Post position: 17
Odds:20-1
Jockey: John Velazquez, 36, will ride in 10th Derby. Was 2nd in ’01 on Invisible Ink; was 6th last year on Circular Quay.
Owner: Stonerside Stable is the racing and breeding operation of Robert and Janice McNair of Houston. Robert McNair owns the NFL Houston Texans.
Trainer: Todd Pletcher, 40, won fourth consecutive Eclipse in ‘07. Won Belmont last year with the filly Rags to Riches. Best Derby finish was 2nd with Invisible Ink in ’01.
Breeder(s): Stonerside Stable
Bloodline: By Giant’s Causeway-Texas Tammy, by Seeking the Gold
Color and gender: Dark bay or brown colt
Career record: 6 starts, 3-2-0 $314,708
Road to the Derby: Won Grade 3 Tropical Park Derby at Calder on Jan. 1; Second in Hallandale Beach Stakes at Gulfstream on Feb. 16; Second in Grade 1 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland on April 12.
Potential trouble: Soundly defeated in only start on the dirt.
Meaning of name: In a recent interview with Thoroughbred Daily News, Bob McNair told the story of how Cowboy Cal got his name. “He’s named after one of my sons. When Cal was a little boy, some dear friends of ours came down and stayed with us in Houston while their son was undergoing chemotherapy. He had cancer of the liver, and was only five or six years old. It was very sad. But my son Cal, as a youngster, wore a cowboy outfit, with the boots and six shooters and hat and everything, and you couldn’t get it off him. And the other little boy saw him and started calling him Cowboy Cal. So, we thought it would be very special with this horse to name him Cowboy Cal.”
More: Pletcher has at least two shots to end slide (April 28, 2008)
Credits: Photo - Cowboy Cal with John Velazsquez won the Tropical Park Derby at Calder Race Course on Jan. 1, 2008. | Jim Lisa; button - Camille Weber, Herald-Leader; text - Alicia Wincze, Rob Kandt, Erik Miller, Herald-Leader; name - Linda Niemi, Herald-Leader.
