More Belmont 2009

NYT

Associated Press

Interestingly, Summer Bird has the same sire as Mine That Bird, Birdstone, though in breeding circles they are not considered half-brothers, even though they are in reality. If they both had the same dam, they would be.

Newsday:

Summer Bird, trained by Belmont first-timer Tim Ice, paid $25.80 after running 1½ miles in 2:27.54 on a fast track. Ice spent five years as an assistant to Kent Desormeaux's older brother, Keith.

"Tim Ice is an old family friend, and I'm so happy for him," said Kent Desormeaux, who was 0-for-6 in the race. The losses included crushing defeats on Triple Crown threats Real Quiet, by a nose, in 1998 and on heavily favored Big Brown last year.

The Belmont, known as The Test of the Champion, has been The Ultimate Disappointment seven times since 1997, when seven horses -- Silver Charm (1997), Real Quiet, Charismatic (1999), War Emblem (2002), Funny Cide (2003), Smarty Jones (2004) and Big Brown -- were denied a Triple Crown on Long Island. Borel joined those horses.

Summer Bird has some Secretariat in his bloodlines. His dam is a daughter of Summer Squall, who won the Preakness in 1990 and himself was out of the great Secretariat daughter, Weekend Surprise.

Blood-Horse

Belmont Stakes 2009

Kent Desormeaux, much criticized after his disastrous Belmont of last year in his handling of Big Brown, wins aboard Summer Bird, defeating Mine That Bird, who finished a close third to runner-up Dunkirk who was a couple of lengths from the winner.

Video:

Belmont Stakes 2009

The biggest question in horse racing today is whether Calvin Borel will be the first jockey in history to win the Triple Crown riding two different horses.

Now, no one really knows what to think as Borel, back on Mine That Bird while Rachel Alexandra waits to fight another day, attempts to become the first jockey to sweep the Triple Crown on two different horses.

"It's what I worked for. It's all I wanted in my life," says Borel, who started riding competitively at 8. "I never thought I would have to do it on different horses."

According to Allan Carter, historian at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, Bill Shoemaker is the only other jockey to approach a personal Triple Crown on different mounts.

In 1959, Shoemaker took the Kentucky Derby with Tomy Lee, missed with runner-up Sword Dancer in the Preakness and won the Belmont on Sword Dancer.

If Borel does it tomorrow, there should be some sort of trophy commemorating this feat.

In the meantime, not all turf writers think Mine That Bird will win. See the roundup at the link above and scroll to the bottom.

Belmont Stakes 2009

Confidence is riding high over Mine That Bird's chances in this Saturday's Belmont Stakes.

Belmont Stakes 2009

Since she almost ran out of gas in the Preakness, Rachel Alexandra, not surprisingly, will not be running in the Belmont next Saturday.

More.

Friesan Fire, the favorite in this year's Kentucky Derby, will not run, either. He has been sidelined with an injury.

Rachel Alexandra's not the only one who's run out of gas. I drove from Medford to Reno and back to pick up my bike and a few other things. I am going to be up here for another three or four weeks, at least.

Triple Crown News

Despite his excellent performance last Saturday, Mine That Bird will not have the same jockey, Mike Smith. Smith has committed to ride another mount in California on the same day as the Belmont.

Rachel Alexandra

may be entered in the Belmont Stakes, which is in three weeks. Whether she can go the distance remains to be seen.

While she won yesterday's Preakness almost from wire to wire, if Mine That Bird hadn't been forced wide at the far turn, he probably would have caught her at the wire. He was very close for being so far out of it.