By Tom Hintgen, staff writer

FERGUS FALLS &8212; Big Brown was a favorite to win Saturday&8217;s 134th running of the Kentucky Derby.

But the horse was a favorite in the hearts of Minnesota residents, as well.

Big Brown, the winner of the Florida Derby and the 3-1 favorite in Saturday&8217;s Kentucky Derby, was bred and raised in the Fergus Falls area by Foxhome native Dr. Gary Knapp at his Monticule nursery in Kentucky. Foxhome is a 11 miles west of Fergus Falls on Highway 210.

&8220;Big Brown&8217;s mother, Mien, was bred to Big Brown sire, Boundary, in 2004,&8221; Knapp said Thursday. &8220;Big Brown was born in 2005.&8221;

Knapp sold Big Brown in 2006.

Big Brown, now owned by IEAH Stables and Paul Pompa Jr., earned his position as the Kentucky Derby favorite following his win in the Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park. The three-year-old is undefeated in three career starts, with earnings of $662,700. He has won his three races by a total of 29 lengths.

The condition of the Churchill Downs track surface will be an important factor in the race. A few thunderstorms are possible on Friday and isolated thunderstorms are forecast for Saturday.

When Gary Knapp worked on his degree at the University of Kentucky, the race horse Secretariat was in his prime. Knapp, who received his Ph.D. in applied economics and applied statistics from the University of Kentucky, couldn&8217;t help but be enchanted by central Kentucky and thoroughbreds.

Although he left Lexington in the mid-1970s to pursue business interests in Texas, Knapp vowed to return when the time was right.

&8220;I followed the (equine) industry after subscribing to &8216;The Blood-Horse,&8217; the principle publication published by the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association,&8221; he said. &8220;I also developed my criteria for possible farm sites in the Lexington area.&8221;

In 1989 Knapp purchased the initial 200-acre piece of land that he would call Monticule. It was in 2001 when Monticule had its first yearling consignment.

As noted on the Monticule Web site, Knapp is a hands-on horse breeder and farm owner. In addition to planning the breeding for the 20 broodmares on the farm &8212; and managing Monticule&8217;s runners &8212; he closely monitors the pruning, placement, and growth of the 9,000-plus trees in Monticule&8217;s tree nursery.

Monticule is an old French term referring to a large hill or mountain.

Knapp didn&8217;t devote his full attention to the farm&8217;s operation until 1997, when he began buying mares and starting the breeding operation. The farm has grown to 630 acres, although only 250 of them are in current use. The rest are being developed for pastures.

&8220;We currently have 20 mares and 16 weanlings at Monticule,&8221; Knapp said. The babies are both racing and sales prospects.&8221;

Within the first few years of purchasing the land that became Monticule,

Knapp started the tree nursery. He&8217;s dedicated to improving the landscape.

&8220;We&8217;ve planted several thousand evergreens,&8221; he said, &8220;and about 10,000 deciduous trees of all varieties.&8221;

Knapp doesn&8217;t do all of this from behind a desk. He walks the farm or crosses it on horseback nearly every day. He constantly reviews developments and makes plans for the future.

Knapp&8217;s brother, Gordy, operates Knapp Seed Farm Inc., near Foxhome.

Gary, Gordy and a third brother, Jerry, were raised on the family farm near Foxhome. Each of them attended high school in Morris, graduating from the West Central School of Agriculture. Jerry was 45 when he died of cancer in 1987.