BOB BAFFERT (Sort It Out, Pick 18, Post 1)
When asked if he was going to attend the news conference for the Derby draw:

"Why should I? What are they going to ask me, what I'm wearing?"

PATRICK BIANCONE (Spanish Chestnut, Pick 12, Post 13)
"I had no great choice, it was either inside or outside."

With all his speed, many would have thought that you would have picked an inside post.

"In sports, you never do what people expect you to do. Racing is about tactics. "Also, he'll be able to relax more on the outside. Joe (jockey Joe Bravo) was a part of this decision. He'll help him to relax."

CRAIG DOLLASE (Wilko, Pick 8, Post 14)
"It's a good post, the last in the main gate, so there's some room outside us. It's OK."

RON ELLIS (Don't Get Mad, Pick 14, Post 17)
"There was no pressure on me. Picking 14th, I was going to get the best of the rest. The way I see it, there are eight horses inside of us with more speed. He's a kind, rateable horse and I think he'll be mid-pack if the speed sets up the way it looks on paper."

BOBBY FRANKEL (High Limit, Pick 5, Post 6)
"A lot of people would have drawn outside, but I'm a believer in saving ground, I want to save ground. 12-to-1? I thought I'd be 15-to-1, to be honest."

BOB HOLTHUS (Greater Good, Pick 9, Post 8)
"We're very happy. When we decided which post we wanted, we hoped we could get nine. We wound up with eight. I'm hoping he'll settle right back after the start. We're hoping he'll relax with a little speed inside of him. The big thing that went good today was that he schooled in the paddock in the fifth race and he was calm."

D. WAYNE LUKAS (Going Wild, Pick 19, Post 19)
"I would have traded with Nick's Bellamy Road (post 16) or been down in the 14 or 15 hole."

"The horse has a certain amount of brilliance and it's my job to get it out of him Saturday."

KIARAN McLAUGHLIN (Closing Argument, Pick 17, Post 18)
"The auxiliary gate has produced five of the last 10 Derby winners, so I was happy an outside post was still available when I picked. It's not great, but it's good. So now I've got two things going for me - I'm a rookie trainer, and rookie trainers have won the last two Derbys, and five horses in the last 10 years have won from the far outside."

JEFF MULLINS (Buzzards Bay, Pick 20, Post 20)
"Obviously, we didn't have any choice. But if he can break and get behind the first flight, that will be fine with me."

TODD PLETCHER (Bandini, Pick 1, Post 15; Flower Alley, Pick 4, Post 7; Coin Silver, Pick 15, Post 5)
On Bandini - "We wanted to be toward the outside because you have more options out there. Post 15 has that extra space between the main gate and the auxiliary gate. And five of the last 10 winners came out of the auxiliary gate."

On Flower Alley - "Mr. Melnyk (owner Eugene Melnyk) said that 7 was his lucky number, and that if that post was still available, take it. So I took it."

On Coin Silver - "There weren't many options left - either 5 or 18 when we picked. We want him to be back off the pace, so it's easier to get position from the inside than the outside. And two of the last three winners (War Emblem and Funny Cide) came out of Post 5."

TIM RITCHEY (Afleet Alex, Pick 2, Post 12)
"It is a good spot for this horse. Fifteen would have been the first choice. I think that is the ideal spot because of the auxiliary gate. If you look at the history of the Derby in the past 10 years, probably anybody that had the first choice is going to take it, because he has got some room to maneuver. When that was taken, I thought about the 16, being outside a little more. But the 12 has always been a lucky number for anybody associated with the city of Pittsburgh - Terry Bradshaw, four Super Bowls - so I went with the luck."

JOHN SHIRREFFS (Giacomo, Pick 6, Post 10)
"It's perfect. Ten and 20 will be the last to load and I'm hoping 20 goes last because then my horse will have a chance to settle in there a bit before the break. The loading order was definitely a consideration in selecting this post."

WARREN STUTE (Greeley's Galaxy, Pick 3, Post 9)
"I heard nine was lucky and I feel lucky."

NICK ZITO (Noble Causeway, Pick 7, Post 4; Bellamy Road, Pick 10, Post 16; Andromeda's Hero, Pick 11, Post 2; High Fly, Pick 13, Post 11; Sun King, Pick 16, Post 3)
"I am happy. We got everything we wanted. I like the fact Bellamy Road will get the chance to run (in the clear). He's the favorite. He's on the outside and that is just what we wanted. "Sun King had post 1 in the Breeders' Cup (Juvenile) and ran a great race. He's a game horse."

"High Fly; you can place him anywhere you want and Andromeda's Hero, he's going to come from way back."

Regarding Noble Causeway, Zito said: "I'm superstitious. Strike the Gold had the four (when he won the 1991 Derby), so that's not bad."

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