Contenders

James Jerkens

James "Jimmy" Jerkens is the son of Hall of Fame trainer Allen Jerkens. A resident of Floral Park, New York, Jimmy worked as an assistant to his father for some 20 years before opening his own stable 10 years ago. He won his first stake that year with Ninth Inning in the Astarita. He saddled Thomas Jo to finish third behind Victory Gallop and Real Quiet in the 1998 Belmont Stakes. Training primarily in New York and Florida, he tied with Gary Contessa as the leading trainer at the 1999-2000 Aqueduct inner track meeting. At Churchill Downs, he saddled Celtic Melody to win the 2002 Humana Distaff. His biggest win to date came in the 2005 Breeders' Cup Mile, when multiple stakes winner Artie Schiller to the race to avenge a 12th-place finish in the previous year's event. His latest stable star is the 4-year-old Corinthian, who recently upset Belmont Stakes winner Jazil at Gulfstream Park.

Rene Douglas

Journeyman rider Douglas is from Panama, where he went to jockey school and began riding in the early 1980s. Douglas has found success throughout the United States since coming here in 1983. He has won riding titles at Calder, Hialeah, Hollywood Park, and a record four consecutive at Arlington (2001-2004). His lone classic win came aboard Editor's Note in the 1996 Belmont. 2004 saw him finish 14th nationally with 242 wins. In last year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, Dreaming of Anna gave him his first Breeders' Cup victory in 11 mounts. Douglas currently resides in Miami with his wife and three sons.

Edward P. Evans

Evans, a graduate of both Yale and Harvard, is the former chairman of publishing house Macmillan Inc. He is the son of the late Thomas Mellon Evans, who bred champion and 1981 Derby winner Pleasant Colony and owned Buckland Farm. Edward owns Spring Hill Farm, a 3,000-acre farm in Casanova, Va. Primarily racing in New York and Florida, Evans was the leading owner at the 2001, 2002 and 2004 Aqueduct spring meetings, as well as the Belmont and Saratoga 2000 meets. His success in the game has seen him breed over 45 stakes winners and race some 30 plus more. Some of his top horses have been Summer Colony, Raging Fever, Gygistar, With Ability, Gold Mover, Tap Day and Misty Gallore.

Edward P. Evans (VA)

Evans, a graduate of both Yale and Harvard, is the former chairman of publishing house Macmillan Inc. He is the son of the late Thomas Mellon Evans, who bred champion and 1981 Derby winner Pleasant Colony and owned Buckland Farm. Edward owns Spring Hill Farm, a 3,000-acre farm in Casanova, Va. Primarily racing in New York and Florida, Evans was the leading owner at the 2001, 2002 and 2004 Aqueduct spring meetings, as well as the Belmont and Saratoga 2000 meets. His success in the game has seen him breed over 45 stakes winners and race some 30 plus more. Some of his top horses have been Summer Colony, Raging Fever, Gygistar, With Ability, Gold Mover, Tap Day and Misty Gallore.

Christmas Kid is by Lemon Drop Kid, one of the top handicap performers at the turn of the century. Lemon Drop Kid captured multiple Grade I events, including the Belmont Stakes at three, and he excelled at Classic distances. By Kingmambo out of a Seattle Slew mare, Lemon Drop Kid is brilliantly bred for high quality and stamina on any surface. An earner of more than $3.2 million as a racehorse, he entered his stallion career with lofty expectations and an eye-catching $100,000 stud fee, however he has been a bit disappointing from his first few crops and now stands for $20,000. That could change, however; his daughter Lemons Forever captured the 2006 Kentucky Oaks. He has also started to make noise as a turf sire, getting graded grass winners Bear's Kid and Cosmonaut.

The other half of Christmas Kid's name comes from her dam Christmas Gift, a multiple Grade Three winner on the turf and earner of over $387,000. To go along with her solid racing career, she has turned out to be a very useful broodmare as well. She has five winners from seven runners, though our subject filly is the only stakes performer of the group. Her ability to produce good foals should come as no surprise. Her dam Christmas Bonus produced an outstanding group of foals that included Bright Candles, third in the 1990 Kentucky Oaks and Bonus Money (GB), a stakes winner that was also third in the Donn Handicap (GI). Racing fans may also recognize Bright Candles through two of her foals: Grand Slam, winner of both the Champagne and Futurity, a pair of Grade Ones, at age two; and also Leestown, a multiple stakes winning sprinter. Both horses are now sires.

Christmas Kid is inbred 5x4 to 1964 Derby winner Northern Dancer (he appears in the male half on both sides of her pedigree). In addition, Christmas Kid's female side, particularly the sires from which her tail female line descends, are laden with stamina. This should balance out nicely with her broodmare sire Green Desert, a top European grass sprinter.

Coming Oaks week.