LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Tradition abounds at the Kentucky Derby, yet the 132nd race will go on without some familiar faces Saturday.

Fans searching their programs for Derby horses trained by D. Wayne Lukas, Bobby Frankel and Nick Zito or ridden by Jerry Bailey, Pat Day and Gary Stevens are out of luck.

That group of Hall of Famers is sidelined this year. And for the jockeys, who combined to win six Derbies, it's permanent because each has retired since last year's Run for the Roses.

"When you don't see Wayne or Nick here, you got to be a little surprised," said Todd Pletcher, a former Lukas assistant with two starters.

The absences have set the stage for a slew of first-time Derby trainers and jockeys to seize the spotlight with a victory.

"It's gratifying to see the new people that haven't had a shot," Zito said. "That's great for our sport."

The public may not know trainers Michael Matz (Barbaro), Michael Trombetto (Sweetnorthernsaint), Tom Albertrani (Deputy Glitters), Mark Casse (Seaside Retreat) or Daniel Peitz (Steppenwolfer).

And riders Shaun Bridgmohan, Patrick Husbands, Fernando Jara and Jose Lezcano are making their Derby debuts, too.

They're part of what Bailey regards as a changing of the guard in an industry constantly seeking its next superstar horse or human.

"You have to allow the process to work itself out and they will reveal themselves as the sport continues," he said. "We know it's cyclical."

Frankel's four-year run of having Derby starters ended this year. However, he hasn't emphasized developing colts for the Triple Crown series as heavily as Lukas and Zito.

"It doesn't bother me," he said. "I got some nice 3-year-olds, but I don't want to butcher them up just to run in the Derby."

Lukas has four Derby wins from a record 42 starters, and Zito said his rival's absence "is odd, especially because he'd run anything."

Lukas is missing the race for the third time in six years after a record run of 20 straight.

"It's hard to feel any remorse in light of the fact that we've had so many good ones and had such a good run all these years," he said.

Lukas remains a Derby week presence at Churchill Downs, though.

He plans to saddle four horses on the Derby undercard, and had Ex Caelis in the Kentucky Oaks for fillies Friday.

He's also in demand among some nervous first-timers.