Plus, out here in California you have these speed-favoring tracks, so there was a lot going against him.

We thought with his speed, coming here, he's extremely fast, and Garrett worked him the other day and he was pretty impressed with the way he worked. He worked awesome. If you want to find out if you belong in the Derby, run against the big boys.

We went a little fast early. I'm just getting to know the horse, and we need to get him to relax a little bit. He showed some determination in the stretch, and I think we can improve off that. We are running against the best two-year-olds in the country, so I am pleased. Hopefully, he comes back in great shape. He's got a good future ahead of him and we're going to take our time with him.

If you want to go to the Derby, you've got to run against good horses and find out if you belong.