Contenders

D. Wayne Lukas

Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas grew up outside a small farming community in Wisconsin. He earned a Master's Degree in Physical Education at the University of Wisconsin. He began training horses in South Dakota, and then settled in California in 1972. He trained quarter horses there for six years, then began training Thoroughbreds in 1978. He is the most successful trainer in the history of the Breeders' Cup, has trained a record 22 Eclipse champions, has won four leading trainer Eclipse awards, and has saddled the winners of more than 550 graded stakes. He has won 13 Triple Crown races and was inducted in the Hall of Fame in 1999. Like many basketball coaches and their assistants, many of his former aides have gone on to successful training careers, including Todd Pletcher, Dallas Stewart, Kiaran McLaughlin, and Mark Hennig. He has won four Kentucky Derbys, tied for second with H. J. Johnson and behind only six-time winner Ben A. Jones, and has started a record 42 horses in the race.

Willie Martinez

Martinez was born March 3, 1971 in San Turce, Puerto Rico. He rides on the Kentucky circuit, taking the occasional trip to Tampa in the winter. He began riding at Tampa Bay Downs in 1989, and set a record of 123 wins for the meet there. He began riding in Kentucky in 1992, winning nine riding titles at Turfway between 1995-99. He has ridden in the Derbies, most recently aboard the unplaced Valhol in 1999.

Briland Farm

Briland Farm is owned by the husband and wife team of Robert and Stacy Mitchell. They owned Tempus Fugit, who finished 11th in the 2003 Kentucky Oaks and also Chippewa Trail, fourth in the 2007 Razorback (GIII) at Oaklawn Park.

Briland Farm (KY)

Briland Farm is owned by the husband and wife team of Robert and Stacy Mitchell. They owned Tempus Fugit, who finished 11th in the 2003 Kentucky Oaks and also Chippewa Trail, fourth in the 2007 Razorback (GIII) at Oaklawn Park.

Grace Happens is a daughter of Aptitude, runner-up in both the 2000 Kentucky Derby (GI) and Belmont Stakes (GI) at three and winner of both the Jockey Club Gold Cup (GI) and Hollywood Gold Cup (GI) the following year. His first foals were 3-year-olds of 2006, and that crop got off to a good start with Steppenwolfer, his first and only Derby horse who was third to Barbaro. He wound up fifth on the 2006 leading second-crop sire list in terms of lifetime progeny earnings. He is also the sire of a pair of stakes winners in Outperformance (Hill Prince GIII) and Amandatude (Polly's Jet Stakes). Aptitude is a three-quarter brother to Slew of Gold, the a two-time champion and winner of over $3.5 million that excelled in races at the Derby distance. At age four, Aptitude took a trio of graded stakes at 1 1/4 miles: Jockey Club Gold Cup (GI), Hollywood Gold Cup (GI), and Saratoga Breeders' Cup (GII). Aptitude is also the sire of 2007 Kentucky Derby contender Great Hunter.

Grace Happens is out of the Prized mare Woodman's Prize, who was unplaced from a single lifetime start. From her eight foals, five have races and three have been winners. Grace Happens is a half sister to Collateral Damage, an iron horse who placed in multiple stakes. She comes from the female family of Ladies Din, a multiple Grade 1 winner on the turf course. Grace Happens' only career victory also came over the grassy surface.

GRACE HAPPENS is the longest price in the morning line at 50-1. She’s got only a maiden win to her credit, so it would be understating it to say she would be a surprise if she was to win. Hall of Fame trainer Wayne Lukas has won this race four times from 1982-1990, but those fillies all had better credentials. On the plus side, she did get beat only five lengths in the Ashland (GI) and was second to High Heels in an allowance race at Oaklawn. Deserves some respect because of her connections, but tough to endorse against this group.