Miscellaneous News

Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird underwent surgery to correct a breathing problem, and he is doing well.
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I think northern California should have another National Monument--why not?

The proposed national monument also is in southern Oregon.
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Someday I'd like to try this.
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The ghost of Stella Walsh returns.
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Is the report of a 12-baby pregnancy a hoax?

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.

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.

More Preakness

Calvin Borel seemed to have made the right decision by riding Rachel Alexandra, but quite honestly, Mine That Bird was forced wide and had to make up a ton of ground in the homestretch.

Mine That Bird came damned close to winning today.

She took the lead early and held off MTB's late charge.

More Preakness coverage can be found at the Baltimore Sun site.

Kentucky Derby 2009 [Updated]

Not since Spend A Buck skipped the Preakness in 1985 has any healthy Kentucky Derby winner done it, but it is possible Saturday's winner Mine That Bird may not go to Pimlico.

Update: Mine That Bird will go to Pimlico, after all.

Kentucky Derby 2009 [Updated]

Mine That Bird's connections are basking in the afterglow following his huge upset win in yesterday's Kentucky Derby.

The winner traveled hundreds of miles from New Mexico to win the race in Louisville.

Meanwhile, jockey Calvin Borel defied the odds by hugging the rail.

Here is Borel's Derby record:

Year Horse Finish
1993 Rockamundo 17th
2000 Exchange Rate 12th
2001 Arctic Boy 12th
2003 Ten Cents A Shine 8th
2007 Street Sense 1st
2008 Denis of Cork 3rd
2009 Mine That Bird 1st

This YouTube below is a split-screen version of the race. It is much better called, by the way.



This version illustrates just how brilliant Borel's ride was.

Here is the NBC version uploaded by yours truly (or rather my brother) yesterday shortly after the race:




For the record, none of these writers picked Mine That Bird to win.


Mine That Bird didn't do too well in last year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Dirt:

The 135th Kentucky Derby [Updated]

And the winner is...

Longshot Mine That Bird in a spectacular upset. Pioneerof the Nile was second, and Musket Man finished third.

He was 50-1. Not only that, but the horse was a true Cinderella story, for he had been purchased for $9,500. His pedigree, however, isn't obscure, for he was sired by 2004 Belmont Stakes winner Birdstone, who in turn was sired by 1996 Kentucky Derby winner Grindstone. Another grandsire was 1990 Kentucky Derby winner Unbridled.


It's a double for jockey Calvin Borel. He won yesterday's Kentucky Oaks aboard Rachel Alexandra as well as today's race:



The race: