When I got him back in October, they told me he had some minor problems but nothing significant. He had only been beaten one time, which says something about a horse running in that company.

I don't want to make the mistake of going too early. One time when I was working for Godolphin, we left Dubai on April 10, and when we got to New York there was a half-foot of snow on the ground and it was 35 degrees. The horses went from having slick coats to long hair in a week.

We've always felt he would be a better horse around two turns, and he trained better going into the Tampa Bay Derby than he did the Sam Davis.

He was training better coming into this race than he did in the Sam Davis and he ran a big race. It was a perfect trip. Our horse just had a picture-perfect trip.

We needed to run the perfect race and we got it, along with a perfect ride.

The Wood is a better spot. The timing is better for us. We have a little extra time to get him ready for the Derby. I do like the extra week.