(Lush Lips wins the QE II at Keeneland on Saturday / All Photos by Coady Media)

From the Keeneland Media Team / Amy Owens:

Quotes from the $800,000 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1)
Presented by Dixiana at Keeneland

Click here for a replay of the race and the post-race interview with winning connections.

Tyler Gaffalione (winning rider of Lush Lips-GB)

“She really did (get into rhythm from the outset). First I have to give credit to (trainer) Brendan (Walsh) and his team. They’ve done a fabulous job with this filly, getting her to relax. She’s come a long way this year and really stepped it up nicely. She’s progressed great throughout the year. The race went perfectly. She broke great, put me in a good spot, relaxed beautifully, and when I asked her she really turned it on nice. It was a great performance and great for the connections.”

Brendan Walsh (winning trainer)

“Surprisingly, we did (gain confidence from her runner-up finish at today’s distance in the Aug. 16 Del Mar Oaks-G1 Presented by Keeneland Sales), because that was always in the back of our minds, that maybe it was as far as she wanted to go. But I think she went against the grain, and it seems she has no problem going the mile and an eighth. It was fantastic. (Her ability to lay off the pace gives us options) without a doubt. It opens a big door for her, especially for next year, because we always thought this filly was going to be a good 4-year-old. It’s fantastic to win a Grade 1 with her.”

Phillip Shelton (Racing Manager of co-owner Medallion Racing)

“As a kid growing up, I didn’t know a lot about the Breeders’ Cup. I just knew we could come to it (here at Keeneland). I think my parents didn’t bring me opening weekend because it was going to be too crowded. But this (Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup) was the one race we had to come to every year. If you’d have said, ‘Pick any race the partnership could win, it would be this one here at Keeneland.’ The (credit) goes to (trainer) Brendan (Walsh) and his team and the filly. She’s just got a ton of heart, and we’re very lucky.”

On Lush Lips’ progress throughout the year

“She started in Ireland (last year) and then we brought her here, which is part of our program’s plan. She just has taken a step forward, step forward, every single time. In her last seven starts (including today’s race), she’s been first or second, every single one. Today was the icing on the cake. Again, we’re just very lucky.”

Kendrick Carmouche (rider of runner-up Laurelin-IRE)

“She (Lush Lips) opened up so fast away from her (Laurelin). My filly just couldn’t engage to get her again until the last sixteenth. She ran very well. She did everything perfectly. I was in the perfect spot following the 1 horse (Lush Lips). At the five-sixteenths pole, we all quickened, but the 1 horse just got away from her and quickened a lot faster. That’s why my filly started running at the end again, because she hadn’t gotten her feet back up underneath her to go catch her (the winner).”

Brad Cox (trainer of fourth-place finisher and beaten favorite Fionn)

“We won a (turf) race earlier today (with Chapman’s Peak in Race 7) on the lead, and it seems that is where you need to be early. Where she was (far back), she wasn’t going to get it done from there. She’s had a long year. We’ll talk it over with the owners, but she would be OK to take a breather. We will come up with a game plan to maybe race her again in 2026.”

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Since its first race meet 89 years ago, the Keeneland Association has devoted itself to the health and vibrancy of the Thoroughbred industry. The world’s largest Thoroughbred auction house, Keeneland conducts five on-site sales a year, in January, April, September and November. Graduates of Keeneland sales dominate racing across the globe at every level. In April and October, Keeneland offers some of the highest caliber and richest Thoroughbred racing in the world. Keeneland will host the Breeders’ Cup World Championships in 2026 for the fourth time, following 2015, 2020 and 2022. Uniquely structured, Keeneland is a privately held company with a not-for-profit mission that returns its earnings to the industry and the community in the form of higher purses and millions of dollars donated in support of horse industry initiatives and charitable contributions for education, research, and health and human services throughout Central Kentucky. Keeneland also maintains Keeneland Library, a world-renowned public research institution with the mission of preserving information about the Thoroughbred industry. To learn more, visit Keeneland.com.

For more information email Keeneland Communications Associate Amy Owens at aowens@keeneland.com