Contenders

Todd Pletcher

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 and he currently trains for such powerhouse owners as: Michael Tabor of Coolmore, Aaron and Marie Jones, Padua Stables, and Eugene Melnyk. In less than 10 years, Pletcher has conditioned such top-class performers as Ashado, Bluegrass Cat, Left Bank, Speightstown, Strong Hope, Forest Danger, Flower Alley, Balto Star and others. While he has been very successful since taking out his license, 2006 was yet another banner year for the Pletcher stable. He set a season earnings record in 2005 with his horses winning more than $20.8 million in purses, surpassing the previous record of $19.1 million set by Hall of Famer Bobby Frankel. Pletcher recently won the 2006 Eclipse as the nation's top trainer, his third win in a row. After going winless with his first 12 Breeders' Cup starters, Pletcher won two races in the event in 2004: the Sprint with Speightstown, and the Distaff with Kentucky Oaks champ Ashado. Both would also go on to be Eclipse winners in their respective divisions. Pletcher's best Derby finishers to date are the aforementioned Bluegrass Cat and Invisible Ink, second in 2006 and 2001, respectively, and a fourth with Limehouse in 2004.

John Velazquez

A native of Puerto Rico, born on November 24, 1971, Velazquez is perennially among the top 10 riders in New York, where he currently lives. He has six Breeders' Cup wins - Caressing, Da Hoss, Storm Flag Flying, Starine, Speightstown, and Ashado - and on Sept. 3, 2001, he became the first jockey in Saratoga history to ride six winners on a single card. On April 22, 2001, Velazquez won his 2,000th career race. His mounts earned in excess of $22.4 million in 2004, tops in the nation, while his 335 wins were good for third last year. After attending jockey's school and riding in Puerto Rico, came to New York in March 1990. He has ridden in seven Derbies, his best a second on Invisible Ink in '01. He and his wife Leona, daughter of trainer Leo O'Brien, have one daughter and one son.

Michael & Doreen Tabor

Michael Tabor was the principal shareholder in the Arthur Prince chain of betting shops in the United Kingdom until selling the business in 1996 for $50 million. In 1972, he purchased his first Thoroughbred and 23 years later his Thunder Gulch won the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes. He has campaigned many runners, such as Galileo and Giant's Causeway, in partnership with Susan Magnier, wife of Coolmore Stud owner John Magnier and daughter of renowned Irish trainer Vincent O'Brien.

Michael & Doreen Tabor

Michael Tabor was the principal shareholder in the Arthur Prince chain of betting shops in the United Kingdom until selling the business in 1996 for $50 million. In 1972, he purchased his first Thoroughbred and 23 years later his Thunder Gulch won the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes. He has campaigned many runners, such as Galileo and Giant's Causeway, in partnership with Susan Magnier, wife of Coolmore Stud owner John Magnier and daughter of renowned Irish trainer Vincent O'Brien.

Circular Quay is by Thunder Gulch, one of the more popular 3-year-olds in the mid 90s, capturing the '95 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes in a stellar sophomore campaign that saw him win 7-of-10 starts en route to being named champion of his age group. Thunder Gulch's stud career picked up right where his racing career left off, stamping his progeny with quality and the ability to get the Classic distances. In his first two crops to hit the track in '99 and '00, Thunder Gulch sired several top class performers, such as Spain ('97), one of the leading filly & mare money earners of all time, champion and Horse of the Year Point Given ('98), winner of the '01 Preakness and Belmont Stakes, Gr. I winner Tweedside ('98), multiple graded stakes winner Mystic Lady ('98), among others. He has continued of late, with runners such as Balance, a multiple Grade One winner and favorite for the 2006 Kentucky Oaks, and the subject colt, which propelled him to a top 15 finish on both the juvenile and general sires lists for 2006.

Circular Quay is out of the stakes-winning filly Circle of Life. She took the Spinaway (GI) at age two and was able to stretch her speed for a third in the Ashland (GI). Her only other offspring to race is Circle the World, fourth in the 2006 Iowa Derby. Circle of life is a descendent of Northern Dancer through her sire Belong to Me, making Circular Quay inbred 4x4x5 to the 1964 Derby and Preakness champ. The bottom half of Circular Quay's female side is loaded with Classic and Stamina influences: Nijinsky II, Damascus, Alydar and Round Table are all in the first five generations, which should give this colt every chance to handle the Derby distance. Dosage Index: 2.08. - by Mark Hoard

CIRCULAR QUAY will be trying to buck some history by coming into the Derby without having raced in two months; some three weeks longer than Barbaro did last year. Despite his record of being worse than second just once in seven starts (and that was because a horse fell in front of him) and being co-third choice at 8-1 on the morning line, he has become a forgotten horse during the Derby hoopla. He was well backed in all three future wagers, never closing higher than 12-1. Drawing post 16 isn’t as bad as it sounds for this late closing son of 1995 Derby winner Thunder Gulch, who should be well back in the field early. That’s really the bigger issue, as you can almost guarantee he’s going to need some racing luck to weave through the majority of 20 horses. He’ll surely get some play since John Velazquez wound up here after having his choice of Pletcher’s five runners, but will still offer plenty of value when he goes off at somewhere around 10-1. The best play in field at this price.