This story is copyright(c) by
www.TheStickHorseRacing.Com and is being reprinted by permission of the author for Cindy Pierson Dulay's
Horse-Races.Net ONLY.
We have a real treat for the fans of Horse-Races.Net and www.TheStickHorseRacing.Com . We recently had
the opportunity to have a question and answer session
with Billy Koch. In addition to being a very friendly
and personable guy, Billy has been the inspiration and
drive behind one of Racing's premiere Partnership
Stables, Little Red Feather.
Billy gave us the heads-up on his feelings about the
Breeders Cup Mile, and his outstanding Turf Superstar,
Singletary. We were very happy to interact with Billy,
and we are all pulling for Singletary to win in the
Breeders Cup two years in a row. With his powerful
late kick and strong closing power, Singletary should
help provide a thrilling stretch run, on what we hope
is his way to VICTORY! Best Luck from MC and Staff to
Little Red Feather for the Mile !
*EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH BILLY KOCH OF LITTLE RED
FEATHER STABLES*
MC Introduction : Billy, Thank you for granting us
this interview at The Stick Horse Racing dot Com, we
are very happy to have your comments on the Breeders
Cup Mile, and we hope that Singletary is a BIG Winner!
BK Responds : Thanks, Marc. Happy to be here. We hope
we can shock the world again!
MC Question : Please give us a little background on
Singletary. How did you find him? How much did he
cost as a yearling? Is he the greatest horse you have
ever been associated with?
BK Responds : Our trainer, Don Chatlos, found
Singletary in January of his 2-year-old year. He was
part of a three-horse package we purchased from
Florida and he was actually the least desirable
(financially speaking) of the three. We valued him at
$30,000 when we bought him and YES, he is by far the
greatest horse I've ever been associated with. The
biggest winner prior to Singletary was a horse named
Telly's Pop, who won the western Juvenile Triple Crown
(Del Mar Futurity, Norfolk Stakes, California Juvenile
Championship) in 1975. He was owned by my grandfather
and Telly Savalas (Kojak).
MC Question : I'm sure everyone out in the racing world
wants to know. How is the Big Guy training and what
is his condition one week prior to the Breeders' Cup
Mile ?
BK Responds : Singletary couldn't be training any
better. He came out of the Oak Tree race in great
shape and he'll be on a plane to New York on Tuesday.
MC Question : How would you compare Singletary with
the Champion Turf Miler, Lure? If we could
have a fantasy dream race, who do you think would win
in a heads up Lure vs Singletary confrontation ? After
all, Lure was a front runner, and Singletary is a deep
closer, so it would be a thrilling stretch run. We
certainly hope Singletary can repeat like Lure did in
the Mile and bring home a smashing win for you.
BK Responds : Lure in his prime was unbelievable. One
of my favorite horses. I think I'd have to give Lure
the advantage just because of the pace scenario you
mentioned. That being said, Singletary is not really a
deep closer. Even that last race at Oak Tree was a
little deceiving due to the small field. I think
Singletary's best races (BC Mile '04) are when he's
able to relax and stalk. Would be a cool match race
though!
MC Question : Every year, we are besieged by European
champion turf horses. This year is no exception. Are
you concerned about the European horses in the Mile?
We have Ad Valorem, Gorella, Majors Cast, Valixir, and
Whipper all considering the Mile at Belmont.
Everyone seems to think Valixir has the best form and
chance to run big. Can any of these Euro stars really
compete with Singletary?
BK Responds : Absolutely. The Euros have a big chance.
Belmont's turf course and the European-like weather
are sure to help. In fact, historically, Euros have
done exceptionally well at Belmont - off the top of my
head - Ridgewood Pearl and Royal Academy both won
there.
MC Question : Leroidesanimaux is coming in off a big
win in the Atto Mile at Woodbine. He is trained by
Bobby Frankel, and looks very tough. Is this the horse
to beat if you want to win the Breeders' Cup Mile ?
BK Responds : You have to say that "Leroy" is the
horse to beat. He is a total specimen. He beat us up
pretty good in the Kilroe earlier in the year but that
was our first race after the Breeders' Cup and off a
four month layoff. We had missed some time due to the
rain and Singletary really wasn't himself. We've been
wanting for the rematch ever since!
MC Adds : This is a great rematch for both of them. Go
Singletary !
MC Question : Are there any other horses your
concerned about in the Mile ?
BK Responds : To be honest, we take every horse in the
race seriously. If you make it this far, you must be
pretty good. Last year, people took us for granted and
look what happened.
MC Question : We have heard that the Breeders' Cup Mile
will be Singletary's final career race. What are the
plans for him after his racing career is over ?
BK Responds : There is a good chance this could be his
last race. We've been contacted by a handful of
breeders and we will make a decision what to do after
the race. We're very much looking forward to seeing
little baby Singletary's running around.
MC Question : We know that many of the fans out there
are interested in learning more about Racing
Partnerships and Horse Ownership that is affordable
and reasonable to their incomes. Can you give us some
additional information about Little Red Feather Racing
Partnerships?
BK Responds : We're very excited about some of our
young horses and we're looking forward to Little Red
Feather 2006. We're going to start ONE partnership for
the whole year that will consist of horses from all
arenas of racing (two-year-olds, claiming, pinhooking,
Euros, etc.). Anyone can get involved. Just drop me an
email at billy@littleredfeather.com and check out our
website for more information.
MC Closing Comments : Billy, Thank you so much for
granting us an interview and telling us about yourself
and your star Miler, Singletary.
I wanted to tell you on behalf of our staff and
myself, that we are rooting for Singletary in the
Breeders Cup Mile, and we hope he wins big for you
this Saturday !
We were very happy to have your comments and I'm sure
many of our fans will be looking up Little Red
Feather, and possibly joining you in the Winner's
Circle for your next Champion Runner.
Thanks Again, MC
BK Closing Response
Thanks for having me on and thanks to the many of you
who send emails with good wishes. Hopefully,
Singletary can come through one more time and we'll
give you guys a bigger celebration than last year!
All the best on your web-site (The Stick horse Racing
dot Com) too.
2015 Breeders' Cup Contender - top contenders for the 13 Breeders' Cup World Championship races to be held at Keeneland on October 30 and 31. .
Breeders' Cup Weather - What will the weather be like at Keeneland on October 30 and 31? Here are lots of places to find out!
Review: Crushing the Cup 2015 - by Jim Mazur and Peter Mallett. An invaluable tool for trying to unlock the mysteries of handicapping the Breeders' Cup races at Keeneland updated for 2015.
2014 Breeders' Cup Saturday Results - The feature race was the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic won by Bayern. Get the results, charts, and photos for all 9 races here.
2014 Breeders' Cup Friday Results - Friday was headlined by the $2 million Ladies Classic won by Untapable. Get the results, charts, and photos for all 4 races here.
Breeders' Cup History - Historical info, past results, and photos from previous runnings
The Breeders' Cup Championship Day - The official page for the Breeders' Cup championship races. Just about anything you need to know about it: results, video clips, and race calls for past years, and eventually nominations, entries, and results.
Free Prep Replays - for major prep races in the Breeders' Cup Challenge. The ones with camera logos have video available.
Blazing Silks, Breeders' Cup Edition- an interactive social network game that allows horse racing fans and social gamers to train and care for Thoroughbred horses.
TV Schedule - for all the preps and other programming leading up to the big day
Breeders' Cup Postcards - Breeders' Cup theme virtual postcards to send your friends including many past winners
Breeders' Cup Supplemental Entries - The old official policy on supplemental entries plus all the supplemental entries and how they fared, mostly it was a losing proposition. There are no more supplements now, only late nominations making it impossible to track now.
