Gary Stute, 52, has training in his blood. His father Mel has been a fixture on the Southern California circuit for decades, conditioning such standouts as champion Snow Chief, hero of the 1986 Preakness S. (G1); champion Brave Raj, victorious in the 1986 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1); and the speedy filly Very Subtle, who defeated males in the 1987 Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1). Mel's brother Warren, who died in August 2007, likewise enjoyed high-profile success over the years, ranging from 1969 Hollywood Gold Cup winner *Figonero through 2002 Del Mar Debutante (G1) queen Miss Houdini, the dam of Papa Clem. Based at Santa Anita, Gary oversees a small string of just six horses. He has trained several stakes performers in recent years, including a promising juvenile in 2006 named Roman Commander, who won the Real Quiet S. and Barretts Juvenile S. and finished a good third in the Hollywood Futurity (G1). Roman Commander might have progressed onto the Kentucky Derby (G1) trail, but he unfortunately suffered an injury that cost him the first half of his three-year-old campaign. Hence Papa Clem is his first Kentucky Derby contender. "My dad trained Snow Chief, who I thought could do anything," Gary said after Papa Clem won the Arkansas Derby (G2). "When he went to the Kentucky Derby I thought he had a legitimate shot, but he disappointed (in 11th). Then he went to the Preakness and did so well. Up until today the Preakness was the happiest day of my life. He (Papa Clem) has done everything so perfect here at Oaklawn. He just doesn't want to get beat. He has a ton of heart."
