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Monba was the now horse after finishing a fast-closing 4th in the CashCall Futurity after being bumped at the start. However, after finishing 12th (and last) in the Fountain of Youth Stakes (gr. II) as the favorite, the gray son of Maria's Mon fell off plenty of handicappers' lists. Trainer Todd Pletcher said he came out of that race with several bumps and bruises, and gave him time to heal up. The colt must have recovered; he turned in a big effort in the Blue Grass (gr. I), beating stablemate Cowboy Cal and setting himself up as a prime contender for the First Saturday in May.

Auction History

Year	Sale	Price
2006	Fasig-Tipton New York Saratoga Select Yearling Sale	$200,000

Racing History

Date	Race Name	Distance	Finish	Earnings
04/12/08	Blue Grass Stakes (gr. I)	9f	1	$465,000
02/24/08	Fountain of Youth (gr. II)	9f	12	$0
12/22/07	CashCall Futurity (gr. I)	8.5f	4	$50,000
11/24/07	Allowance	8f	1	$31,264
10/17/07	MSW	7f	1	$31,270
Record: 5 Starts, 3-0-0 | Total Earnings: $577,534
Race Records provided by equineline.com

By Steve Haskin

When Jack and Laurie Wolf's Starlight Stable burst on the racing scene in 2002, they had instant success with Harlan's Holiday. When Starlight went into partnership with Paul Saylor and Johns Martin, they had instant success with dual champion Ashado and other top-class horses. When Starlight teamed up with Donald Lucarelli, you guessed it, instant success with Octave and a slew of other major stakes winners.

This year, Starlight, Saylor (who branched out on his own with champion Fleet Indian in 2006), and Lucarelli have joined together in partnership and find themselves hot on the Triple Crown trail with their $200,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling purchase Monba. If only a fraction of the positive energy generated by Starlight and partners transfers over to Monba, then the son of Maria's Mon should be on his way to a prosperous career.

After breaking his maiden by 4 1/4 lengths on Keeneland's Polytrack in his debut last October, Monba scored a gutsy victory in a one-mile allowance race at Churchill Downs five weeks later. Sent to Hollywood Park for the grade I CashCall Futurity, Monba, who had stalked the pace in his first two starts, didn't have the best of luck, breaking awkwardly, getting bumped, and dropping well back in the pack in a 12-horse field. Nearing the top of the stretch, he still was back in 10th and looked to be going nowhere on the Cushion Track.

Unless you were at Hollywood Park, that was the last you saw of him, as he swung to the far outside and disappeared off the TV screen. Then, as Into Mischief, Colonel John, and Massive Drama approached the wire, a blur appeared on the screen, directly behind them.

That blur was Monba, who somehow had managed to close to within 2 1/4 lengths of the victorious Into Mischief. And he was just getting started.

Everything is now in place for a big spring. The talent is there, the breeding is there, and, of course, the Starlight magic won't hurt.

By Avalyn Hunter

On the surface, Monba's race record may not appear to put him high on anyone's list of Triple Crown hopefuls. Appearances, however, can be deceiving. The colt's stakes effort was in the CashCall Futurity (gr. I), in which he lost all chance when slammed hard at the break and still finished a fast-closing fourth, beaten only 2 1/4 lengths for it all.

Monba is a son of the late Maria's Mon, who was euthanized due to illness in September 2007. Champion juvenile male in 1995, Maria's Mon is the sire of 34 stakes winners including 2006 champion 3-year-old filly Wait a While, 2001 Kentucky Derby (gr. I) winner Monarchos, and 2006 Malibu Stakes (gr. I) winner Latent Heat.

Injury prevented Maria's Mon from getting the chance to show his ability over distances longer than 11/16 miles, but he was bred to go longer. His sire, Wavering Monarch, was a two-time grade I winner over nine furlongs and was by the staying Majestic Light out of a Buckpasser mare. The dam of Maria's Mon, Carlotta Maria, never won but is by Caro, a French group I winner at 2,100 meters (approx. 10.5 furlongs).

Hamba, the dam of Monba, is a daughter of 1989 Belmont Stakes (gr. I) Easy Goer. She is a half-sister to 1985 Alcibiades (gr. II) winner Silent Account (by Private Account), 1988 Cornwallis (Eng-III) winner Hadif (by Clever Trick), 1989 Arlington-Washington Futurity (gr. I) winner Secret Hello (by Private Account), and 1993 Anne Arundel winner By Your Leave (by Private Account), all produced from 1976 Pocahontas Stakes winner Ciao.

None of Ciao's progeny won in stakes company at more than nine furlongs, but Monba may receive a boost from his 4x4 inbreeding to Buckpasser, the broodmare sire of both Wavering Monarch and Easy Goer. The colt is also inbred 5x4 to Raise a Native through Majestic Prince and Alydar.

By Claire Novak

Jack Wolf has been the owner of record for three Kentucky Derby (gr. I) starters. None have reached the Derby winner's circle thus far, but that doesn't mean their owner hasn't been there-albeit erroneously.

"I was in college, and buddy of mine and I went to Churchill Downs for the Derby," Wolf recently recalled. "I can't remember the name of the horse or the exact year, but when the big race was over we bolted across the track to have our picture taken in the winner's circle. Of course, we weren't invited, but that didn't stop us."

The fact another runner from Wolf's Starlight Racing syndicate may reach the Derby this year is due largely to the enthusiasm he has shown for the racing game. Along with wife Laurie, majority partners Donald and Barbara Lucarelli, and regular partner Paul Saylor, the Louisville native is determined to get into that Derby picture with a winner of his own.

Longtime racing fans, the Wolfs founded Starlight Stables in 2000 with the purchase of six yearlings at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July sale. Best of that group was the multiple grade I-winning Harlan's Holiday. Conditioned by Ken McPeek early in his career, the Harlan colt won the 2002 editions of the Florida Derby (gr. I) and Blue Grass Stakes (gr. I) en route to a seventh-place finish in the Derby. He scored his third grade I win in the Donn Handicap the next year, after moving to the barn of Todd Pletcher.

Supporting his operation with a team of quality horsemen, Wolf has enlisted the skills of Pletcher, who trains the majority of the Starlight runners, and bloodstock agent Barry Berkelhammer, who selects their yearlings at the sales and supervises breaking at his AbraCadabra Farms in Ocala, Fla.

"We're doing the same thing we've been doing for the last eight or nine years," said Wolf. "We go to Fasig-Tipton in July and August, and Keeneland in September, with the idea of buying 15-20 yearlings. I've been to every one of those sales with Barry and my wife, buying with or without partners."

With a master's degree in economics from Murray State University and a background as a teacher and hedge fund manager for Columbus Partners in Atlanta, Ga., Wolf combines his knowledge of the investment world with his love for racing. Successful purchases by his stable include dual champion Ashado, Purge, Octave, and Keyed Entry.

"I think there's a lot of correlation between my background (in investing) and the racing industry, especially when it comes to buying horses at the sales," the owner remarked. "There are a lot of similarities, like how to bid, how much to bid, and sticking to your limits."

In 2007, Wolf and his partners recommitted to the pursuit of racing's highest trophies, opening their syndicate to a few select individuals. Seeking quality over quantity, they plan to continue their method of purchasing yearlings to sell and race. The added capital should boost their competitive edge.

"The game plan is to have four or five entities instead of 25-50," Wolf explained. "Last year we attracted two new partners, and what we're trying to do is find one more entity, and that would pretty much complete it. We're keeping it small, but at the same time we're diversifying our capital."

Of course, maintaining a profile in classic competition is a high priority for the small operation that gets big results.

"Competing in races like the Derby, that's why I do this stuff," Wolf said. "If we were ever lucky enough to win, that would be the ultimate dream come true. Sometimes we do the wrong thing, but we maintain the same philosophy on how to train and run our horses."

Now, heading into the 2008 Triple Crown season, Wolf is hoping Monba will shine bright for Starlight.

"People were making a fuss over this horse, so I said 'Let me go look at his races again,'" he said. "Forget about whether he won or lost; when he gallops out he's really finishing up, and that's what impresses me. I think he can get the distance and will be more involved in the pace than he's showed. Hopefully, he'll prove me right."

By Claire Novak

In 2006, Ramon Dominguez rode Bluegrass Cat to a second-place finish behind Barbaro in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I). He was close enough to practically taste the victory, and this year he's chasing it with renewed determination aboard the Todd Pletcher-trained, his fifth Derby contender.

Dominguez, 31, came to the U.S. in 1995 from his native country and rode his first winner in March of 1996 at Hialeah. His move to Delaware Park and a partnership with agent Steve Rushing brought him success on the East coast (he was the leading rider at Delaware from 2004 to 2007). Recently, Dominguez has been on fire in New York—last winter he shattered the record for races won at Aqueduct during an inner track meet by riding 113 winners. Thus far, his greatest career victory is a score in the 2004 running of the John Deere Breeders' Cup Turf (gr. IT) aboard Better Talk Now.

Height: 5'6"

Weight: 112

Career wins: 3,311

Born: Nov. 24, 1976, Caracas, Venezuela

Residence: Elkton, Md.

Family: wife Sharon, sons Alexander and Matthew

Favorite food: “Any Asian food. Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese—you name it.”

Favorite sport: “Running would be one, I love to run, and the last few years I’ve been doing a little bit of indoor rock climbing as well.”

I can't live without: “Granola”

Most hated chore: “My wife could answer better than me, but I guess I’m willing to help doing anything.”

The fastest I’ve ever driven was: “Probably 90 miles per hour, maybe once, just to try a car. I just got a ticket last week for going 71 in a 50. But other than that, I really try to stay slow.”

If I could trade careers with another professional athlete, I would: “Be a soccer player. That would be something I’d like to do, since I played for fun and like that sport a lot as well.”

Another rider I admire is: “More than one. Mario Pino, Edgar Prado, John Velazquez, and Javier Castellano—they’re all very good riders and friends of mine that I look up to.”

One thing I wish people knew about jockeys: “It is great to be a rider, it’s very fulfilling, and it’s awesome getting to live our dream come true on a daily basis. At the same time, most people—including trainers and owners—don’t fully understand what it takes to be a rider. Some of us sacrifice more than others, but I don’t really think you can fully understand what it takes—not only physically, but also mentally—unless you do it. I hate to see a rider heavily criticized, because in all fairness people don’t understand how many situations are out of our control.”

The best part about winning the Derby this year would be: “Dedicating the race to my family and my agent, for sure.”