Barber Road owner Bill Simon explains how the Derby contender got his name

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Sometimes naming a Derby horse is as easy as remembering one of your favorite streets.

In the case of Barber Road, owner Bill Simon said the colt "is named after the street my wife grew up on, which the street is named after her grandfather, Clarence Barber," Simon said.

"And her mom and dad are in their mid-80s and can't travel much anymore. So we wanted to give them something to follow. We didn't know we coming all the way to the Kentucky Derby, and they're following. And they're going to be watching Barber Road from Barber Road on Derby Day."

Simon said "it's an incredible honor" to take part in the Kentucky Derby. "You can't write a story like this: he was a $15,000 weanling who just decided he wanted to be a champion, and now he's here."

Barber Road likes to work out early, Simon said, and then he enjoys a nap, which is what he was doing during our interview. "Pretty soon his head will be in the feed bowl, and that's what we like to see."

Simon said Barber Road loves to race, and doesn't mind getting bumped.

Barber Road is at 30 to 1 breaks from the 14 under jockey Rey Gutierrez.