Gathering baby stories for the 2015 Kentucky Derby

For the past couple of years, perhaps my favorite task in the build-up to the Kentucky Derby has been collecting "baby stories" about the contenders. Breeders, consignors, and other dedicated horsepeople have generously shared time and information to give insight into the Derby horses' personalities.

Last year, we learned about California Chrome's early days, which were influenced by his mother's life-threatening injury; the near-loss of Intense Holiday as a newborn; the challenges endured by Vicar's in Trouble because of his mom's bad habit; why Samraat was nicknamed "Cool Hand Luke," and why Wicked Strong loved to rear up, among others. And going back to my 2013 Derby article, I'll always remember the vignette about Itsmyluckyday, who loved to blow bubbles with his head under the water.

I'm still in gathering mode for this year's "Tales from the Crib" feature, which is scheduled to run early Derby week on kentuckyderby.com, but have enough so far to post this as a little appetizer: Which 2015 Derby runner earned the nickname of "Captain Underpants" for his early shenanigans?

Tune in next week to find out!

That posing baby can only be California Chrome (photo courtesy of Harris Farms.)