New Orleans Saints star quarterback Drew Brees will get to experience the 2012 Kentucky Derby trail first-hand on Saturday, as his horse Holy Candy goes in the G1 Santa Anita Derby.
Super Bowl winner Brees is part owner of the horse, who is also owned by weight loss guru Jenny Craig's Craig Family Trust.
Holy Candy has won once in four starts, but he ran a close second three times. He is listed at 8-1 on the morning line, and will break from post position 3. Trainer John Sadler is confident the colt will perform well, saying, “we’ve thought all along he was our best 3-year-old."
Jockey Alonso Quinonez will be aboard Holy Candy in the $750,000 race. He must win the race to qualify for the Kentucky Derby on May 5.
Holy Candy is a grey colt sired by South American runner Candy Ride, who won the Santa Anita Handicap in 2003.
If Holy Candy is victorious, it will be amazing luck for first-time horse owner Brees, and add yet another celebrity to the star-studded Kentucky Derby party line.
-- Holy Candy photo courtesy Santa Anita Park, Benoit Photo