Contenders

William Kaplan

Kaplan, 61, is a native of Brooklyn, New York, but now resides in Plantation, Florida, where he moved in 1970. In New York, he was an accountant, but went to work in flight school as an instructor after moving south. He later owned a charter service between Miami and Key West. During that time, he also bought a few horses, but was not training them. Eventually, in 1979, he sold his airline company and took out his training license. His best horses have included Seacliff, who swept the 1995 Florida Stallion Series, Fortune Pending, Ells Once Again, who raced with three screws in her leg, Ravensmoor, Southern Velvet and Golden Bimmer.

Juan Leyva

Five year riding veteran Juan Leyva will be making his first Derby start. The 23-year-old is a native of Mexico City, Mexico, but grew up in Riverside, California. He rides on the southern Florida circuit at Gulfstream and Calder. Juan's father Ignacio, who rode match races in Mexico, was the younger Leyva's inspiration to becoming a jockey.

Teresa and David Palmer

Teresa, originally from Cuba, met David, originally from Pomona, Calif., in high school. David was first introduced to Thoroughbred racing at Santa Anita and brought his passion for the sport with him to Florida where he introduced Teresa to racing.The husband and wife team got involved in racing as owners in 1998 when they bought a horse named Mr. Livingston out of the Ocala August Yearling Sale.

Named after David’s Palm Beach building company, Mr. Livingston would go on to amass 10 career victories, stakes scores at ages three, four, five and six, and to earnings of $429,285. Mr. Livingston now stands stud at Bridlewood Farm in Florida. The Palmers currently own 17 broodmares which are boarded with John Purdue in Ocala. The Palmers were married in 1979 and have four kids together—Tiffany, 21, David Jr., 24, Nicholas, 14 and Thomas, 11.

Flying H Enterprises (FL)

Kent Hersman, who operates under the Flying H Enterprises moniker, is a longtime horseman, but relatively new to Thoroughbred breeding.

He first broodmare purchase was Storm in May’s dam Laun Shaw in 2003 at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales October auction. Hersman, who is in the military and currently stationed in South Korea, lived in Alabama and raced a few Louisiana-breds with mixed success.

Hersman got his first horse when he was three. He bred and sold quarter horses in West Virginia before joining the military. When stationed in Louisiana at Fort Polk, Hersman met a retired sergeant major who introduced him to the thoroughbred industry and began racing horses. They moved to Alabama, but continued racing in Louisiana.

Storm in May is a son of the Storm Cat sire Tiger Ridge. Tiger Ridge raced just five times, hitting the board twice. With four crops of racing age, and 146 starters to date, he has eight stakes winners, including the Mexican champion Savona, and also Leah Secret, winner of the Raven Run (GII), Therecomesatiger, winner of the Commonwealth Turf at Churchill Downs, and Tiger Belle (Calder Oaks). Though not a household name like many modern American sires, Tiger Ridge is inbred 3x2 to Secretariat and is also out of Weekend Surprise, which makes him a half-brother to four stakes winners, including classic winners Summer Squall and 1992 Horse of the Year A.P. Indy.

Storm in May is out of the unraced Laun Shaw, a daughter of Relaunch, who was also the broodmare sire of Breeders’ Cup Classic (GI) winner Ghostzapper and the paternal grandsire of Classic winner Skywalker. Laun Shaw has had five winners from seven runners, topped by Storm in May. Laun Shaw comes from the stakes winning mare Shawnee Creek, who herself produced the stakes horses Storm Creek (Sheridan [GIII]) and Rose Violet, grade one placed in Italy, and Raft Trip. Shawnee Creek is a half-sister to North Sider, champion United States older mare and winner of the Santa Margarita Invitational (GI). Interestingly, one of Shawnee Creek’s other foals, Checkered Flag, is the dam of Kentucky Derby contender Zanjero. Dosage Index 3.73 - by Mark Hoard

STORM IN MAY has never won beyond 7 furlongs on dirt for trainer Bill Kaplan, and most of his top efforts have come on grass. His claim to fame at this point is his victory in the Sunshine Millions Dash at Gulfstream Park, a race restricted to Florida and California-breds. He ran 2^nd to Curlin in the Arkansas Derby, but it’s tough to imagine he can make up the 10+ lengths needed to turn the tables on that one and all the others. He will probably be trying to come from off the pace in here, and if they go too fast up front, that style will help. Still, he seems to be a notch or two below on his best day, and it’s tough to imagine a board finish for this guy.