Podcast Playback: Quotes of Interest From Nov. 4-10

The Show: BloodHorse Monday, Nov. 9 The speaker: Eric Hamelback, the CEO of the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association The topic: The upcoming Claiming Crown Nov. 14 at Churchill Downs The quote: "The Claiming Crown, from each of the venues that we've gone going into our 28th year, it's really been a representative of the best at this level. Obviously, you have the Breeders' Cup, and horses come from all over the world, but at the end of the day, when you're celebrating the backbone of the industry as we've said time and time again, the claiming ranks is definitely the largest part of racing here in the United States. And so, to see representatives and trainers and owners come from all different areas, it's really just a culmination of having the event and show them the money and they will come." The Show: At The Races With Steve Byk, Nov. 10 The speaker: Eric Halstrom, vice president and general manager at Horseshoe Indianapolis The topic: The state of racing at the track, located in Shelbyville, Ind. The quote: "The breeding program in our state is strong and it's not going backward. And we've got ownership groups forming, and we have things that are happening, and they're all good signs of longevity. And it's simple for me to also acknowledge the fact it doesn't hurt that we're an hour and a half from Louisville and two hours from Lexington. That does not hurt at all. And, yesterday, Brad (Cox) had two very nice, very well-bred 2-year-old maidens going a mile first time out, and they ran 1-2 and the exacta paid $39.80 because there's others in there that could run. But my point is, you pick up the Racing Form on a Monday and look at what we got. Try it because there's things you'll see where you go, 'Man, this isn't too bad.' You got these beautifully bred Cox babies that are running 1-2 at our place, and now he'll take them and do something else with them. And if we were five hours away, it wouldn't be the same. But we're not. We're an hour from where everybody needs to be, and there's a lot of strong signs for the future here." The Show: HRRN Equine Forum, Nov. 6 The speaker: Trainer Brendan Walsh, who won his first Breeders' Cup race with Emphatic in the Juvenile Fillies (G1) Oct. 30 at Keeneland The topic: How different winning a Breeders' Cup event is than almost any other race The quote: "We've been lucky enough; we've won some big races along the way. People always tell me, 'You win the Derby, you win the Oaks, you win the Breeders' Cup race. It's a little different,' and they're right. It just feels a little different because everybody's watching, and it is a massive thing to do to win one of them. Hopefully, there'll be more to come, but we'll enjoy this one anyway for now."