[OLD HEAD]

Trainer: Richard Dutrow, Jr.

Dutrow comes from a family of trainers: his late father, Dick, was a leading conditioner on the East Coast and his brother Tony is based in Maryland. He began working for his father at age 16. He has been the leading trainer at both Aqueduct and Belmont Park, and was the top trainer in New York in 2001 and 2002 in terms of wins. He has been based in both Maryland and New York over the past 15 years, but now splits time between New York and Palm Meadows in Florida. Top horses he's conditioned over the years include Offlee Wild, Silver Train, Silver Wagon, Kip Deville, Benny The Bull, Diamond Stripes and Saint Liam. In 2007, Dutrow's stable was ranked seventh in the national trainer standings with earnings of $9,604,524. He had saddled 166 winners from 659 starters.

Jockey: Kent Desormeaux

Desormeaux, a native of Maurice, La., began riding in 1986 at Evangeline Downs; a year later he moved from Louisiana to Maryland. There, he led the nation's apprentices in victories in 1987, but his 450 wins led all jockeys. In 1989, Desormeaux blitzed the record for victories in a year by riding to the winner's circle 598 times, breaking Chris McCarron's 1974 mark of 546. He shifted his tack to Southern California in 1990 and has won Eclipse Awards in 1987, 1989 and 1992 in addition to the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award in 1993. He has won riding titles at all of the southern California tracks as well as Laurel, Pimlico, and in Tokyo, Japan. His stellar career has included three Eclipse Awards, the youngest rider (25) to win 3,000 races, becoming the youngest rider (27) to win $100 in earnings, and elected to the Racing Hall of Fame in 2004. He teamed up with Neil Drysdale to win the 2000 Kentucky Derby aboard Fusaichi Pegasus; also won the 1998 Derby and Preakness aboard Real Quiet for Bob Baffert, rode Kentucky Derby favorite Sweetnorthernsaint in 2006 and finished well beat last year aboard Stormello in the Kentucky Derby. He is currently riding at the Gulfstream Park meet in Hallandale, Florida. He and his wife, Sonia, have two sons, Joshua and Jacob.
Owner: IEAH Stables and Paul Pompa Jr., et al
IEAH Stables is the racing subsidiary of International Equine Acquisitions Holdings, owned by Michael Iavarone and Richard J. Schiavo, both New York residents. Iavarone worked as an investment banker on Wall Street before forming IEAH, and Schiavo worked in the financial services industry. No stranger to Churchill Downs, IEAH saddled Wonder Lady Annie L to a fourth place finish in the 2006 Kentucky Oaks. The racing entity's biggest stakes win to date came in last year's Breeders' Cup Mile with notable turf horse Kip Deville, an Oklahoma bred. IEAH owns over 75 horses and has over 50 in training, with Richard Dutrow as the stable's marquee trainer. They purchased an undisclosed interest in 2008 Kentucky Derby hopeful Court Vision, who will now race in the stable's colors.

Breeder: Monticule

When Dr. Knapp was working on his degree at the University of Kentucky, Secretariat was in his prime, and Dr. Knapp couldn’t help but be enchanted by central Kentucky and Thoroughbreds. Although he left Lexington in the mid-seventies to pursue business interests in Texas, he vowed to return when the time was right. Dr. Knapp followed the industry from afar via a subscription to The Blood-Horse. He also developed his criteria for possible farm sites in the Lexington area. In 1989 Dr. Knapp purchased the initial 200 acre piece of land that he would call “Monticule.”

Dr. Knapp is a hands-on horse breeder and farm owner. In addition to planning the breeding for the 20 broodmares on the farm and managing Monticule’s runners, he closely monitors the pruning, placement, and growth of the 9000-plus trees in Monticule’s tree nursery. Dr. Knapp doesn’t do all of this from behind a desk. He walks the farm or crosses it on horseback nearly everyday and is constantly reviewing developments and making plans for the future.

Finish... Date.... Race

1st 03.29.2008 Florida Derby (GI) - Gulfstream Park
Moved inside quickly, set fast fractions, drew off easily in stretch

1st 03.5.2008 Allowance - Gulfstream Park
Explosive turn of foot in stretch to win by 12 3/4-lengths

1st 09.3.2007 Maiden Special Weight - Saratoga
Quick early lead, drew away easily when asked