Horse Racing Fantasy Community

Amazing anything can happen even a cheaply bought horse can become a champion. The Jockey did make a great move at the end on the rail got through that small crack and looked like he got shot out of a cannon in the end. Not going to talk early but if this horse win the TC get ready for the Disney movie lol.

OMG!!!!! What an upset! That was THRILLING!!!! Great job Borel! I can't believe Friesan Fire finished 18th though. Wow that was as amazing Kentucky Derby! I loved how you could see Mine That Bird come through on the rail in the replays...IT'S ON TO THE PREAKNESS!

-Kayla

OMG! your right! I thought Pioneerof The Nile was gonna get it, but then Mine That Bird just came out of nowhere! And I can't believe Freisan Fire got next to last,to. Overall, it was a surprising and amazing Derby!

As they said on the telecast, this was the longest shot since Donerail won in 1913, who went off at $91.45-to-1, according to the official Kentucky Derby site. And, I have to admit, I have NEVER heard of his trainer before. This is why the Derby is so much fun and why this is the Greatest Sport.

Ken

Funny you should mention a future movie bamagoatt. It was exactly like Seabiscuit the way he and Borel paraded around the track after the race instead of going straight to the winner's circle. I'm beginning to believe this horse may be the next Triple Crown winner. I've always been one to believe anything is possible, but this solidifies my beliefs. Slap my face the next time I say something is impossible, lol. xD
-Aubrie

“My whole feeling in terms of racing is that you have to be very bold. You sometimes have to be aggressive and gamble.”

THAT WAS AMAZING! I think I still haven't quite processed it yet.... O_O Unreal. I never saw that coming.

Wow...to think I almost bet on that horse just because he was the long shot. The track had been favoring the early speed on the rail and as the day wore on it seemed to favor the horses on the rail. Based on that this is not surprising but the way Mine That Bird rocketed between horses on the rail. Absolutly amazing. Now I'll have to do some research and see if he could handle the mile and a half Belmont. Although I want to believe a Triple Crown possibility I think the crop this year is simply too good and Mine That Bird just happened to be lucky today with one of the better trips.

What happened to Dunkirk, I haven't been a believer and this simply confirms it and I know he stumbled at the gate but he just didn't fire. I think Pioneer was in the race too early and didn't have enough left for the explosive kick he usually has. As far as Friesan Fire, I'll have to watch the race a few more times and find some excuses for his poor performance.

Ya know, it's kind of weird...but I think you're right. I have a feeling that Mine That Bird has the best chance we've seen in a while, for a Triple Crown winner. Ya know guys, THIS JUST MIGHT BE THE YEAR WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR! I know tons of people probably say this each year...but this is one good horse. If I Want Revenge happens to run in the Preakness or Belmont though...well, I don't know who'd I pick!

-Kayla

OMG!!! Wow! When I saw him in the paddock i thought he looked pretty good and then i was like "nah, he hasn't got a prayer in the world." I don't think anybody saw that 1 coming! And he's a gelding so we don't have to worry about him getting retired at the end of the year, lol.
i'm glad this horse won, i love to see Calvin do well :)

Let us run with perseverance the race that is marked out for us.
-Heb 12:1

I can't believe this. Calvin put on an amazing performance yesterday with Rachael Alexander and he wins todays with Mine That Bird. I didn't even see him coming until the end. I can just say WOW!!!! Calvin is certainly making a name for himself. I hope they consider Mine That Bird for the Triple Crown because I think he has what it takes and being sired by Birdstone, he is going to give us a show like today.

Talk about a jock who can ride a clean rail and find the light! Right day right jock. Kuddos on that mount!

It was a great race, and you want to go for these people as under dogs, but the trainer seemed very obnoxious in the interviews and seriously his comments left a bad taste in my mouth.. The rail was hot today and yesterday it was the place to be.. Fantastic race.. but like I said the trainer honestly left me changing the chanel.

danlewis - Agreed, not a fan of the trainer. I wish he had different connections but more importantly I'm wishing the horse all the luck in the world in his future racing career.

Congratulations to Calvin Borel and the connections of Mine That Bird.

I have to say though, Mine That Bird seemed to favour the conditions, whereas Pioneerof the Nile seemed to struggle in them. Something tells me that if it had been a dry track, the first two positions would have been reversed.

Pioneerof the Nile in the Preakness for mine :P

There weren't really any excuses for most of the other horses IMHO
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3200m forever! True staying races will never die!

OMG I KNOW! I was all for the Nile, but this was an AMAZING performance

don't knock the trainer. i don't blame him for not liking the media. hell how many trainers besides him do you know of that hauls their horses theirselves in a slantload trailer hitched to a pickup truck then drives for 21 hrs with a short break to let the gelding gallop at lone star park before cooling him out then loading him up to drive the rest of the way to churchill downs? or better yet when is the last time a canadian 2yr old champion colt/gelding won the ky derby?

I actually totally loved the trainer.

I mean, he takes this horse that people were saying didn't deserve to be in the derby or had no shot and wins by almost 7...incredible!! The media, however, only cares about the fact that he drove his horse there. It's like, get over it and tell him well done, not his fault he doesn't have a bajillion dollars to freely fly his horse around the country. Seriously, every interview the persons like "ha, you drove here!!". Good on him for telling them off!

And of course congrats to the horse and connections, so psyched that he is a gelding...and almost hopes he skips the preakness and goes to Canada to try for our crown!! (sorry US people...Canadian loyalty kicking in and reality of him winning the US TC is..well..doesnt look great)

Forgot, I also loved how he gave Calvin Borel so much credit, he deserved it and most of the time we don't hear trainers thanking the jocks..which is sad and rude in my opinion.

As for the Triple Crown history of Birdstone in the Belmont even Birdstone in the Preakness. I think we heard this story in 2004 :>
Good story. Great Derby by Garrett, Calvin and Eibar. Hopefully all our Kentucky Derby horses came out safe an sound.

I'm going to throw my 2 cents in here and say that I really like trainer Bennie (Chip) Wooley Jr. In no way was he snobby or whatever you want to call him while giving his comments. I too, would've gotten fed up with the constant jibberish about driving my horse to the Kentucky Derby. What he did, and under the circumstances in which he did it, was phenomenal. So he doesn't deserved to be treated or talked about in such manner.
-Aubrie

I agree, I liked the trainer. He's a horseman, not a showman.

et us run with perseverance the race that is marked out for us.
-Heb 12:1

My favorite part is that the owner of Rachel Alexandra held her out of the Derby because "It's a race to showcase stallions," and it ends up being won by a gelding. Some logic there. At any rate, Mine that Bird was very impressive, but I think Rachel would have aired today if she'd been in the race. It's a shame she wasn't, but at least we got to see her do her thing yesterday and another stellar performance today.

Congratulations, " Mine That Bird " You ran your heart out today and won. Like most folks, I overlooked you too. I had Chocolate Candy, but with so many horses, I only heard Durkin call out his name once, when he was nearing the stretch, in eigth position. I couldn't even locate him anywhere throiughout the race.
Personally, I think twenty horses are too many on our small (width) American tracks. Anything can happen and does. Oh, I follow this race each year as we all do, but it has lost much of the appeal that was once there. IMO
If things remain the same each year, I'm not so sure we'll be seeing a Triple Crown winner anytime soon. Too many of the top contenders are realizing a bad trip. I'd suggest changing some of the rules that enable a horse to run in this prestigeous race. Here are a few ideas of mine.
Possibly a requirment would be that any given horse had to run as a 2 year old. Had to win at least one Grade 1 Stakes race. Or, at least finish second or 3rd in a grade 1 stakes race. Have x number of wins. Perhaps, no less than 3, or 4. Then you could also work into the requirement formula the amount of money won. Maybe even not allow any horse with a lower than 90 Beyer speed rating.
Not locked in on any of these suggestions, ( I'm sure they could all be challenged, as they should ) because that's all they are. What I'm saying is, come up with ideas to get the field size down. Again twenty horses have turned the Kentucky Derby into a Demolition Derby. The Preakness and Belmont stakes are better races because of their smaller field size.
I read today that todays current owner of Mine that Bird bought him for $400,000 dollars from the original owner who only had to pay, $5,500.
I'm wondering why our Chantel Southerland didn't give us a clue. She won on him in one of his races up in Canada.

I still haven't completely processed it! Incredible!

This is correcting an error by me where I said $5,500.......Meant to say, $9,500

what a run by MINE THAT BIRD from dead last and won the kentucky derby by 6 lengths...amazing and a gutsy ride by calvin Bo-rail..... the superfecta payoff was huge 500K plussss wooooooowwww

After going over the pp's again after the race which i always do so i can somehow categorize the winner.
Here is what I saw .
MTB was the only horse in the race whose sire and dam had 20% or better of their offspring winning on off tracks.
The dam has put over 600 runners on to the races and 20%have a win on an off track .Thats a huge number.
MTB'S 4TH most recent race was in 08 as a 2 yr old.
Numbers guys have sworn to me you can add 10 points to any 2 yr old spped figure once a horse turn 3.
That would have given him a BRIS odf 100 .
Puts him in the ball park.
The rail bias was talked about all day on espn broadcast leading up to the derby.
Add in Calvn B0-Rail .

Six ,two and even ...over and out

Did you film that with your PC CAMERA.
jUST GO TO nbc sports .com to see the replay.
Or if you wnt to hear the track call go to twin spires
Six ,two and even ...over and out

I've switched the race out to a live, high quality version. The live version was not uploaded to YouTube until this morning. I always try to post the race for those who do not have the opportunity to view it live.
-Aubrie

it was kool

Six ,two and even ...over and out

I was shocked and it seemed time stood still until the announcer could figure out who THAT screaming up the rail horse was lol
I still didn't know anything about the horse other than the poor odds and had concentrated my research on the contenders.....
Then I realized who the winning driver was, and instantly thought back to Street Sense and how his then unknown jockey had made my derby day.

Calvin Borel has given me two wonderful hand me a kleenex derbys and I cant say enough about the enjoyment of watching those amazingly well bred beautiful horses race flat out in Kentucky.

Here is a nice little story about Calvin, I find after reading this that I understand less about bloodlines and more about people than I did before reading it.

A kinder way to view the 40-year-old's situation is yes, Borel doesn't read books, but he can look at any horse and quickly decipher the equine equivalent of fine print.

Borel rode his first horse at 2 and has been racing since he became a bayou "bush jockey" at 8, in the unsanctioned Louisiana races where children once commonly saddled up in two-horse runs.

"I can read a horse," says Borel,

"I can tell when a horse is happy, when he's not happy. And I think a happy horse is the best thing in the world."

If ruffled hair doesn't lay down after a minute, Borel says, the horse is dehydrated. For bleeding throats, give them Jell-O. If they aren't sweating, add beer to their feed.

Those are the lessons Borel learned after quitting school in the eighth grade. Recovering from injuries when a horse fell on him, Borel decided he was "fed up" with going to class. He went to live with his brother Cecil, a trainer and former jockey who, like Borel, has risen from small-time tracks in Louisiana to being based at Churchill Downs.

"Racing was what I wanted to do, and that's what I had to do," Borel says. "My parents understood."

The questions about his lack of schooling, Borel says, don't affect him.

"I'm where I am, and it doesn't bother me one bit," he says. "I'm living my passion and doing what I want to do, so I ain't worried about it."

The paradox about Borel's infatuation with horses and disdain for school is that he's engaged to a future teacher.

But Lisa Funk, 27, a University of Louisville graduate who's getting her teaching degree at Indiana University Southeast, was a shed manager and galloped horses at Churchill Downs when they started dating in 2001. They haven't set a wedding date.

"What means the most to me is his enthusiasm for what he does. That's the main thing that drew me to him," she says.

Funk points out that her fiancé, having grown up with a father who spoke only French, is bilingual.

"People don't bring up that part of it, when they say he's illiterate," she says. "He can go to Paris and get around. He's not illiterate. He reads enough to get by. He reads his Daily Racing Form. It's not like he can't read a single sentence."

As for writing English, Funk says: "He just never wrote it. He never held a pen. It was always reins. If you knew Louisiana culture, you'd know why. They judge people not by what you know, but what you can do with your hands. It's work, work, work, and then work some more."

Unusual path to success

Cecil says that of his parents' five sons, he's the one most comfortable talking about their lack of education.

"We had the chance but we just didn't learn," he says. "I'm not proud of it, but I'm also proud of what we did without learning that much. A lot of people say you can't do this, you can't do that without education, and that's crap. Because we're living proof that you can have a good living without education if you want to do it."

He readily admits he can write his name, but not much else. "I'll ask somebody to make a check for me, and they say, 'You can't do that?' I say, 'I can't make it, but I can tell you that frickin' check won't bounce, I can promise you that.' "

The Borels' father, Clovis, died three years ago, and their mother, Ella, 84, is in a Louisiana nursing home, partially paralyzed.

The family lived on about eight acres in St. Martin Parish in south-central Louisiana and sharecropped a couple hundred acres of surrounding sugar cane fields.

"Daddy had an old Ford pickup and he wouldn't take us nowheres, so all we did was work and mess with our horses," Cecil says.

The dirt tractor paths between the fields were where Calvin learned to ride. He's the youngest of the boys, 12 years younger than Cecil, hence his nickname "Boo-Boo," for being a boo-boo baby.

Sitting in his barn office in Louisville, where Calvin still helps muck stalls and does other menial chores, Cecil rattles off stories about his little brother's determination.

There's the time he was doing figure-eights on a horse in a driving rain, fell off, had a foot stuck in a stirrup "and he got drug about 100 yards to my grandmother's house."

There's also the time when Calvin ran a horse too far, got pitched forward onto a gravel road "and was cut up head to toe."

Both times, Cecil says, "he got right back on."

"He used to ride horses bareback, just put a bridle on them," he says. "The first time I knew he was going to be good was when he was about 5 or 6 years old. I know that sounds ridiculous, but that sucker was just born to it."

Attracting an opposite

Although she plans to teach English in high school, what Funk has most sought to teach her fiancé is the basics of nutrition.

When the two started dating, he was still engaged in what jockeys call "flipping" — intentionally vomiting to keep weight down.

"For the last two or three years he's gotten out of that habit," Funk says. "It was his choice. I didn't force him. We gradually worked our way into it, eating better and getting out of the heaving, and I swear it's changed everything."

Funk says Borel used to have bouts of irritability, especially at night. He says he used to flip for about 17 years.

"He said it was the one thing he hated, that everything else about his life was perfect," she says. "I can see the energy level rising in him. The color is back in his face.

"I attribute a lot of his recent success and being so aggressive on the track to that. It's an amazing change."

Funk says the 5-5, 111-pound Borel follows a strict diet of steamed vegetables, chicken breasts, no processed food and just water to drink.

"I feel a lot stronger now," he says. "It got aggravating. You're always worried about tomorrow. Are you going to eat this or that. I haven't done (flipping) for almost two years now, and I've got to thank her for that. She started cooking me three good meals a day."

Brian

Thanks for posting that. Calvin's one of my favorite jockeys and that article pretty much sums up why. He loves what he does, has a great work ethic, is a very gifted rider, and has overcome a lot to get where he is today. Was very glad to see him get to the winner's circle in the two big ones this weekend. He deserved it.

Let us run with perseverance the race that is marked out for us.
-Heb 12:1

Thank you for posting this story mapleleaf. I realized after reading this that I didn't know as much about Calvin as I thought I did, lol. He has definitely overcome a lot of obstacles throughout his life, a role model for any aspiring rider out there.

So many similarities: 1. I hated school! I only saw it as a waste of my riding time. I graduated, but as early as I could, lol. 2. I started riding around 4 years old, after that first ride they couldn't keep me off of the horses. 3. No matter how bad the fall, you always have to get back on. My worst accident was hitting a pine tree branch full-gallop, didn't fall off, but my face and arms were a mess. 4. Riding bareback is the best way to ride! Nothing is better then flying over a jump with nothing between you and your horse.
-Aubrie

Do we need to compare Mine That Bird to Secretariat? I think this gelding has what it takes to be a Triple Crown winner. We shall see come Preakness time. I hope Chip and the owners of this wonderful gelding decide to take him all the way. I didn't think Calvin had enough room on the rail to make it. It didn't look like it when he came down the stretch. That horse just exploded. It is nice to see another gelding win the "Run for the Roses".

Dreamscometrue--I have to agree with you about Chip. I would've gotten fed up with the media too with what they were saying. It wasn't right to judge to him like that. Just because he doesn't ship his horse all the world to race in the big races doesn't give anybody any right to put him down. I never heard of Mine That Bird until Saturday but I know we will hear more of him in the coming weeks.

Did anyone else notice how calm that colt was.....?
Calvin giving him love, interviews and fans freaking out...I couldn't help but think this horse is a champion and he just walked along, like it was just another day at the office, that calmness won him the derby.
You have to love a horse that jogs n trains with a calm demeanor and EXPLODES at the 3-8thh pole

B

I did notice how calm Mine That Bird was after the race even when Calvin was high fiving everyone. And we even seen a very emotional Calvin after the race. I don't know when the last time a jockey won the Oaks and Derby together. Does anybody know?

I agree with ya'll. Mine That Bird was incredibly calm before and after the race; acting like he'd done it a million times. It was beautiful the way he and Borel paraded around the track in front of the cheering crowd after the race; it brought tears to my eyes. I swear he highly may be the next Triple Crown winner.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the most recent jockey to win the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby in the same year was Jerry Bailey in 1993. So that would make Borel the seventh jockey in 135 years to win them in the same year.
-Aubrie

the last time a canadian 2yr old champion finished 12th in the bc juvenile was back in 2002 and his name was wando. a chestnut son of langfuhr. which Wando then went on to win the canadian triple crown in 2003.

fast forward to 2008. Mine That Bird a canadian 2yr old champion ran 12th in the bc juvenile. jump forward a several months and he slips thru a mouse hole on the rail and romps by 6 3/4 lengths in the first leg of the american triple crown.

To me this adds more facination to this years 3YO championship because this horse does not appear to be a flash-in-the-pan. A Canadian 2YO champ is supposed to be a pretty decent racehorse as history should have shown us. Some of the greatest ones were bred there; Northern Dancer, Nijinsky, The Minstrel, Deputy Minister, Dance Smartly and Awesome Again to name a few.

Of course it seemed like the rail was hot all day. Calvin was riding the best horses most of the day, and where else would he be but on the rail?

I for one felt like an idiot after this race. What had to have been Calvin Borel's biggest fan stood behind me in the paddock for two days and kept advocating his horses. Obviously she bet him in the Derby. And did I listen? Of course not. Ah, well. That was some ride. Carbon copy of 2007, right? I think these guys need to start closing up the rail, haha.

i have created a tournament to start at 8:30

500 points to enter

everyone welcome

Where did that come from?!? I like it how the announcer didnt even believe it and didnt even say anything about Mine that Bird coming down the stretch until he already had about a 4 length lead. I thought it was funny. He was yelling about Poineer of the Nile and the other two horses that were fighting out and by the time he had finished that sentence Mine that Bird had basically won the race.

Beyers

Mine that Bird 105
Rachel Alexandra 108

That hole Borel went thru with Mine That Bird was pretty big compared to the one he threaded with Miss Isella between One Caroline and the rail in the Louisville.

Let us run with perseverance the race that is marked out for us.
-Heb 12:1

At first I thought it would be just another Giacomo thing (a 50-1 winning the Derby, then fading in the next two races), but the more I think about Mine That Bird, the more I like him. I honestly don't think he was a fluke. Call me crazy, but I think he has a legitimate shot at the whole thing, or at least two legs of the Triple Crown. Winning by a nose or head, now that might've been a fluke, but nearly 7 lengths? I don't think so. Plus, he's a cute little horse, reminds me of Seabiscuit, and I can't help but root for him. :)

I watched Thoroughbred Weekly tonight and they mentioned that the last time someone had won the Derby and Oaks was in 1993 but they didn't mention the jockey or the horse. Calvin definitely has to be feeling really good after that win. I wonder who he will have dinner with this time since he had dinner with the Queen of England and President Bush in 2007.

Mine That Bird did look like another Seabiscuit being small but I know he had a huge heart on Derby day. I watched Thoroughbred Weekly tonight and seen the race that Borel was riding Miss Isella and couldn't believe that he was riding the rail. It seems like he likes that rail in races but sometimes the rail is not the best place to be because there is always that possibility of getting hung up or pinched.

Borel ran a marvelous race both on Mine That Bird and Rachel Alexandra and I know he is still enjoying his wins. He deserves it. I am glad to see that Mine That Bird is going onto the Preakness and hopefully we will see him in the Belmont as well. I would love to see a Triple Crown winner this year.

Calvin Borel is a hell of a jockey, he pulled off the rail move in numerous races, including when he won the Derby on Street Sense. Mine That Bird gets credit also, that horse gave it his all and I hope to maybe see him make it to the Triple Crown....

If that's not what's in his future, I hope he at least places well in the Preakness, and perhaps Belmont.....

It was an awesome race!!!

Not sure if anyone mentioned this yet. Most Derby final 1/4's are run in approx. :25 seconds. Secretariat did it in :23 and change in his Derby win.
Well, folks, " Mine That Bird " also did it in :23 and change, slightly slower than Secretariat. I think all that floating of the track surface set up that fast final furlong.

nyracinggrl39, I replied to your previous comment in a post higher up, I'm sorry I guess you didn't see it.

The last jockey to win the Oaks and Derby in the same year was Jerry Bailey in 1993. He piloted Dispute to victory in the 1993 Oaks and won the Derby the next day aboard Sea Hero. Sorry for the mishap!

-Aubrie