Contenders

Jamie Sanders

The Kentucky native Sanders grew up on a farm near Mammoth Cave National Park. Her father and Teuflesberg's co-owner Gary Logsdon were friends during her childhood. A self-taught rider, Sanders started riding barrel races. Upon a suggestion by Logsdon, she went to work for Hall of Famer Jack van Berg as an exercise rider. She eventually became a jockey, competitively riding for about five years, before going to work as Nick Zito's assistant trainer and top exercise rider. During that 11-year span, she worked horses such as Strike the Gold and Louis Quatorze. Sanders trains some 50 head currently, split between barns at Keeneland and Victory Haven Training Center, also near Lexington. She began training on her own a little over two years ago. Sanders is engaged to Teuflesberg's co-owner Donnie Kelly; this will be the couple's first Derby starter.

Stewart Elliott

Elliott, 42, began his career at Philadelphia Park in 1981 at the age of 16 and has over 3,300 lifetime victories. A native of Toronto, he has been the leading jockey the last three seasons at Philadelphia Park. His father, Dennis, was a jockey in Hong Kong for six years when Stewart was a child. Has also ridden at Suffolk Downs in Massachusetts, Rockingham in New Hampshire, Florida, and Maryland. He made the most of his one Derby mount to date, taking the Run for the Roses aboard the undefeated Smarty Jones in 2004.

Gary Logsdon, Donnie Kelly and Jamie Sanders

Logsdon, 61, is a Bowling Green, Kentucky attorney and lifelong friend of trainer Jamie Sanders. He has been involved with racing for over 30 years, and prior to Teuflesberg, his best horse was the multiple stakes winning filly Spectacular Lisa. Logsdon gave Teuflesberg his name, which mean's "Devil's Mountain" in German. The actual place is located near the Berlin Wall. Logsdon and his wife Amanda have seven children.
Donnie Kelly, 30, is Sanders' fiancee. The couple live on Limestone Farm in Lawrenceberg, Kentucky. Kelly grew up in New Mexico, where his family was involved with Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds. His father is a blacksmith. Kelly has worked for trainers Ronnie Werner and Nick Zito. Kelly and Sanders bought Teuflesberg for $9,000 at Fasig-Tipton's October yearling auction.

Richard Giacopelli (KY)

Giacopelli, a native of Flushing, New York, graduated from the University of Delaware with a Civil Engineering degree. He owns Mayrich Construction Company, which he has had since finishing college, which performs commercial foundation work in New York City. He is also part owner of the Preferred Freezer group, a company that is involved in frozen warehouse storage. His father owned Standardbreds when Richard was a child, and in 1993 he followed in his racing footsteps, but chose Thoroughbreds as his preferred breed. He credits the late Bob Scanlon for his success in the breeding and racing industry. He also bred Songster, winner of the Woody Stephens Breeders' Cup (GII) at Belmont Park.

Teuflesberg is from the first crop of Johannesburg, adding quite a bit of luster to already stellar group of runners. Currently ranked on the top of the second crop sire list, his eight stakes winners to date include Scat Daddy, Hamoody, Marcavelly, Baroness Thatcher and Fernando Po. Early success is no surprise with Johannesburg. He was champion 2-year-old in Ireland, England, France and North America after a juvenile campaign that saw him win all seven of his starts, including six stakes, topped by an awesome performance in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. A brilliant career lost some of its glow, however, when he was winless in three starts the following year, including a loss in the Kentucky Derby. Being a son of the top sprinter Hennessy, there are questions about how at far his offspring will be effective. He does come from a female family that includes Tale of the Cat and Preach, the dam of 1997 Kentucky Derby fourth place finisher Pulpit.

Teuflesberg is out of the Devil’s Bag mare St. Michele. Devil’s Bag was champion 2-year-old and winner of the Derby Trial. Teuflesberg is the lone winner from two starters produced by his dam. Her other three foals are unraced. St. Michele is out of a long line the Claiborne mares. She is a daughter of Line, a half-sister to Northcote Road, two-time winner of the Mardi Gras Handicap. Line is a sister to several stakes winners, including Double Feint (Hill Prince [GIII]), Dibs (Locust Grove), Region (Del Mar Breeders’ Cup [GII]), Announce (Thistledown Breeders’ Cup [GIII]) and Narrate (Falls City Handicap [GIII]). Narrate is the granddam of Pulpit.

Both the sire and dam of Teuflesberg descend from Claiborne female families, and being inbred 4x3 to Mr. Prospector, there is great influence from the famed Claiborne stallion as well. Teuflesberg’s sire was so brilliant early that it might belie the fact that he can sire distance-loving runners. Teuflesberg has also shown plenty of speed thus far, but is actually bred, especially on the bottom quarter of his pedigree, to handle longer races. Dosage Index: 2.27 – by Mark Hoard

Jamie Sanders may have had the tensest week of any conditioner waiting to see if TEUFLESBERG would draw into the race. Not only did Sanders draw in, but she was able to make the second post position selection for her iron horse, which comes into the race boasting fifteen lifetime starts. Teuflesberg's most recent effort was a fourth place finish in the Toyota Blue Grass (Grade 1) when he was beaten by just a neck for all the money after setting glacier like fractions. It is tough to knock this horse's iron constitution, but there is reason to be skeptical of his abilities to succeed at this level. Despite an obvious lack of serious speed in this edition of the Kentucky Derby, he will certainly not be allowed to set pedestrian fractions when pressed by the likes of Hard Spun, Stormello, and Curlin. Whatever the pace scenario, it is tough to imagine Teuflesberg hanging tough when the top 3-year-olds come running at him on the final turn.