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Derby Entrants
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Trainer |
Jockey |
Owner |
Breeder |
There is not a name in modern day training more synonymous with the Kentucky Derby than Bob Baffert. A fan favorite with his trademark white hair, 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. The native of Nogales, Arizona has been a staple in the Derby the past decade, starting a total of 14 horses in the past ten runnings. The late defection of Wimbledon from the 2004 Kentucky Derby field marked the first year since '96 that Baffert was not represented with a starter in the Run for the Roses. Baffert, who grew up grooming and galloping quarter horses, began training quarter horses before converting to Thoroughbreds in 1988 with the support of primary owners Hal Earnhardt and Mike Pegram - both of whom still remain prominent clients. Baffert is a three-time Eclipse Award winning trainer, and has conditioned seven Eclipse Award champions. 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. |
Garrett Gomez was born on January 1, 1972. A native of Tucson, he now lives in southern California, where he rides on the circuit. He began riding at Santa Fe Downs in 1988, riding the midwest fair circuit before moving to California in 1998. He won the autumn Hollywood riding title that same year. He also has ridden for a time at Churchill Downs, where he was based before a self-imposed sabbatical in 2002 due to substance abuse problems. Returning to the saddle in September, 2004, Gomez has enjoyed tremendous succes, including winning the 2005 spring/summer Hollywood meet title. He's won major races for the last twelve years, including Arkansas Derby, the Secretariat, the Pacific Classic and most recently this year's Breeders' Cup Mile and Juvenile. A winner of over 2,000 races for his career, Gomez tallied 245 wins and $14.2 million in earnings last year. |
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. Prior to that, he was president and chief operating officer of Caesars World, Inc. from April 1981 to February 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. He has been in racing for about five years. He owns the former Brookside Farm of Allen Paulson, located in Bonsall, California. 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. He has been in horse partnerships with Lanni since 1978. Among his best horses have been Ladies Din and Silic, winner of the 1999 Breeders' Cup Mile.
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Mike & Jeanne Owens manage Cobra Farm in Lexington for Gary & Betty Biszantz where they keep a couple of mares that they breed in their own name. Jeanne was the Kentucky Thoroughbred Farm Manager of the Year in 1998, a board member of ReRun, and is currently President of Central Kentucky Riding for Hope, a therapeutic riding program at the Kentucky Horse Park. Mike is a past president of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Farm Manager's Club, a board member of the Fayette County Farm Bureau, the Fayette County KEEP representative, and serves on the Board of Adjustment for the Lexington Fayette Urban County Government. They bred and raced Ifyouprefersilver and currently own two stakes mares, Glitterbdancing in foal to Roman Ruler and Eternal Optimism in foal to Purge. Sinister Minister's 3/4 brother by Pulpit will be offered at the Keeneland September sale. Cobra Farm is the birthplace of Triple Crown Winner Seattle Slew; in addition, Sinister Minister was also foaled in the same stall as Seattle Slew. |
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04.29.06 - Sinister Minister Schools For Derby - Video Update 
04.29.06 - Sinister Minister Trains Over CD Surface - Video Update
04.15.06 - Sinister Minister Romps In Toyota Blue Grass Upset
03.11.06 - Cause to Believe Cruises In Cal Derby
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DRF Past Performances
Next Race: 05.06 Kentucky Derby (GI)
Future Wager Odds
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Pool # |
Date |
Horse # |
Final Odds |
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3 |
04.06-09 |
24* |
15-1 |
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2 |
03.02-05 |
24* |
3-1 |
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1 |
01.26-29 |
24* |
3-1 |
* = Part of the mutuel field
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Race History :: Graded Earnings: $475,000 (as of 04.17.06) - Race Record: 5-2-1-0
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Date |
Race |
Finish |
Chart |
Recap |
Video |
Comments |
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04.15.06 |
Blue Grass (GI) |
1st |
Chart |
Recap |
Video |
Went to the lead and never looked back |
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03.11.06 |
California Derby |
2nd |
Chart |
Recap |
Video |
Tried to jump rail in stretch; Cause to Believe 1st |
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02.12.06 |
San Vicente (GII) |
6th |
Chart |
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Video |
No match for stablemate Too Much Bling |
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01.20.06 |
Maiden claiming $62,500 @ Santa Anita |
1st |
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8-length winner |
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12.31.05 |
Maiden allowance @ Santa Anita |
5th |
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Wide trip, faded late |
Recent Workouts
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Date |
Track |
Distance |
Time |
Rank |
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04.09 |
Santa Anita |
6 furlongs |
1:11.00 H |
1/24 |
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04.04 |
Santa Anita |
6 furlongs |
1:15.20 H |
1/1 |
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03.30 |
Santa Anita |
7 furlongs |
1:25.00 H |
1/5 |
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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. While he never won a grade one event, Old Trieste did take the Swaps (GII), the Del Mar Breeders' Cup Handicap (GII), and the Affirmed Handicap (GII) at age three; the Californian (GII) at four; and the Goodwood Breeders' Cup Handicap (GII) and the Del Mar Breeders' Cup (GII), for the second time, at age five. Overall, he finished with a 6-1-3 record from 14 starts. To date, he has eight stakes winners, topped by Silver Train, winner of the 2005 Breeders' Cup Sprint (GI); as well as Maltese Heat, a winner of nearly $1 million to date; the Gr. II winner Minister Eric; and Mister Triester, runner-up in the 2006 Illinois Derby.
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 (GII). Sweet Minister has three foals, with Sinister Minister being her only stakes performer. While her dam, Sweet Blue, was not a star on the racetrack, she is a half-sister to three stakes winners: Prospector's Flag, Kechi, and Vamos al Oro. Prospector's Flag was chief among them, winning the Discovery Handicap (GIII).
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. With the lack of stamina influences, Secretariat a notable exception, his dosage index stands on the Derby cutoff at 4.00 |
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SINISTER MINISTER enters the Derby with the uncanny look of 2002 victor Funny Cide, who came out of nowhere to turn in a lights out upset win in front-running fashion in his final prep race for the Run for the Roses. While Sinister Minster's impressive victory was in the Blue Grass and not the Illinois Derby, another similarity between the two is that both colts were brought into the Derby by Bob Baffert, who has enjoyed more success in this race than anyone over the past decade. This speedy colt's Beyer speed figure of 116 last out is very imposing, as it is easily the fastest fig run by any 3-year-old this year. However, that performance did occur at Keeneland, where the often-present speed bias clearly aided Sinister Minister's performance. Another concern is whether he'll bounce off of that lifetime best effort, which is a real concern due to the fact that Baffert came out and said that Sinister Minister was awfully fatigued following the race. He is the most likely horse to lead the field of 20 down the backstretch Saturday, but he'll have to go fast to maintain a clear advantage, as Sharp Humor, Keyed Entry and others figure to be pressing through what figure to be taxing early fractions. Visually, Sinister Minister has been impressive in stature and on the Churchill Downs track in his training up to the Derby, and if the Blue Grass gutted him it certainly hasn't shown. While he may indeed be one of the better sophomores to load into the gate Saturday, it is still really difficult to see him taking these gate to wire as fast as he would have to run early on, as there seems to be little shot that he is effective rating off the pace. It would take a few of these breaking poorly, along with a noticeable speed bias, to envision Sinister Minister winning Derby 132. Pace factor into the far turn, but not much further than that. Looking elsewhere.
- Joel Cunningham |
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Derby Info
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