MINE THAT BIRD PRODUCES A RUN OF A LIFETIME

By Graham Potter | Saturday, May 2, 2009

What a weekend for jockey Calvin Borel.

On Friday, the rider must have almost been embarrassed to collect his pay cheque after the hot favourite Rachel Alexandra had pole-axed the opposition to take out the Group 1 Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs. But then on Saturday, that thought evaporated in a little under three minutes of spine tingling action as Borel earned every cent of his percentage - and then some - as he carved out another chapter of Group 1, Kentucky Derby folklore on the unwanted 50-1 chance Mine That Bird.

Both wins were achieved by dazzling margins, but, in terms of the story of the run of the race, the contrast of how each runner set about achieving victory could not have been more different. Rachel Alexandra had killed off the opposition with an on-the-pace run. Mine That Bird could not have come from further back. The common denominator was Calvin Borel.

The 135th running of the Kentucky Derby provided the stage for the most spectacular of wins from the second longest priced winner in the big race’s history.

Mine That Bird, a $9500 purchase, is the name that is now well known to ever everybody with even a passing interest in the race. Many thought the horse had no right being in the line-up. By the time it was all over, most wished he hadn’t been.

When you talk about being tailed off in the first turn, Mine That Bird was so far behind the second last horse that description hardly seemed adequate. He was that far out the back that the commentator almost missed him the first call, and then only mentioned him as a dismissive afterthought. Mine That Bird would come back to bite him.

The pace up front, set by another 50-1 outsider Join In The Dance, was strong enough and the underfoot conditions taxing enough to bring pressure to bear on a number of runners as the field began the sweep into the final turn. While the main body of the field jostled for position, Borel set Mine That Bird to work. He tacked on and then, seemingly racing on a different planet, rapidly made up ground with a strong burst of acceleration.
Mine That Bird’s momentum carried him two off the fence as he cornered, still well out of his ground with ten runners in front of him. Borel spotted an opening on the rail and, at full charge, he angled Mine That Bird for the inside run. Up until then, Mine That Bird’s effort in improving his position had been eye-catching enough, but equally, it still seemed due to be rewarded with little more than a consolation prize.

But he was only warming up!

Mine That Bird raised the ante again once straightening along the rail. It is difficult to describe what he did next. Let’s call it an explosive finishing effort, one in which Mine That Bird seemed to catapult into the lead with stunning power in a slingshot type movement ... and he wasn’t finished yet. Catching up then getting to the front were only the first and second acts of a three part drama.

By now, it would have been reasonable to think that, with more than half of the home straight left to complete, Mine That Bird still had work to do ... that he would have to fight to hold on to his advantage all the way to the line. But horse and rider, now in a completely different zone to anybody else in the race, had other ideas. They just continued their run and completely overpowered the opposition, leaving them for dead over the final 300m, as they raced away to turn an eight length deficit behind the second last horse in the back straight into a 6.75 length victory over the second placed runner at the line.

It was the biggest winning margin in the race since Assault won by 8.00 lengths in 1946.

One-hundred and fifty thousand people were at the track to witness the US$2 million race.

For the record, the sire of Mine That Bird is Birdstone, who dropped a Triple Crown bombshell himself when upstaging Smartie Jones (who had won the first two legs of the Triple Crown) in the 1994 Belmont Stakes at the long odds of 36-1.

Nobody in the shocked surrounds of Churchill Downs were more stunned than the connections of Mine That Bird. Owners and trainer were as dumbfounded as they were delighted.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Bennie ‘Çhip’ Woolley: “It’s hard to believe we came in here and won this thing. I was surprised he went off at 50-1 the way people were talking. I thought he'd be 100-1. Every paper in town said he had the best chance of anyone to run last."

Yeah, it’s wonderful, it hasn’t sunk in. I just can’t say enough. I’m feeling like I never have before. I was thinking Calvin Borel is the best. He just rode a huge race, and everybody around him did a great job and we just were lucky to get here. They’ll know me now. It took us 21 hours to drive here (from New Mexico), but that’s no matter.

“When they turned from home I lost him. I saw him start outside, and then he was got lost behind some horses and then he swung to the fence, I looked up at the eighth pole and he was already on the lead, I was just blown away.”

One last word. Do yourself a favour. If you have any interest in horse-racing whatsoever, go to kentuckyderby.com and view the video. It will be well worth your trouble!