Podcast Playback: Quotes of Interest From Sept. 17-23

The show: HRRN Equine Forum, Sept. 19 The speaker: Elliott Walden, CEO and racing manager of WinStar Farm The topic: The death of Stone Farm founder Arthur Hancock III The quote: "Arthur was a straight up guy. He was an incredible titan of a man with his size and everything, yet he was his own guy. He didn't mess around, and you knew where you stood with him right from the start, good or bad. You knew where you stood. "Arthur was very outspoken about many things and he wasn't afraid... to disrupt the status quo. If he felt like something was out of balance and not right, he was not afraid to take that on. Coming from that family in a traditional Thoroughbred sense, it meant a lot. He and (wife) Staci were tremendous advocates for the horse, and the quote that's been going around on a video on social media about 'the sport is the horse.' He felt that and lived it out in so many ways." The show: The Ron Flatter Racing Pod (Horse Racing Nation), Sept. 17 The speaker: Richard Migliore, former jockey and current TV horse racing analyst The topic: How the track configurations at the new Belmont Park will change how jockeys ride The quote: "The quarter pole is now basically when you turn for home, then, it's a quarter of a mile to the finish. You can see where the position of the quarter pole is. It's basically, guys are gonna have to sit a little bit longer and come off the turn before they really set one down. "I think (the longer stretch is) really utilizing the vast space that Belmont provides. And I always wondered about it because Aqueduct's inner track actually had a longer stretch than Belmont's main track for years. Well, now obviously the stretch is, I think, more conducive to Belmont Park. It allows riders to kind of stay disciplined, continue to save ground, not look to tip out earlier because you're worried about running out of time. You'll have to just say, 'OK, I'm going to sit in here longer. I'm going to have a chance to sit down, find my spot, make my run.' I just think it makes for better racing." The show: BloodHorse Monday, Sept. 21 The speaker: Gustavo Delgado Jr., son and assistant to trainer Gustavo Delgado The topic: How the thoughts of jockey Javier Castellano on adding blinkers to The Puma helped the horse in winning the Pennsylvania Derby (G1) Sept. 19 at Parx Racing The quote: "Right after the Travers, Javier came to us and said, 'Listen, he was running, running and stopping, running and stopping, running and stopping. He didn't give me a consistent run, and with blinkers he might be way more focused because he was looking and stuff.' And then with blinkers, you're not trying to change the strategy itself because this is a horse that likes to come from behind. But he might give us that consistent run, and it turned out he was right."