Contenders

Darrin Miller

Darrin Miller, 40, grew up on a cattle ranch and first was involved with equines in the show business with Quarter Horse, and eventually became a jockey for that breed. He gave up that gig in 1991, and turned to training his own string of Thoroughbreds at Canterbury Park in Minnesota in 1995. Miller has trained privately for the Hamiltons for the past six years, winning stakes with Great Notion, Fredericktown, Gin and Sin, Sedgefield and Dominican for the couple. He currently has 16 horses in training, and splits his time between Kentucky and Florida. He has yet to run a horse in the Kentucky Derby.

Rafael Bejarano

Bejarano, born June 23, 1982, in Peru, currently lives in Louisville. He went to the races as child in his home country, eventually attending that nation's riding school. Began riding in Peru in 1999, winning an apprentice title the same year. Came to the United States in May of 2002, beginning his U.S. riding career at River Downs in Cincinnati. While it took him about five months to win his first race, he's been a top rider on the Kentucky circuit ever since. He won the Churchill Downs 2004 Spring Meet title, as well as winning titles at Turfway Park, Kentucky Downs and Ellis Park. He capped his success in 2004, when he led the nation in wins with 455, 72 more than his closest pursuer. He currently is riding in New York, Florida and on the Kentucky circuit. 2005 was another banner year for the young Peruvian; he finished fourth nationally in earnings, with $14.4 million, capped by a victory in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf (GI) aboard Intercontinental. Bejarano rode his first Derby in 2005, finishing eighth aboard Andromeda's Hero and was ninth on Point Determined last year.

Silverton Hill Farm

Silverton Hill is the namesake of Tommy and Bonnie Hamilton, who also own the top 3-year-old Sedgefield. The Hamiltons have been in Saddlebred business for several years, including 1999 World Champion 3-gaited horse Yes It's True. His sale allowed them to get into the Thoroughbred business, winning their first stakes with Neon Shadow in 1999. Tommy founded a coal mining company with operations in Kentucky and Virginia. Bonnie was a surgical nurse for 25 years in Owensboro, KY. Their 1,500 acre farm is near Springfield, KY, about 40 miles from Louisville. In addition to having a seven-furlong Polytrack training surface, the farm also is used for grain, hay and cattle raising. The farm is home to about ten broodmares and their foals. This would be their first entrant in the Kentucky Derby.

Barak Farm (KY)

Fifty-seven acre Barak Farm is located in Paris, Kentucky.

Dominican is a son of El Corredor, a winner of one of two starts at two. El Corredor won four of five races the following year, including wins in the Del Mar Breeders' Cup (GII) and Cigar Mile (GI) against older horses. His only defeat at three came when he was second to Fusaichi Pegasus in the Jerome Handicap (GII). El Corredor started just three times at four, winning the Del Mar Breeders' Cup for a second time and Pat O'Brien Handicap (GII). All of his seven victories came at a mile or under. He is the first grade one winning sire that is inbred to Mr. Prospector (3x4) and is currently in the top 10 of the 2007 leading Third-crop sire list. To date, he has sired six stakes winners and one champion in Puerto Rico. In addition to Dominican, his best runners are Adieu, winner of the Frizette (GI) Wanna Runner (Lone Star Derby [GIII]) and Itty Bitty Pretty, winner of the San Ysabel (GIII).

Dominican is out of the Dixieland Band mare First Violin. The Pennsylvania-bred mare hit the board in half of her 18 starts, earning $54,823, and was stakes placed at three. Dominican is the second of her three reported foals, with her first also a winner. First Violin sold at the 2005 Keeneland mixed sale and was shipped to Korea. She comes from a solid family that includes her multiple stakes-placed sister Chitchat Chitchat. They also are direct descendants of Wimbledon Star, half-sister to Chief’s Crown (third in the 1985 Kentucky Derby), as well as Hall of Famer Chris Evert, champion 3-year-old filly of 1974 and winner of the New York Filly Triple Crown.

With a Dosage Index of 4.33, Dominican is one of the few horses in this year’s Derby that has a number above the theoretical threshold of 4.00 that it takes to be a Derby winner. The number could be expected, as his male lines trace back to Mr. Prospector and Northern Dancer; he is actually inbred 4x5 to the former on his sire’s side. However, he is also inbred 4x3 to Secretariat, and along with the great horse, also has some stamina on the bottom half of his female side. If nothing else, Dominican’s running style suggests that he can overcome any inherited distance shortcomings

DOMINICAN may be coming into the race as one of the most blatantly ignored winners of the Toyota Blue Grass (Grade 1). While that race was an oddly run event, Dominican displayed huge strides at the end as he closed an intimidating gap on horses that had already gotten the jump on him, flying home his final furlong in 11 seconds flat. That makes this Darrin Miller trainee 2-for-2 this year and undefeated since being gelded following his 2-year-old campaign. His stock fell a bit when he was allotted the final selection at the post position draw, but an outside post in the Kentucky Derby is not reason to draw a line through a horse's name when you consider the long run into the first turn and the inevitable traffic jam that will be faced by every horse to his inside. He is a live longshot who may very well surprise a big crowd.