(Desvio pulls upset in G2 Sycamore Stakes at Keeneland on Friday / All Photos by Coady Media)

From the Keeneland Media Team / Amy Owens:

Quotes from the $400,000 Sycamore (G2) at Keeneland

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

John Velazquez (winning rider of 34-1 longshot Desvio)

“The first part was pretty easy. (Trainer) Madison (Meyers) told me, ‘When you need to get going, you’re going to have to ride him. He’s not going to be an easy ride.’ Once I got to the five-eighths pole, I started knocking at him, knocking at him, and then when I got to the quarter pole I put him in the clear and he started running. He got to the lead a little sooner and he started to wait, and I said, ‘No, buddy, we gotta keep running.’ It was well done by the team, coming here. Madison told me he was ready today and he was ready.”

Madison Meyers (winning trainer)

On the decision to enter the Sycamore with Desvio

“He’s just been training better than he has in a while, since around the time of (his win in) the (listed) Kent (Stakes at Delaware Park in July 2024). He tailed off a little bit in the fall, and we had done a lot of traveling with him, so we sent him to the farm over the winter and just let him be a horse. (Former jockey and now exercise rider) Rob Massey gets on him in the morning — he had him at his place over the winter — and he’s come back in and was just in super form.

“A couple weeks ago, I was looking for long races and we were trying to figure out where you go this time of year, and Rob said, ‘If you’re going to take a swing, now’s the time, because this horse is better than he’s ever been.’ So honestly, we had kind of a very quiet confidence coming here, because it is Keeneland, and they don’t give races away here.”

On processing winning a graded stakes at Keeneland

“It’s going to take a while. This is actually my home track. I’m from Lexington. We’re based in Middleburg, Virginia, and at Laurel Park. My husband has a string there and we move horses in and out of the training center. So this is going to take a while to sink in, being from here, growing up here and going to Keeneland.”

Jose Ortiz (rider of third-place finisher Utah Beach)

“Broke clean. Going into the first turn, everybody was looking at each other. Who’s going to go? No speed in the race. So I was there. I took it (the lead). I tried to nurse it along as long as I could. I felt like the times were very moderate. Very easy. Just couldn’t hold on.”

Did you see eventual winner Desvio come from behind? Were you expecting that?

“I don’t think anybody did. That’s why we run the races: Anybody can win.”

Terry Finley, President of West Point Thoroughbreds (co-owner of fourth-place finisher and beaten favorite Ohana Honor)

“Flavien (Prat) rode the horse perfectly; he just didn’t quite fire today. He didn’t get beat (very far), he kept grinding. We will regroup for his next start. The third start off a layoff is a good handicapping angle. There are plenty of spots for him. He’s quality, he looks great and we just need to get him back in the game.”

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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