Contenders

Steve Asmussen

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 was born into a racing family - his father, Keith, is a former jockey; his mother, Marilyn, is a trainer, and brother Cash was a champion rider in the U.S. and Europe. He has had five starters in the Derby: Fifty Stars (9th, 2001), Private Emblem (14th, 2002), Quintons Gold Rush (18th, 2004) and the unplaced duo of Storm Treasure and Private Vow last year. He also won the 2005 Kentucky Oaks with Summerly.

Robby Albarado

A native of Lafayette, La., Albarado started riding at bush tracks at the age of 12 and scored his first career win at Evangeline Downs in 1990. He has earned riding titles at Fair Grounds, Arlington Park and Oaklawn Park. He fractured his pelvis in a two-horse spill at Keeneland on Oct. 13, 2000 and as a result, he had to sit out most of 2001. 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 eight Derbys, with his best finish coming on Steppenwolfer, third in 2006.

Jess Jackson, Padua Stable, George Bolton & Midnight Cry Stable

In early February, the partnership of Jackson, Padua (Satish Sanan) and George Bolton bought a majority interest in Curlin from Midnight Cry Stable.

Born in 1930, Jackson was raised in San Francisco and graduated from UC Berkeley's Boalt Law School. In 1982, he produced his first bottle of wine under the Kendall-Jackson label. Jess, a founding member of Family Winemakers of California, and his family still run the day-to-day business of the winery on some 12,000 acres in the Golden Bear state. He is ranked No. 212 in Forbes magazine's "400 Richest Americans" list with an estimated net worth of $2.2 billion. He has been on the forefront of calling horse auction practices reform. Jackson is a relatively new face in the Thoroughbred business, but has spent millions on horses of racing age, broodmares, stallions and the former Buckram Oak Farm, which he bought for $17.46 million and renamed Stonestreet Farm.

Satish Sanan is the founder and former CEO of IMR Global Inc., a company that supplies computer outsourcing and software services worldwide. Born in India, he now resides in Clearwater, Florida. He began buying expensive young horses in 1997 with the aim of winning top races around the world. He got his wish when Vindication won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (GI) and Breeders' Cup Sprint (GI) with Cajun Beat. Padua's breeding operation currently stands such stallions as Yes It's True, Exchange Rate, Delaware Township, Dance Master and Snow Ridge as well as Vindication located at Hill ‘n' Dale, in Ky.

Born in 1963, George Bolton was introduced to the sport of thoroughbred racing in 1989 by Bill Farish. He was managing director at Alex Brown & Sons from 1985 to 2004 when he joined Westend Capital Management in the spring. Bolton breeds, races, and sells horses and has campaigned Effectual, winner of the 2005 Debutante (Grade 3) at Churchill Downs, and Grade 3 winner Rare Gift, who also placed in seven other stakes races during her career. He resides in San Francisco with his wife, Lindsay, and two children.

Midnight Cry is the racing name of partners William Gallion and Shirley Cunningham Jr., lawyers that won the class-action fen-phen (anti-obesity medications) lawsuit in 2001 and resulted in a $200 million settlement. The pair has put their share of the winning to use in philanthropic endeavors in the Lexington, KY area. They have been in racing since 2000, and their best horse to date is the Grade One winner Einstein.

Fares Farm Inc. (KY)

Nijad Issam Fares, originally from Lebanon, is an international businessman, the son of Issam M. Fares, Deputy Prime Minister of Lebanon. He owns farms in Lexington,, Texas, England and France. The Lexington farm is a full-service Thoroughbred nursery specializing in breeding and foaling, lay-ups, breaking and training. He owned Miss Alleged, winner of the 1991 Breeders' Cup Turf (GI) and bred two-time Breeders' Cup Mile winner Da Hoss.

Curlin is a son of Smart Strike, who hails from the long line of blue bloods from the great Canadian Thoroughbred operation Sam Son Farm. A half-brother to champion Dance Smartly out of the great Mr. Prospector, Smart Strike was a Grade I winner on the dirt, but he has proven to be an all-around solid sire with top class runners on both turf and dirt. Standing at Lane's End Farm in Lexington, he was among the top 10 sires of 2006. His runners last year were led by leading turf horse and multiple graded winner English Channel, Alcibiades (GII) winner Bel Air Beauty and English Group Two winner Tungsten Strike. With a total of over 45 stakes winners to date, he has sired five Canadian champions, including Horse of the Year Soaring Free. He has other top 3-year-olds in Sedgefield and Twilight Meteor.

Curlin's unraced dam Sherriff's Deputy has had five foals to race, with the subject colt the only accomplished runner of the group. Sherriff's Deputy is out of the grade two winner Barbarika. She produced nine foals, with four winners, also of relatively modest accomplishment. Barbarika is a half-sister to Arlington Matron (GIII) winner Lucky Lady Lauren and Count on Kathy, granddam of 1997 2-year-old filly champ Countess Diana and the talented 3-year-old Shermanesque. From the same family came the ill-fated Exogenous, winner of the Beldame (GI) and Gazelle (GI).

For a Kentucky bred, Curlin actually possesses quite a bit of Canadian heritage. His maternal grandsire Deputy Minister was 2-year-old champ in his native land and the United States, as well as Canadian Horse of the Year for his juvenile season. With quite a bit of sprint influence from his sire's side, and only a modest amount of stamina influence on the bottom half, Curlin's Dosage Index rests right on the theoretical threshhold of 4.00. - by Mark Hoard

CURLIN is the likely favorite for Steve Asmussen and jockey Robby Albarado. He has made a great appearance all week long. That combined with his dominating victories in his three career starts means his supporters have a lot going for them. He has never been threatened to this point, and has done everything on his own. However, he never raced as a 2-year-old, and he has only three career starts. History says he is up against it, but his actions say otherwise. The 2-hole is probably not where his team wanted him, but he should be able to run his race. From there, it’s just a question of whether or not he’s good enough.