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.

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.

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.

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.