Nick Zito : Derby History
Zito, a New York City native, started in racing as a teenager as a hotwalker and groom for trainer Buddy Jacobson. He later worked as an assistant to trainers LeRoy Jolley and John Campo. He saddled his first winner in 1972 and is one of only 17 trainers in history to saddle two or more Kentucky Derby winners (Strike The Gold and Go For Gin), as well as the 2003 Kentucky Oaks winner Bird Town, and Birdstone to upset Smarty Jones in last year's Belmont Stakes (GI). His stable is loaded with potential Derby starters in Andromeda's Hero, Noble Causeway, High Fly, and Bellamy Road. His principal clients include George Steinbrenner, Tracy Farmer and Marylou Whitney. He and his wife, Kim, son Alexander and daughter Sara live in Garden City, N.Y.
Edgar Prado : Derby History
Edgar Prado is a native of Lima, Peru and hails from a racing family - his father is a trainer and two of his eight brothers are jockeys. He dominated the Maryland racing scene for years with multiple riding titles at both Laurel and Pimlico, but in the summer of 1999 decided to shift his tack to New York. He won 1,000 races over a two-year span in 1997-1998, to join Chris McCarron and Kent Desormeaux as the only riders to accomplish that feat and led the nation in wins with 536 in '97, 474 in '98, and 402 in '99. He was second nationally in earnings last year, when his mounts won over $18.3 million. Prado won the Kentucky Oaks in 2003 on Bird Town and the Belmont twice: Birdstone (2004) and Sarava (2002). He has ridden in the past five Derbies, with his best finish a third on Peace Rules in 2003.
Tracy Farmer
Farmer, a Kentucky native, is the owner of Shadowlawn Farm near Midway, Ky. and is a successful entreprenuer whose diverse business interests include banking, automobile dealerships, commercial real estate and racing and breeding Thoroughbreds. He was a member of the University of Kentucky's Board of Trustees for 12 years and formerly was chairman of a chain of drugstores and dry cleaners in 10 states. He has some 30 horses in training and a 20-horse broodmare band. Best horses owned soley or in partnership: Albert The Great, Hidden Lake, Sir Shackleton, Royal Assault, and Joyeux Danseur. Farmer donated Albert the Great's third place earnings from the 2001 Breeders' Cup Classic to the New York Hero's Fund for victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Farmer has not had a Derby starter.
Cambridge Farm (KY)
Cambridge Farm is the namesake of James Conway, a native of Oklahoma who currently has residences in Lexington, Kentucky and Naples, Florida. Conway is a graduate of Notre Dame who subsequently served in the Air Force from 1951-53. He worded in the family lumber business for some ten years before getting involved in the horse business. Conway became active in racing and breeding at the urging of his wife Marietta. Their star broodmare has been Clever But Costly, dam of grade one winner Traitor, grade three winner Ocean Drive, as well as Sun King. Conway currently has about 13 broodmare on his farm, but is in the process of dissolving his operation to move into retirement.
05.06.05 - Spanish Chestnut Due In Saturday Morning 05.01.05 - Sunday Barn Notes 04.30.05 - Saturday Barn Notes 04.29.05 - Friday Barn Notes 04.28.05 - Thursday Barn Notes 04.16.05 - Bandini Earns His Way Into Derby With Blue Grass Triumph 03.26.05 - Derby Contenders Sun King, Bellamy Road Arrive At Downs 03.19.05 - Sun King Dominates At Tampa 02.28.05 - Sun King, Andromeda's Hero Dazzle For Zito
Off slowly, but controlled the race most of the way
8.28.04
Maiden allowance @ Saratoga
4th
Very slow start left him with too much ground to make up
Recent Workouts
Date
Track
Distance
Time
Rank
4.28
Churchill Downs (fast)
5 furlongs
1:00.00 B
2/35
4.11
Churchill Downs (fast)
5 furlongs
1:00.80 B
12/38
4.04
Churchill Downs (fast)
5 furlongs
1:02.80 B
20/30
If the Kentucky Derby had been run six weeks ago, Tracy Farmer's son of 1999 Derby winner Charismatic might have been the favorite. One of the top juveniles of 2004, he scored impressive wins in his first two starts of this year before he turned in a dull fourth place finish in the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (GI) at Keeneland. One of trainer Nick Zito's "Fab Five" Derby contenders, Sun King brings a record of 3-0-2 in seven races and earnings of $452,150 into Derby 131. As he tries to give Zito his third Derby win, Sun King will work to help jockey Edgar Prado earn his first Derby triumph.
Sun King is by 1999 Kentucky Derby winner Charismatic, who was named Horse of the Year that same season. He nearly won the Triple Crown, but his bid was foiled when he was injured just short of the finish line in the Belmont. Overall, he earned just slightly more than $2 million, winning five of seventeen starts. He was retired to stud at Lane's End Farm in Kentucky after the Belmont mishap ended his career, and was sold to the Japan Bloodhorse Breeders Association Stallion Station in 2002. Charismatic was overlooked in the betting when he won the Derby, but his breeding suggests that the 10 furlongs was well within his range. There are two Derby winners (Northern Dancer and Secretariat) on his male side, and Sir Gaylord, a half-brother to Secretariat, and What A Pleasure, sire of Derby winner Foolish Pleasure, are both present in his female side.
Sun King's female side is just as strong as his sire's, but leaning more towards speed than stamina. His dam, Clever But Costly is by the noted speed sire Clever Trick, who passed away last year after a long and successful stud career. Clever But Costly won just twice, both sprinting, in 11 races. She has proven to be a very nice broodmare, with Sun King the latest of four stakes winning offspring. Most prominent among those is Traitor, who won the Grade One Belmont Futurity at two. Other stakes winners are Ocean Drive, winner of Keeneland's Green River as a juvenile, Beavers Nose, who won the Risen Star at the Fair Grounds, and the stakes placed Artful Pleasure, dam of grade one winning millionaire sprinter Peeping Tom. Clever But Costly is also the dam of the unraced Clever Bertie, who's offspring include the grade two winners Hurricane Bertie and Allamerican Bertie, who was second in the 1 1/4 miles Alabama (GI).
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