everybody wanted to go. I had to take back and stick in behind them. By the three-furlong (pole) I was perfect and he was positioned very well. When I had to move, I had the horse and everything and thought I was going to win. The winner was much the best. Every start he gets better. He really improved and belonged in this race. He will get better."

Rick Violette Jr. (trainer, Upstart, 3rd) – “It was speed packed to the inside. He took back, but it wasn’t by design. I thought he ran terrific. At the last jump he just got lipped-out for second, and that that was frustrating, but I thought the horse ran huge and I’m proud of him.”

Aidan O’Brien (trainer, The Great War, 4th) – “I’m really pleased with him. It was his first run on dirt. Ryan (Moore) said he was always travelling well and he was right in there with a chance turning for home. He’s run a great race and he may well come back next year for the Kentucky Derby, or we might even come back for the trials (Derby preps) as we haven’t done it that way before. I will leave that decision up to the lads (Coolmore).”

First Breeders’ Cup World Championship victory for trainer Keith Desormeaux Fifth for Breeders’ Cup World Championship victory for jockey Kent Desormeaux