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Sinister Minister
Graded Earnings: $475,000 Race Record: 2-1-0

Sinister Minister wowed 'em in the Blue Grass with a 12 3/4 -length, gate-to-wire romp. And there's no doubt the colt will try to wire the Derby field, just like Baffert's last Derby winner, War Emblem, did in 2002. Sinister Minister, Bob and John, and Point Determined are trained by three-time Derby winner Bob Baffert. All three have a chance to win despite different running styles.

Sinister Minister is a son of the brilliantly fast Old Trieste, who was 10th in the 1998 Kentucky Derby. Old Trieste, who passed away January 2, 2003, was a very well bred horse, being by Horse of the Year A. P. Indy and out of Lovlier Linda, a multiple graded stakes winner.

Sinister Minister's dam, Sweet Minister, competed and placed in several Ohio-bred stakes, winning seven races in three season. She is a daughter of The Prime Minister, who, like Brother Derek's sire Benchmark, was a winner of the Goodwood Handicap.

Sinister Minister is another top 3-year-old who is a complete outcross in his first four generations. He has obviously inherited some of his sire's quick turn of foot, but the presence of horses such as Mr. Prospector and Mr. Leader on his dam's side also lean towards early speed.

Sinister Minister is trained by the great, Bob Baffert. Baffert has won three of the last eight Kentucky Derbys, including back-to-back wins in '97 and '98 with Silver Charm and Real Quiet, respectively, before capturing the '02 running with War Emblem. He is one of only three trainers ("Sunny Jim" Fitzsimmons and Max Hirsch) to have won the Derby three times. Only Wayne Lukas and Dick Thompson (4 wins) and Ben A. Jones (6) have more Derby wins than Baffert.

Sinister Minister is owned by Lanni Family Trust, Mercedes Stable LLC & Bernard Schiappa. Terry Lanni of the Lanni Family Trust, Ernie Moody of Mercedes Stables, and Bernie Schiappa make up the partnership that owns Sinister Minister. Lanni is the chairman and chief executive of MGM Mirage since 1995. Moody is the inventor of the Triple Play Poker; the first machine that lets players play three hands of poker at the same time. His best horses to date have been Rock Hard Ten and Laura's Lucky Boy. Schiappa, a Las Vegas resident, is the general manager of Fletcher Jones Imports, a Mercedes-Benz dealership. Among his best horses have been Ladies Din and Silic, winner of the 1999 Breeders' Cup Mile.

This Gray colt has ten races under his belt heading into the Derby. He's never finished out of the money. His most recent outing was in the Illinois Derby, where he finished third. It was reported he didn't handle the track well.
Cause to Believe is a son of the 1995 2-year-old champion colt Maria's Mon and is gray in color like his sire. As a racehorse, Maria's Mon was precocious, capturing 4-of-5 starts as a juvenile including a pair of Grade I wins - a feat no other juvenile accomplished that year.

Cause to Believe is the third foal from his dam Imaginary Cat, an unraced Overbrook homebred. She has produced one other winner, Counter Punch, who was 1 for 13 routing on the main track.

Jockey Russell Baze will mount Cause to Believe in the Derby, who was inducted to the Thoroughbred Racing’s Hall of Fame in 1999. He has over 9,000 victories in a career that began in 1974 at Yakima Meadows in Washington state.Baze won a special Eclipse Award in 1995 for being the first jockey ever to win 400 or more races in a year for four consecutive years. He also earned the Isaac Murphy Award, a national honor which goes to the jockey with the highest win percentage (minimum 500 mounts), for nine straight years (from its inception in 1995 through 2003). Throughout his brilliant career, Baze has had but one Derby mount, Semoran (14th in 1996).

Cause to Believe is trained by Jerry Hollendorfer. Hollendorfer is the fifth winningest trainer in North American racing history. The northern California based trainer has won an amazing 30 straight training championships at Bay Meadows and 26 at Golden Gate Fields, as well as winning training titles at Arlington Park (2001) and Thistledown (2004). He has had one starter in the Kentucky Derby; Eye of the Tiger, who finished fifth in the 2003 Derby. His other two potential Derby starters, Event of the Year and Globalize, were both scratched in the days leading up to the big race due to injuries suffered at Churchill Downs.

Peter Abruzzo & Peter Redekop own Cause to Believe. Redekop has been in the racing business since 1968, Peter Abruzzo of Chicago purchased a 25 percent share in Cause to Believe from Peter Redekop earlier this year. Abruzzo was bit by the racing bug at age 11 when he saw Dr. Fager set the world record for the mile in the 1968 Washington Park Handicap. Abruzzo is a successful northwest suburban Chicago businessman who has had horses with Hollendorfer for several years, including the stakes winner U.S.S. Tinosa.

In this year's Blue Grass Storm Treasure was a solid second, but was no match for Sinister Minister. The second place finish gives him four place outings in his career with one win and a 6th place finish. He's an unpredictable horse and it will be interesting to see how he competes on Saturday.

Storm Treasure is a son of Storm Boot, a stakes-placed sprinter with four wins from 14 career starts. Though he had a fairly inauspicious racing career, he is the sire of more stakes winner in North America than any other son of Storm Cat.

Storm Treasure is the first foal from the unraced mare Boogie Beach Blues, a daughter of Cure the Blues. Boogie Beach Blues comes from a very nice family; her dam, the stakes winner Lonely Beach, has produced three stakes winners herself. On the surface, Storm Treasure would seem to be inclined to prefer sprint or mile races.

Jockey David Flores will ride Storm Treasure. He captured his first riding title at a major track in '99 at Santa Anita; he also earned his 2,000th career win that year.Flores joined the Southern California jockey colony in '89 and has ridden such top horses as Chilukki, Mash One, Tuzla, Keeper Hill, Free House, Siphon, and Singletary. He has ridden in seven Kentucky Derbys, most recently finish fourth on Atswhatimtalknbout in the 2003 Derby and sixth on Action This Day in 2004.

Steve Asmussen trains Storm Treasure and in 2002, Asmussen won his first national training title by number of victories, as his outfit saddled an impressive 407 winners. However, he outdid himself in 2004, winning a record 555 races, over 180 more than his closest competitor. He continued his winning ways in 2005, taking 474 races and earning $13.3 million in purses. His training career began with both Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses in New Mexico in 1986. He has won training titles at Lone Star Park, Keeneland, Fair Grounds, Churchill Downs, Remington Park, Sam Houston, and Retama Park, and is the all-time leading trainer at Lone Star. He has had three starters in the Derby: Fifty Stars (9th, 2001), Private Emblem (14th, 2002), and Quintons Gold Rush (18th, 2004). He also won the 2005 Kentucky Oaks with Summerly.

Mike McCartyowns Storm Treasure, an Austin-based construction company started by his father as a sheet metal company and developed into a general contracting company exclusively serving the U.S. military. Mike McCarty, 58, has owned the construction business since 1982, and he forged into the Thoroughbred horse racing business in 2000 when he bought his first pair of horses at the Keeneland April 2-year-olds in training sale. He currently has eight horses, all stabled with Steve Asmussen, including a pair of top 3-year-olds in Private Vow and Doctor Decherd.

Deputy Glitters is a son of $1.9 million earner Deputy Commander. Trained by Wally Dollase, Deputy Commander won two grade one races, the Travers and Super Derby, both at 1 1/4 miles. He was also second, to Horse of the Year Skip Away, in the Breeders' Cup Classic at the same distance.

Deputy Glitters is one of four foals from his dam Glitters. Of the two that are of racing age, Deputy Glitters is her lone winner to date. With the substantial sprint influence on his female side, his ability to get the Derby distance could come into question.

Deputy Glitters ran a sour 6th in his last race which was the Wood Memorial this year. He was close to the lead in the early goings but faded in the stretch. He has two wins to his credit. The first came in his debut race last year at Saratoga, and the second was in the Tampa Bay Derby on March 18, 2006. His remaining efforts included a 6th place finish in the Champagne on a sloppy track, a 4th place outing in the Huntington at Aqueduct, a 5th at Gulfstream and a 2nd place finishing in a big effort at 63-1.

Jose Lezcano will be aboard Deputy Glitters on Saturday, whobegan riding at age 16 and rode two years in his home country before coming to the United States in March, 2004, starting his career at Gulfstream Park. Since coming to the States, Lezcano has also rode at Monmouth Park and the Meadowlands, finishing in the top 10 at both tracks. His biggest win to date came aboard R Lady Joy in the $500,000 Delaware Oaks (GII). His win percentage of 21.6% in 2005 was among the tops in the nation.

The bay colt is trained by Tom Albertrani. Albertrani was a jockey for about four years, riding in New York and New Jersey, but eventually wound up as an assistant trainer for Bill Mott. His work drew the attention of the powerful Godolphin outfit, and in 1995 he moved his family to Dubai, becoming the top assitant to Saaed bin Suroor. Working for the Godolphin outfit took him to racecourses all over the world with top class horses such as Street Cry, Imperial Gesture, Sakhee and Breeders' Cup Turf winner Daylami. Albertrani returned to the United States in 2003 as a private trainer for the Darley Stable. The following year he opened a public stable with the blessing of his primary owners. He won his first grade one with Baletto in the 2004 Frizette. Deputy Glitters would be his first Derby starter.

Deputy Glitters is owned by Joseph Lacombe Stables Inc. Lacombe is noted for owning 1997 Horse of the Year and 2-year-old champion Favorite Trick. He got involved in racing on the advice of a friend at his former company, winning the Breeders' Cup Juvenile with his first-ever starter in the championship event. That horse, Favorite Trick, would go on to finish 8th in the 1998 Derby; Lacombe's only starter in the race to date.

Flashy Bull has nine races to his credit with only one win, which came back on October 26, 2005. He finish a fading 7th in his most recent outing in the Florida Derby in a uninspiring effort. Despite this bad race he's never finished further back than 4th in his remaining races.

Flashy Bull was sired by 3-year-old champion and Horse of the Year Holy Bull. Undefeated as a two-year-old, Holy Bull won the seven furlong Futurity and the 1 1/16 mile In Reality Stakes. Flashy Bull is out of the Mt. Livermore mare Iridesence. From her two foals to race, Flashy Bull is her only stakes winner.

Flashy Bull will be ridden by Mike Smith. Smith started riding races in New Mexico at age 11 and took out his license when he was 16. He was the leading rider in the country in 1994 with 316 wins, and he has won numerous accolades including the Eclipse Award twice, the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award and the Venezia Award. After eleven tries, Smith won his first Derby aboard 50-1 longshot Giacomo. Some of his best mounts include Holy Bull, Lure, Unbridled's Song, Inside Information, Prairie Bayou and Cherokee Run.

The gray colt is owned by West Point Thoroughbreds. Terry Finley gained hands-on experience working with Thoroughbreds as a teenager and began developing racing partnerships in 1991. His initial acquisition was a $5,000 claimer from Philadelphia Park named Sunbelt. That gelding debuted for West Point Thoroughbreds two weeks later and won for a $6,500 claiming tag. Since that first trip to the winners circle at Philadelphia Park in 1991, West Point Thoroughbreds has syndicated some 90 horses worth more than $9.5 million, with some 25 stakes winners to date. West Point has permanent stables in New York, New Jersey, Kentucky, Florida, Louisiana, and California, with 40-60 horses in training.

Kiaran McLaughlin trains Flashy Bull. McLaughlin's top clients include Dubai natives Sheikh Mohammed al Maktoum of Darley Stable, his brother Sheikh Hamdan al Maktoum and prominent local businessman Ahmed al Tayer, along with top American-based syndicate West Point Thoroughbreds. McLaughlin's most notable tutelage came from the long and rich line of assistants for the powerful D. Wayne Lukas stable. He has campaigned such graded stakes winners as Dumaani, Intidab, Seattle Fitz, Randaroo, and Mustanfar. McLaughlin has saddled one Derby starter: Closing Argument was second to Giacomo in last year's Run for the Roses.

Jazil finished a strong 2nd in this year's Wood Memorial and finished while closing. His only win came in his first two-turn race at Aqueduct on December 7, 2005. His record also includes two places a 6th and 7th finish.

Jazil is by Seeking the Gold, who has sired five champions and six millionaires. His champions include Dubai Millenium, Heavenly Prize, Catch the Ring and Flanders. Overall, this son of Mr. Prospector has sired 72 stakes winners, 43 graded stakes winners, and over 110 stakes horses from 14 crops. Jazil is out of the Deputy Minister mare Better than Honour. Jazil is her third foal, and the second to race. Better than Honour was fairly precocious, winning the nine furlong Demoiselle at age two.

Jazil's tail-female line is loaded with class. Through his first three dams, Jazil is related to Xaar, champion 2-year-old colt in Europe; Aldebaran; champion sprinter in the U.S.; Good Journey, a multiple graded stakes winner on the turf; the multiple grade one winner Denon; Breeders' Cup Mile winner Spinning World; multiple champion and leading European sire El Gran Senor; and Compliance, sire of Fourstardave and Fourstars Allstar.

Jockey Fernando Jara will mount Jazil, who was born into the sport; his grandfather and father were both jockeys and had him attend the Laffit Pincay riding school in his homeland. He began his U.S. riding career at the Aqueduct winter meet, and has remained on the New York circuit. His idols as a young rider were Hall of Famers Pincay, Jerry Bailey and Angel Cordero, who has been an advisor to the young Panamanian since coming to the States. Jara would be making his first Kentucky Derby start.

Jazil is owned by the Shadwell Stable. H.E. Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum is Dubai's Deputy Ruler and Minister of Finance and Industry. Opened in 1984 in Lexington, Shadwell has bred nine classic European race winners, headlined by Arc de Triomphe victor and Breeders' Cup Classic runner-up Sakhee. The racing operation is known for its global campaigning of racehorses and has around 300 horses in training. Shadwell has never had a Derby starter.

Kiaran McLaughlin trains Jazil. McLaughlin's top clients include Dubai natives Sheikh Mohammed al Maktoum of Darley Stable, his brother Sheikh Hamdan al Maktoum and prominent local businessman Ahmed al Tayer, along with top American-based syndicate West Point Thoroughbreds. McLaughlin's most notable tutelage came from the long and rich line of assistants for the powerful D. Wayne Lukas stable. McLaughlin has saddled one Derby starter: Closing Argument was second to Giacomo in last year's Run for the Roses.

In this year's Wood Memorial Keyed Entry set the pace; battled, weakened and was caught for place to finish 3rd. However, his young career has been a solid one. He owns a 2nd place finish and three wins thus far. Keyed Entry will definitelyrun to the front in the Derby and even if he can't win he will burn out some of the other speed horses.

Keyed Entry is a son of the top class miler/sprinter Honour and Glory. His stud career got off to a great start when Caressing, from his first crop, won the the 2000 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies and named champion of her division.

Keyed Entry is the fourth foal out of Ava Knowsthecode, who has already produced the stakes winner Alex's Allure, winner of the Senorita in 2005. Ava Knowsthecode should add some stamina to Keyed Entry's pedigree via her sire Cryptoclearance, a very durable deep closer who earned a check in all three of the 1987 Triple Crown races and retired as one of the top 10 leading money earners of all time.

Jockey Patrick gets the assignment for the Derby, who's widely regarded as one of the most talented riders of any generation, Valenzuela has battled personal problems throughout his career. Valenzuela was the leading apprentice in terms of wins for the 1979-1980 Santa Anita meet. He has won numerous riding title since then at Hollywood Park, Del Mar, Oak Tree, and Santa Anita. He was the youngest jockey ever, aboard Codex for Wayne Lukas, at 17, to win the Santa Anita Derby. He won the Kentucky Oaks in 1985 on Fran's Valentine and the Derby in 1989 on Sunday Silence, his only Derby win in seven mounts.

Starlight Stable LLC, Paul H. Saylor & Donald Lucarelli owns the bay colt. Starlight Stables is the Thoroughbred racing partnership of Atlanta residents Jack and Laurie Wolf, They are relative newcomers to the horse industry, buying their first horses at the 2000 Fasig-Tipton July sale. One of the horses in that set of six was Harlan’s Holiday, winner of the Florida Derby and Blue Grass Stakes. In addition to winning the 2004 Kentucky Oaks, Ashado won 10 other graded stakes, including the Breeders' Cup Distaff the same year. Paul Saylor, founder of a real estate consulting firm and is also the Chairman and CEO of CS Capital Management Inc. Saylor came into the racing game through the quarter horse route in the early 1980's.

Trainer Todd Pletcher will saddle-up Bluegrass Cat. Pletcher is a native of Dallas, TX, Pletcher grew up around Thoroughbred racing as his father, Jake Pletcher, trained Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds. After graduating from the University of Arizona with a degree in animal science, he went to work for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas. He stayed with Lukas for six years, eventually becoming his main East Coast assistant trainer. Pletcher went out on his own in 1996. Since 2000, Pletcher has trained 12 Derby contenders, with his best finish being second in 2001 with Invisible Ink.

Private Vow weakened late in his last outing, which was the Arkansas Derby on April 15, 2006. Private VowWon two stakes races as a juvenile, but finished a disappointing last in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Has only had two preps for the Kentucky Derby, a 7th in the Rebel and 3rd in the before mentioned Arkansas Derby, both behind Lawyer Ron. <!-- Inject Script Filtered -->

Private Vow is from the first crop of Broken Vow, a son of Unbridled, who won the Iselin and the Ben Ali among his nine wins in 14 starts, earning $725,926. With Private Vow leading the way, Broken Vow's offspring won 12 races in 2005, earning $759,022, good for 17th place on the two-year-old sire list.

Private Vow is just the second foal, and lone winner, from his dam Smooth as Silk. She's a daughter of Deputy Minister, a versatile racehorse who was Canadien Horse of the Year at two and was also a grade one winner in the States at four.

Jockey Shaun Bridgmohan will climb aboard Private Vow in the 132nd Running of the Roses. Bridgmohan is a winner of over 1,100 races in his career, he did not begin riding until after graduating high school, as stipulated by his father. He then went on to be a hot walker, groom and, after a few years, an exercise rider. His patience on waiting to ride was rewarded, he was named the 1998 Eclipse Award winner for leading apprentice rider. He once one six races in a single day at Aqueduct on February, 15, 1998. He tied for leading rider at the 2002 Aqueduct spring meet. Bridgmohan has yet to ride in the Kentucky Derby.

Private Vow is owned byMike McCarty, who's the owner of The McCarty Corporation, an Austin-based construction company started by his father as a sheet metal company and developed into a general contracting company exclusively serving the U.S. military. He currently has eight horses, all stabled with Steve Asmussen, including a pair of top 3-year-olds in Private Vow and Doctor Decherd.

Private Vow is trained by Steve Asmussen, whoin 2002 won his first national training title by number of victories, as his outfit saddled an impressive 407 winners. However, he outdid himself in 2004, winning a record 555 races, over 180 more than his closest competitor. He continued his winning ways in 2005, taking 474 races and earning $13.3 million in purses. He has won training titles at Lone Star Park, Keeneland, Fair Grounds, Churchill Downs, Remington Park, Sam Houston, and Retama Park, and is the all-time leading trainer at Lone Star. He has had three starters in the Derby: Fifty Stars (9th, 2001), Private Emblem (14th, 2002), and Quintons Gold Rush (18th, 2004). He also won the 2005 Kentucky Oaks with Summerly.

On August 14, 2005 Seaside Retreat closed from well back to win his debut easily at Woodbine. In his next race he was bet down to 3-5 by the betters, whom he did not disappoint by posting another easy win. His third victory was also at Woodbine where he closed four wide while going away. In his most recent race on April 15, 2006 in the Bluegrass he finished a weak 6th and was never a factor. His final prep was a 32 1/2 length loss in the Blue Grass at Keeneland. Went 5 furlongs in 59 2/5 and galloped out 6 furlongs in 1:13 and change at Churchill Downs. His connections decided that was good enough that they will go on to the Derby despite his poor race last out.

Seaside Retreat is a son of the Kingmambo sire King Cugat. King Cugat was strictly a turf horse, winning stakes at two, three and four on the grass. In total, he won seven stakes ranging from 1 1/16 to 1 3/8 miles, earning nearly $1.3 million.

Seaside Retreat is the lone foal from his stakes-placed dam Shes Like Rio. She is out of an unraced sister to the grade two winner Sweetest Chant, a track record holder at nine furlongs. From that same lineage comes Distorted Humor, sire of 2003 Kentucky Derby winner Funny Cide and Cassaleria, the winner of the El Camino Real Derby. This bodes well for Seaside Retreat's ability to get the mile and a quarter, since the presence of Boundary and Mr. Leader tend to lean towards mile or shorter talent.

Patrick Husbands will get the mount on Seaside Retreat, whoenjoyed early success, becoming the youngest rider to win the prestigious Cockspur Cup in his hometown at the age of 16. He has enjoyed immense success in Canada, including winning a handful of Sovereign Awards as the nation's top jockey and winning the Canadian Triple Crown in 2003 aboard Wando.

Trainer Mark Casse will saddle-up Seaside Retreat, who'scaptured a training title at the legendary Louisville oval in the spring of 1988 before taking his career to Canada, where he operates a large stable of horses year round based at Woodbine. Until 2005, Casse held the record for the most wins at a single Churchill Downs meeting. Seaside Retreat and Top Notch Lady will mark his first Derby and Oaks participants, respectively.

Seaside Retreat is owned by William S. Farish Jr., who's the general manager and director of sales for Lane's End Farm in Versailles, KY. A Houston native, the younger Farish worked in banking and commerce in his native state and was a personal aide to President George H.W. Bush in 1991-92. Farish is the owner of Shadow Cast, winner of the 2005 Personal Ensign. Besides Mark Casse, he also has some horses in training with Neil Howard, his father's principle trainer. Farish is chairman of the Breeders' Cup board of directors and is on the board of the Blood-Horse publications and Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association.

Sharp Humor owns a respect record manufactured in his 7-race career. His worst finish was at Saratogo in just his second race where he crossed the wire 4th. His debut was a handy win over state breds at Belmont back on July 1, 2005.This New York-bred came down to Florida for the spring and won the Swale Stakes easily. Followed up with a close 2nd to Barbaro in the Florida Derby showing he could go the distance.

Sharp Humor is by 2002’s leading freshman sire Distorted Humor, a son of Forty Niner and a descendant of the Raise A native sire line who solidified his status as a sire when his son Funny Cide won the 2003 Kentucky Derby and was voted champion colt the same year.

Sharp Humor is out of the Hansel mare Bellona. Hansel won two-thirds of the 1991 Triple Crown, finishing tenth as the beaten favorite in the Kentucky Derby. If Sharp Humor is to get the Derby's 10 furlongs, he will likely need to call upon the influence of the bottom half of his dam's pedigree, where the presence of classic stayers such as Damascus and Buckpasser are found.

Jockey Mark Guidry gets the mount aboard Sharp Humor. Guidry is awinner of over 4,700 races in his career, he is a perennial figure in the top 40 national jockeys' rankings. In recent years, he has ridden in southern California as well as Kentucky. He earned the prestigious George Woolf Memorial Award in March. The award is given annually to the jockey who demonstrates high standards of personal and professional conduct, on and off the racetrack. Guidry has ridden in three Kentucky Derbys, with his best finish being a fifth last year aboard Buzzards Bay.

Sharp Humor is owned by the Purdedel Stable & WinStar Farm LLC. Ed Edelberg and Drs. Chris and Patricia Purdy use the Purdedel Stable name for their racing operation. WinStar Farm is a Thoroughbred racing and breeding operation located in Versailles, Ky that is owned by Bill Casner and Kenny Troutt. WinStar purchased a minority interest in Sharp Humor in late April, with the intent of standing him at stud at the conclusion of his racing career. WinStar is also the owner of Kentucky Derby probable Bluegrass Cat.

Trained by Dale Romanswho has won training titles at Churchill Downs (including three ties), Turfway Park and Keeneland. While his father dealt primarily with claiming horses, Dale has steadily improved his stock since he began running the shedrow. He has enjoyed much success in the past few years, with Roses in May taking the Whitney Handicap and Dubai World Cup and Kitten's Joy being named 2004 Eclipse Award Turf champion. Sharp Humor would be his first Derby starter.

Showing Up is a son of the Mr. Prospector stallion Strategic Mission, a grade three winner on the turf at age six and was stakes placed in the River City at Churchill Downs.

Showing Up is out of a stakes producer Miss Alethia. In addition to Showing Up, her son Gimmeawink (by Elusive Quality) was a listed stakes winner on the mid-Atlantic circuit, earning over $500,000.

In his most recent outing he broke poorly but finished strong to win at Lexington this year. He's 3-for-3 in his young with the other two wins came at Gulfstream where earlier in the year he set a one mile record in 1:34 flat. With no starts as a 2-year-old and only 3 races this year, he will be the most inexperienced horse in the Kentucky Derby. He went in the Lexington having to win to get the graded earnings to get in the Derby, and did not disappoint his backers.

Cornelio Velasquezwill ride Showing Up on Saturday.In 2002, he swept the leading riding honors at Calder, winning both the regular season and Tropical titles, in addition to being leading rider at Churchill Downs for the 2003 Spring Meet. He won the 2003 Breeders' Cup Sprint aboard Cajun Beat and 2005 Breeders' Cup Distaff on Pleasant Home. He has won over 2,000 races in his career, riding twice in the Kentucky Derby, finishing 11th on Scrimshaw in 2003 and second on Closing Argument in 2005.

Showing Upis owned by Lael Stables. Lael Stables is the namesake of Roy and Gretchen Jackson, the breeders of Barbaro, live in West Grove, Pennsylvania. Lael Stables, run by the couple, is a full service breeding operation that also brakes yearlings, does lay-ups and foaling. They have been breeding thoroughbreds since 1978; they currently house 20-30 mares, and they also have about 15 horses in training.

Showing Upis trained by Barclay Tagg,who started riding jumpers in 1966 and began his training career in earnest in 1971, winning his first race at Liberty Bell in 1972. His public stable's competes all over the East Coast from its base of operations is Woodbine, MD. Besides training 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Funny Cide, his best horses include Miss Josh, Grab The Green, Social Retiree, Royal Mountain Inn, Tampico and Abigailthewife.

Steppenwolfer's debut came on September 28, 2005 at Belmont in a disappointing 5th place finish. The gray colt hung on by a nose in his second race to post the win at Aqueduct. If you throw out his debut race, he's never finished out of the money in his 8 races. Steppenwolfer makes a strong late move so he would like all the speed horses will give him in the Kentucky Derby.

Steppenwolfer is a son of Aptitude, runner-up in both the 2000 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes at three and winner of both the Jockey Club Gold Cup and Hollywood Gold Cup the following year. His first foals are 3-year-olds of 2006, and Steppenwolfer is his only graded stakes winner to date. He is also the sire of the stakes-placed 3-year-old colt Sky Diving. Aptitude is a three-quarter brother to Slew of Gold, the a two-time champion and winner of over $3.5 million that excelled in races at the Derby distance.

Steppenwolfer takes at least part of his name from his dam Wolfer. Wolfer won over $200K in her career, including a second in the 1 1/16 miles Martha Washington in her sophomore season. To date, Steppenwolfer is her only foal that has raced. Steppenwolfer has plenty of stamina influences on both sides of his pedigree that suggest the mile and a quarter is well within his reach.

Jockey Robby Albarado gets the call aboard this gray colt.Albarado has earned riding titles at Fair Grounds, Arlington Park and Oaklawn Park. His 556 wins at Churchill currently rank him ninth all-time at the historic track. He was the winner of the 2004 George Woolf Memorial Award, given by piers. His best mounts include 2003 Horse of the Year Mineshaft, Joyeux Danseur, Quiet Resolve, Morluc, and Tijiyr (Ire). He and his wife, Kimber, reside in Louisville, Ky. and have two son, Kaden and Kash. Albarado has ridden in seven Derbys, with his best finish coming on Request for Parole, fifth in 2002.

Albarado is owned by Robert and Lawana Low. They also own the Palace Resort Casino near Biloxi, Mississippi. The Lows purchased their first thoroughbreds in 1995 and have employed Peitz as their trainer from that time. Within two years, their filly Capote Belle won the Test Stakes at Saratoga. Steppenwolfer would be the first Derby starter for the couple.

The gray colt is trained by Daniel Peitz. Peitzbest horse to date has been Capote Belle, a grade one winner also owned by Robert and Lawana Low. Peitz has yet to start a horse in the Kentucky Derby.

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Sinister Minister's dam, Sweet Minister, competed and placed in several Ohio-bred stakes, winning seven races in three season. She is a daughter of The Prime Minister, who, like Brother Derek's sire Benchmark, was a winner of the Goodwood Handicap. 

Sinister Minister is another top 3-year-old who is a complete outcross in his first four generations. He has obviously inherited some of his sire's quick turn of foot, but the presence of horses such as Mr. Prospector and Mr. Leader on his dam's side also lean towards early speed.

Sinister Minister is trained by the great, Bob Baffert. Baffert has won three of the last eight Kentucky Derbys, including back-to-back wins in '97 and '98 with Silver Charm and Real Quiet, respectively, before capturing the '02 running with War Emblem. He is one of only three trainers ("Sunny Jim" Fitzsimmons and Max Hirsch) to have won the Derby three times. Only Wayne Lukas and Dick Thompson (4 wins) and Ben A. Jones (6) have more Derby wins than Baffert.

Sinister Minister is owned by Lanni Family Trust, Mercedes Stable LLC & Bernard Schiappa. Terry Lanni of the Lanni Family Trust, Ernie Moody of Mercedes Stables, and Bernie Schiappa make up the partnership that owns Sinister Minister. Lanni is the chairman and chief executive of MGM Mirage since 1995. Moody is the inventor of the Triple Play Poker; the first machine that lets players play three hands of poker at the same time. His best horses to date have been Rock Hard Ten and Laura's Lucky Boy. Schiappa, a Las Vegas resident, is the general manager of Fletcher Jones Imports, a Mercedes-Benz dealership. Among his best horses have been Ladies Din and Silic, winner of the 1999 Breeders' Cup Mile.

This Gray colt has ten races under his belt heading into the Derby. He's never finished out of the money. His most recent outing was in the Illinois Derby, where he finished third. It was reported he didn't handle the track well.
Cause to Believe is a son of the 1995 2-year-old champion colt Maria's Mon and is gray in color like his sire. As a racehorse, Maria's Mon was precocious, capturing 4-of-5 starts as a juvenile including a pair of Grade I wins - a feat no other juvenile accomplished that year.

Cause to Believe is the third foal from his dam Imaginary Cat, an unraced Overbrook homebred. She has produced one other winner, Counter Punch, who was 1 for 13 routing on the main track.

Jockey Russell Baze will mount Cause to Believe in the Derby, who was inducted to the Thoroughbred Racing’s Hall of Fame in 1999. He has over 9,000 victories in a career that began in 1974 at Yakima Meadows in Washington state. Baze won a special Eclipse Award in 1995 for being the first jockey ever to win 400 or more races in a year for four consecutive years. He also earned the Isaac Murphy Award, a national honor which goes to the jockey with the highest win percentage (minimum 500 mounts), for nine straight years (from its inception in 1995 through 2003). Throughout his brilliant career, Baze has had but one Derby mount, Semoran (14th in 1996).

Cause to Believe is trained by Jerry Hollendorfer. Hollendorfer is the fifth winningest trainer in North American racing history. The northern California based trainer has won an amazing 30 straight training championships at Bay Meadows and 26 at Golden Gate Fields, as well as winning training titles at Arlington Park (2001) and Thistledown (2004). He has had one starter in the Kentucky Derby; Eye of the Tiger, who finished fifth in the 2003 Derby. His other two potential Derby starters, Event of the Year and Globalize, were both scratched in the days leading up to the big race due to injuries suffered at Churchill Downs.

Peter Abruzzo & Peter Redekop own Cause to Believe. Redekop has been in the racing business since 1968, Peter Abruzzo of Chicago purchased a 25 percent share in Cause to Believe from Peter Redekop earlier this year. Abruzzo was bit by the racing bug at age 11 when he saw Dr. Fager set the world record for the mile in the 1968 Washington Park Handicap. Abruzzo is a successful northwest suburban Chicago businessman who has had horses with Hollendorfer for several years, including the stakes winner U.S.S. Tinosa.

In this year's Blue Grass Storm Treasure was a solid second, but was no match for Sinister Minister. The second place finish gives him four place outings in his career with one win and a 6th place finish. He's an  unpredictable horse and it will be interesting to see how he competes on Saturday.

Storm Treasure is a son of Storm Boot, a stakes-placed sprinter with four wins from 14 career starts. Though he had a fairly inauspicious racing career, he is the sire of more stakes winner in North America than any other son of Storm Cat.

Storm Treasure is the first foal from the unraced mare Boogie Beach Blues, a daughter of Cure the Blues. Boogie Beach Blues comes from a very nice family; her dam, the stakes winner Lonely Beach, has produced three stakes winners herself. On the surface, Storm Treasure would seem to be inclined to prefer sprint or mile races.

Jockey David Flores will ride Storm Treasure. He captured his first riding title at a major track in '99 at Santa Anita; he also earned his 2,000th career win that year. Flores joined the Southern California jockey colony in '89 and has ridden such top horses as Chilukki, Mash One, Tuzla, Keeper Hill, Free House, Siphon, and Singletary. He has ridden in seven Kentucky Derbys, most recently finish fourth on Atswhatimtalknbout in the 2003 Derby and sixth on Action This Day in 2004.

Steve Asmussen trains Storm Treasure and in 2002, Asmussen won his first national training title by number of victories, as his outfit saddled an impressive 407 winners. However, he outdid himself in 2004, winning a record 555 races, over 180 more than his closest competitor. He continued his winning ways in 2005, taking 474 races and earning $13.3 million in purses. His training career began with both Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses in New Mexico in 1986. He has won training titles at Lone Star Park, Keeneland, Fair Grounds, Churchill Downs, Remington Park, Sam Houston, and Retama Park, and is the all-time leading trainer at Lone Star. He has had three starters in the Derby: Fifty Stars (9th, 2001), Private Emblem (14th, 2002), and Quintons Gold Rush (18th, 2004). He also won the 2005 Kentucky Oaks with Summerly.

Mike McCarty owns Storm Treasure, an Austin-based construction company started by his father as a sheet metal company and developed into a general contracting company exclusively serving the U.S. military. Mike McCarty, 58, has owned the construction business since 1982, and he forged into the Thoroughbred horse racing business in 2000 when he bought his first pair of horses at the Keeneland April 2-year-olds in training sale. He currently has eight horses, all stabled with Steve Asmussen, including a pair of top 3-year-olds in Private Vow and Doctor Decherd.

Deputy Glitters is a son of $1.9 million earner Deputy Commander. Trained by Wally Dollase, Deputy Commander won two grade one races, the Travers and Super Derby, both at 1 1/4 miles. He was also second, to Horse of the Year Skip Away, in the Breeders' Cup Classic at the same distance.

Deputy Glitters is one of four foals from his dam Glitters. Of the two that are of racing age, Deputy Glitters is her lone winner to date. With the substantial sprint influence on his female side, his ability to get the Derby distance could come into question.

Deputy Glitters ran a sour 6th in his last race which was the Wood Memorial  this year. He was close to the lead in the early goings but faded in the stretch. He has two wins to his credit. The first came in his debut race last year at Saratoga, and the second was in the Tampa Bay Derby on March 18, 2006. His remaining efforts included a 6th place finish in the Champagne on a sloppy track, a 4th place outing in the Huntington at Aqueduct, a 5th at Gulfstream and a 2nd place finishing in a big effort at 63-1.

Jose Lezcano will be aboard Deputy Glitters on Saturday, who began riding at age 16 and rode two years in his home country before coming to the United States in March, 2004, starting his career at Gulfstream Park. Since coming to the States, Lezcano has also rode at Monmouth Park and the Meadowlands, finishing in the top 10 at both tracks. His biggest win to date came aboard R Lady Joy in the $500,000 Delaware Oaks (GII). His win percentage of 21.6% in 2005 was among the tops in the nation.

The bay colt is trained by Tom Albertrani. Albertrani was a jockey for about four years, riding in New York and New Jersey, but eventually wound up as an assistant trainer for Bill Mott. His work drew the attention of the powerful Godolphin outfit, and in 1995 he moved his family to Dubai, becoming the top assitant to Saaed bin Suroor. Working for the Godolphin outfit took him to racecourses all over the world with top class horses such as Street Cry, Imperial Gesture, Sakhee and Breeders' Cup Turf winner Daylami. Albertrani returned to the United States in 2003 as a private trainer for the Darley Stable. The following year he opened a public stable with the blessing of his primary owners. He won his first grade one with Baletto in the 2004 Frizette. Deputy Glitters would be his first Derby starter.

Deputy Glitters is owned by Joseph Lacombe Stables Inc. Lacombe is noted for owning 1997 Horse of the Year and 2-year-old champion Favorite Trick. He got involved in racing on the advice of a friend at his former company, winning the Breeders' Cup Juvenile with his first-ever starter in the championship event. That horse, Favorite Trick, would go on to finish 8th in the 1998 Derby; Lacombe's only starter in the race to date.

Flashy Bull has nine races to his credit with only one win, which came back on October 26, 2005. He finish a fading 7th in his most recent outing in the Florida Derby in a uninspiring effort. Despite this bad race he's never finished further back than 4th in his remaining races.

Flashy Bull was sired by 3-year-old champion and Horse of the Year Holy Bull. Undefeated as a two-year-old, Holy Bull won the seven furlong Futurity and the 1 1/16 mile In Reality Stakes. Flashy Bull is out of the Mt. Livermore mare Iridesence. From her two foals to race, Flashy Bull is her only stakes winner.

Flashy Bull will be ridden by Mike Smith. Smith started riding races in New Mexico at age 11 and took out his license when he was 16. He was the leading rider in the country in 1994 with 316 wins, and he has won numerous accolades including the Eclipse Award twice, the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award and the Venezia Award. After eleven tries, Smith won his first Derby aboard 50-1 longshot Giacomo. Some of his best mounts include Holy Bull, Lure, Unbridled's Song, Inside Information, Prairie Bayou and Cherokee Run.

The gray colt is owned by West Point Thoroughbreds. Terry Finley gained hands-on experience working with Thoroughbreds as a teenager and began developing racing partnerships in 1991. His initial acquisition was a $5,000 claimer from Philadelphia Park named Sunbelt. That gelding debuted for West Point Thoroughbreds two weeks later and won for a $6,500 claiming tag. Since that first trip to the winners circle at Philadelphia Park in 1991, West Point Thoroughbreds has syndicated some 90 horses worth more than $9.5 million, with some 25 stakes winners to date. West Point has permanent stables in New York, New Jersey, Kentucky, Florida, Louisiana, and California, with 40-60 horses in training.

Kiaran McLaughlin trains Flashy Bull. McLaughlin's top clients include Dubai natives Sheikh Mohammed al Maktoum of Darley Stable, his brother Sheikh Hamdan al Maktoum and prominent local businessman Ahmed al Tayer, along with top American-based syndicate West Point Thoroughbreds. McLaughlin's most notable tutelage came from the long and rich line of assistants for the powerful D. Wayne Lukas stable. He has campaigned such graded stakes winners as Dumaani, Intidab, Seattle Fitz, Randaroo, and Mustanfar. McLaughlin has saddled one Derby starter: Closing Argument was second to Giacomo in last year's Run for the Roses.

Jazil finished a strong 2nd in this year's Wood Memorial and finished while closing. His only win came in his first two-turn race at Aqueduct on December 7, 2005. His record also includes two places a 6th and 7th finish.  

Jazil is by Seeking the Gold, who has sired five champions and six millionaires. His champions include Dubai Millenium, Heavenly Prize, Catch the Ring and Flanders. Overall, this son of Mr. Prospector has sired 72 stakes winners, 43 graded stakes winners, and over 110 stakes horses from 14 crops. Jazil is out of the Deputy Minister mare Better than Honour. Jazil is her third foal, and the second to race. Better than Honour was fairly precocious, winning the nine furlong Demoiselle at age two. 

Jazil's tail-female line is loaded with class. Through his first three dams, Jazil is related to Xaar, champion 2-year-old colt in Europe; Aldebaran; champion sprinter in the U.S.; Good Journey, a multiple graded stakes winner on the turf; the multiple grade one winner Denon; Breeders' Cup Mile winner Spinning World; multiple champion and leading European sire El Gran Senor; and Compliance, sire of Fourstardave and Fourstars Allstar.  

Jockey Fernando Jara will mount Jazil, who was born into the sport; his grandfather and father were both jockeys and had him attend the Laffit Pincay riding school in his homeland. He began his U.S. riding career at the Aqueduct winter meet, and has remained on the New York circuit. His idols as a young rider were Hall of Famers Pincay, Jerry Bailey and Angel Cordero, who has been an advisor to the young Panamanian since coming to the States. Jara would be making his first Kentucky Derby start.

Jazil is owned by the Shadwell Stable. H.E. Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum is Dubai's Deputy Ruler and Minister of Finance and Industry. Opened in 1984 in Lexington, Shadwell has bred nine classic European race winners, headlined by Arc de Triomphe victor and Breeders' Cup Classic runner-up Sakhee. The racing operation is known for its global campaigning of racehorses and has around 300 horses in training. Shadwell has never had a Derby starter.

Kiaran McLaughlin trains Jazil. McLaughlin's top clients include Dubai natives Sheikh Mohammed al Maktoum of Darley Stable, his brother Sheikh Hamdan al Maktoum and prominent local businessman Ahmed al Tayer, along with top American-based syndicate West Point Thoroughbreds. McLaughlin's most notable tutelage came from the long and rich line of assistants for the powerful D. Wayne Lukas stable. McLaughlin has saddled one Derby starter: Closing Argument was second to Giacomo in last year's Run for the Roses.

In this year's Wood Memorial Keyed Entry set the pace; battled, weakened and was caught for place to finish 3rd. However, his young career has been a solid one. He owns a 2nd place finish and three wins thus far. Keyed Entry will definitely run to the front in the Derby and even if he can't win he will burn out some of the other speed horses.

Keyed Entry is a son of the top class miler/sprinter Honour and Glory. His stud career got off to a great start when Caressing, from his first crop, won the the 2000 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies and named champion of her division.

Keyed Entry is the fourth foal out of Ava Knowsthecode, who has already produced the stakes winner Alex's Allure, winner of the Senorita in 2005. Ava Knowsthecode should add some stamina to Keyed Entry's pedigree via her sire Cryptoclearance, a very durable deep closer who earned a check in all three of the 1987 Triple Crown races and retired as one of the top 10 leading money earners of all time.

Jockey Patrick gets the assignment for the Derby, who's widely regarded as one of the most talented riders of any generation, Valenzuela has battled personal problems throughout his career. Valenzuela was the leading apprentice in terms of wins for the 1979-1980 Santa Anita meet. He has won numerous riding title since then at Hollywood Park, Del Mar, Oak Tree, and Santa Anita. He was the youngest jockey ever, aboard Codex for Wayne Lukas, at 17, to win the Santa Anita Derby. He won the Kentucky Oaks in 1985 on Fran's Valentine and the Derby in 1989 on Sunday Silence, his only Derby win in seven mounts.

Starlight Stable LLC, Paul H. Saylor & Donald Lucarelli owns the bay colt. Starlight Stables is the Thoroughbred racing partnership of Atlanta residents Jack and Laurie Wolf, They are relative newcomers to the horse industry, buying their first horses at the 2000 Fasig-Tipton July sale. One of the horses in that set of six was Harlan’s Holiday, winner of the Florida Derby and Blue Grass Stakes. In addition to winning the 2004 Kentucky Oaks, Ashado won 10 other graded stakes, including the Breeders' Cup Distaff the same year. Paul Saylor, founder of a real estate consulting firm and is also the Chairman and CEO of CS Capital Management Inc. Saylor came into the racing game through the quarter horse route in the early 1980's.

Trainer Todd Pletcher will saddle-up Bluegrass Cat. Pletcher is a native of Dallas, TX, Pletcher grew up around Thoroughbred racing as his father, Jake Pletcher, trained Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds. After graduating from the University of Arizona with a degree in animal science, he went to work for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas. He stayed with Lukas for six years, eventually becoming his main East Coast assistant trainer. Pletcher went out on his own in 1996. Since 2000, Pletcher has trained 12 Derby contenders, with his best finish being second in 2001 with Invisible Ink.

Private Vow weakened late in his last outing, which was the Arkansas Derby on April 15, 2006. Private Vow Won two stakes races as a juvenile, but finished a disappointing last in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Has only had two preps for the Kentucky Derby, a 7th in the Rebel and 3rd in the before mentioned Arkansas Derby, both behind Lawyer Ron.  <!-- Inject Script Filtered -->

Private Vow is from the first crop of Broken Vow, a son of Unbridled, who won the Iselin and the Ben Ali among his nine wins in 14 starts, earning $725,926. With Private Vow leading the way, Broken Vow's offspring won 12 races in 2005, earning $759,022, good for 17th place on the two-year-old sire list.

Private Vow is just the second foal, and lone winner, from his dam Smooth as Silk. She's a daughter of Deputy Minister, a versatile racehorse who was Canadien Horse of the Year at two and was also a grade one winner in the States at four.

Jockey Shaun Bridgmohan will climb aboard Private Vow in the 132nd Running of the Roses. Bridgmohan is a winner of over 1,100 races in his career, he did not begin riding until after graduating high school, as stipulated by his father. He then went on to be a hot walker, groom and, after a few years, an exercise rider. His patience on waiting to ride was rewarded, he was named the 1998 Eclipse Award winner for leading apprentice rider. He once one six races in a single day at Aqueduct on February, 15, 1998. He tied for leading rider at the 2002 Aqueduct spring meet. Bridgmohan has yet to ride in the Kentucky Derby.

Private Vow is owned by Mike McCarty, who's the owner of The McCarty Corporation, an Austin-based construction company started by his father as a sheet metal company and developed into a general contracting company exclusively serving the U.S. military. He currently has eight horses, all stabled with Steve Asmussen, including a pair of top 3-year-olds in Private Vow and Doctor Decherd.

Private Vow is trained by Steve Asmussen, who in 2002 won his first national training title by number of victories, as his outfit saddled an impressive 407 winners. However, he outdid himself in 2004, winning a record 555 races, over 180 more than his closest competitor. He continued his winning ways in 2005, taking 474 races and earning $13.3 million in purses. He has won training titles at Lone Star Park, Keeneland, Fair Grounds, Churchill Downs, Remington Park, Sam Houston, and Retama Park, and is the all-time leading trainer at Lone Star. He has had three starters in the Derby: Fifty Stars (9th, 2001), Private Emblem (14th, 2002), and Quintons Gold Rush (18th, 2004). He also won the 2005 Kentucky Oaks with Summerly.

On August 14, 2005 Seaside Retreat closed from well back to win his debut easily at Woodbine. In his next race he was bet down to 3-5 by the betters, whom he did not disappoint by posting another easy win. His third victory was also at Woodbine where he closed four wide while going away. In his most recent race on April 15, 2006 in the Bluegrass he finished a weak 6th and was never a factor. His final prep was a 32 1/2 length loss in the Blue Grass at Keeneland. Went 5 furlongs in 59 2/5 and galloped out 6 furlongs in 1:13 and change at Churchill Downs. His connections decided that was good enough that they will go on to the Derby despite his poor race last out.

Seaside Retreat is a son of the Kingmambo sire King Cugat. King Cugat was strictly a turf horse, winning stakes at two, three and four on the grass. In total, he won seven stakes ranging from 1 1/16 to 1 3/8 miles, earning nearly $1.3 million.

Seaside Retreat is the lone foal from his stakes-placed dam Shes Like Rio. She is out of an unraced sister to the grade two winner Sweetest Chant, a track record holder at nine furlongs. From that same lineage comes Distorted Humor, sire of 2003 Kentucky Derby winner Funny Cide and Cassaleria, the winner of the El Camino Real Derby. This bodes well for Seaside Retreat's ability to get the mile and a quarter, since the presence of Boundary and Mr. Leader tend to lean towards mile or shorter talent.

Patrick Husbands will get the mount on Seaside Retreat, who enjoyed early success, becoming the youngest rider to win the prestigious Cockspur Cup in his hometown at the age of 16. He has enjoyed immense success in Canada, including winning a handful of Sovereign Awards as the nation's top jockey and winning the Canadian Triple Crown in 2003 aboard Wando.

Trainer Mark Casse will saddle-up Seaside Retreat, who's captured a training title at the legendary Louisville oval in the spring of 1988 before taking his career to Canada, where he operates a large stable of horses year round based at Woodbine. Until 2005, Casse held the record for the most wins at a single Churchill Downs meeting. Seaside Retreat and Top Notch Lady will mark his first Derby and Oaks participants, respectively.

Seaside Retreat is owned by William S. Farish Jr., who's the general manager and director of sales for Lane's End Farm in Versailles, KY. A Houston native, the younger Farish worked in banking and commerce in his native state and was a personal aide to President George H.W. Bush in 1991-92. Farish is the owner of Shadow Cast, winner of the 2005 Personal Ensign. Besides Mark Casse, he also has some horses in training with Neil Howard, his father's principle trainer. Farish is chairman of the Breeders' Cup board of directors and is on the board of the Blood-Horse publications and Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association.

Sharp Humor owns a respect record manufactured in his 7-race career. His worst finish was at Saratogo in just his second race where he crossed the wire 4th. His debut was a handy win over state breds at Belmont back on July 1, 2005. This New York-bred came down to Florida for the spring and won the Swale Stakes easily. Followed up with a close 2nd to Barbaro in the Florida Derby showing he could go the distance.

Sharp Humor is by 2002’s leading freshman sire Distorted Humor, a son of Forty Niner and a descendant of the Raise A native sire line who solidified his status as a sire when his son Funny Cide won the 2003 Kentucky Derby and was voted champion colt the same year.  

Sharp Humor is out of the Hansel mare Bellona. Hansel won two-thirds of the 1991 Triple Crown, finishing tenth as the beaten favorite in the Kentucky Derby. If Sharp Humor is to get the Derby's 10 furlongs, he will likely need to call upon the influence of the bottom half of his dam's pedigree, where the presence of classic stayers such as Damascus and Buckpasser are found.

Jockey Mark Guidry gets the mount aboard Sharp Humor. Guidry is a winner of over 4,700 races in his career, he is a perennial figure in the top 40 national jockeys' rankings. In recent years, he has ridden in southern California as well as Kentucky. He earned the prestigious George Woolf Memorial Award in March. The award is given annually to the jockey who demonstrates high standards of personal and professional conduct, on and off the racetrack. Guidry has ridden in three Kentucky Derbys, with his best finish being a fifth last year aboard Buzzards Bay.  

Sharp Humor is owned by the Purdedel Stable & WinStar Farm LLC. Ed Edelberg and Drs. Chris and Patricia Purdy use the Purdedel Stable name for their racing operation. WinStar Farm is a Thoroughbred racing and breeding operation located in Versailles, Ky that is owned by Bill Casner and Kenny Troutt. WinStar purchased a minority interest in Sharp Humor in late April, with the intent of standing him at stud at the conclusion of his racing career. WinStar is also the owner of Kentucky Derby probable Bluegrass Cat.

Trained by Dale Romans who has won training titles at Churchill Downs (including three ties), Turfway Park and Keeneland. While his father dealt primarily with claiming horses, Dale has steadily improved his stock since he began running the shedrow. He has enjoyed much success in the past few years, with Roses in May taking the Whitney Handicap and Dubai World Cup and Kitten's Joy being named 2004 Eclipse Award Turf champion. Sharp Humor would be his first Derby starter.

Showing Up is a son of the Mr. Prospector stallion Strategic Mission, a grade three winner on the turf at age six and was stakes placed in the River City at Churchill Downs.

Showing Up is out of a stakes producer Miss Alethia. In addition to Showing Up, her son Gimmeawink (by Elusive Quality) was a listed stakes winner on the mid-Atlantic circuit, earning over $500,000.

In his most recent outing he broke poorly but finished strong to win at Lexington this year. He's 3-for-3 in his young with the other two wins came at Gulfstream where earlier in the year he set a one mile record in 1:34 flat. With no starts as a 2-year-old and only 3 races this year, he will be the most inexperienced horse in the Kentucky Derby. He went in the Lexington having to win to get the graded earnings to get in the Derby, and did not disappoint his backers.

Cornelio Velasquez will ride Showing Up on Saturday. In 2002, he swept the leading riding honors at Calder, winning both the regular season and Tropical titles, in addition to being leading rider at Churchill Downs for the 2003 Spring Meet. He won the 2003 Breeders' Cup Sprint aboard Cajun Beat and 2005 Breeders' Cup Distaff on Pleasant Home. He has won over 2,000 races in his career, riding twice in the Kentucky Derby, finishing 11th on Scrimshaw in 2003 and second on Closing Argument in 2005.

Showing Up is owned by Lael Stables. Lael Stables is the namesake of Roy and Gretchen Jackson, the breeders of Barbaro, live in West Grove, Pennsylvania. Lael Stables, run by the couple, is a full service breeding operation that also brakes yearlings, does lay-ups and foaling. They have been breeding thoroughbreds since 1978; they currently house 20-30 mares, and they also have about 15 horses in training.

Showing Up is trained by Barclay Tagg, who started riding jumpers in 1966 and began his training career in earnest in 1971, winning his first race at Liberty Bell in 1972. His public stable's competes all over the East Coast from its base of operations is Woodbine, MD. Besides training 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Funny Cide, his best horses include Miss Josh, Grab The Green, Social Retiree, Royal Mountain Inn, Tampico and Abigailthewife.

Steppenwolfer's debut came on September 28, 2005 at Belmont in a disappointing 5th place finish. The gray colt hung on by a nose in his second race to post the win at Aqueduct. If you throw out his debut race, he's never finished out of the money in his 8 races. Steppenwolfer makes a strong late move so he would like all the speed horses will give him in the Kentucky Derby.   

Steppenwolfer is a son of Aptitude, runner-up in both the 2000 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes at three and winner of both the Jockey Club Gold Cup and Hollywood Gold Cup the following year. His first foals are 3-year-olds of 2006, and Steppenwolfer is his only graded stakes winner to date. He is also the sire of the stakes-placed 3-year-old colt Sky Diving. Aptitude is a three-quarter brother to Slew of Gold, the a two-time champion and winner of over $3.5 million that excelled in races at the Derby distance.

Steppenwolfer takes at least part of his name from his dam Wolfer. Wolfer won over $200K in her career, including a second in the 1 1/16 miles Martha Washington in her sophomore season. To date, Steppenwolfer is her only foal that has raced. Steppenwolfer has plenty of stamina influences on both sides of his pedigree that suggest the mile and a quarter is well within his reach.

Jockey Robby Albarado gets the call aboard this gray colt. Albarado has earned riding titles at Fair Grounds, Arlington Park and Oaklawn Park. His 556 wins at Churchill currently rank him ninth all-time at the historic track. He was the winner of the 2004 George Woolf Memorial Award, given by piers. His best mounts include 2003 Horse of the Year Mineshaft, Joyeux Danseur, Quiet Resolve, Morluc, and Tijiyr (Ire). He and his wife, Kimber, reside in Louisville, Ky. and have two son, Kaden and Kash. Albarado has ridden in seven Derbys, with his best finish coming on Request for Parole, fifth in 2002.

Albarado is owned by Robert and Lawana Low. They also own the Palace Resort Casino near Biloxi, Mississippi. The Lows purchased their first thoroughbreds in 1995 and have employed Peitz as their trainer from that time. Within two years, their filly Capote Belle won the Test Stakes at Saratoga. Steppenwolfer would be the first Derby starter for the couple.

The gray colt is trained by Daniel Peitz. Peitz best horse to date has been Capote Belle, a grade one winner also owned by Robert and Lawana Low. Peitz has yet to start a horse in the Kentucky Derby.

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